Well, since I haven’t taken the time to read the news, this is what I’m guessing is not in the news . . . either way, items of interest.
HELP FILL A HOLE IN ORTON PARK
There is now a hole in Orton Park thanks to the pro-bono work by Avante Gardening. Starting next week other supplies will start to show up and then on the weekend of August 6 & 7 there will be an installation of pavers donated by the Willy Street Coop installed and once they are in the city can deliver the benches and the project will be complete.
I am looking for volunteers to help shovel limestone into the hole, tamp it down with a compacter, put more limestone down, compact some more, level it out, put down the pavers, sweep in the sand, etc.
If you would like to help with this work please contact me so I know how many volunteers we will have. This will also be a learning experience if you have never installed pavers before, so please come and the process will be explained and some of us learn best by doing, so please join us Saturday, August 6 and Sunday August 7. You can volunteer for as little as you can to both days. Whatever will work for you, but we will need help.
I hope to hear from people, since this is not a one person job. I will have shovels, a wheel barrow, the compactor, edging and other tools needed, but if you can bring tools and a wheel barrow that would help since the extra dirt will be spread throughout the park where erosion has created problems.
I can be reached at bruce_woods AT att.net or my home phone is 256-7968.
CHANGING THE WAY THE WATER FLOWS
This is just kinda unusual, so its informational for those impacted, and just interesting.
In order to do some of the work on Williamson St., the direction of flow to a good sized portion of the neighborhood will need to be reversed. This is to keep service to everyone, but it’s mostly necessary to keep adequate fire protection to the area. The water service shouldn’t be interrupted to anyone, but the change in the flow direction will stir up things within the main, so residents will probably notice some discoloration to the water. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Thanks!
COMMENT ON VERONA ROAD PLANS
Comments due August 15th.
The proposed Verona Road/West Beltline project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is out. It has many plans for bike/ped facilities in the vicinity of Verona Road and the Beltline. Written comments must be in by Monday, August 15. There will be no public hearing.
Bikers might especially be interested in commenting on
– plans related to getting across Verona Road close to the Beltline,
– ways to cross the Beltline (There’s no traffic-separated route right at the intersection and the bike/ped overpasses are further away than most people want to go if they are trying to get to the Dorn Hardware area or Midvale Blvd)
– crossings involving the Southwest Commuter Trail, the Badger State Trail, and the Cannonball Trail, especially of Verona Road and also PD, and in Stage 3 as well as Stage 1 and 2.Some of these crossings are a veritable nightmare now. The at-grade crossing of the Beltline on Verona Road is extremely dangerous and will get worse in my opinion. The Badger Trail and Cannonball crossings of PD are at grade right now and plans for Stage 1 – coming up in 2012 – do NOT plan for grade separation. Traffic on PD is heavy now and travels fast, making it dangerous to cross. Traffic will only get much, much worse during the 3-year construction period when traffic will try to avoid going through the construction zone up by the Beltline. Whether they would be grade-separated a decade or so later in Stage 3 isn’t promised either.
A proposed tunnel that will connect the Beltline frontage roads on each side of Verona Road is a big improvement over the at-grade crossing – 21 lanes!!! – that was proposed in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
However, changes to the access point to cross the Beltline on the ped/bike bridge at Whenona Drive are counter productive in my view since few bikers and even fewer pedestrians – often school kids going to Cherokee or Thoreau – dislike going half a block out of their way in the wrong direction and then having to double back toward their point of origin. Now the access point is at Whenona Drive with no need to cross traffic either on Whenona or anywhere else when getting on from Whenona. The newly proposed access point would mean that many peds and bikers would have to cross Whenona and/or Britta, go half a block west, then come back half a block east to get on Whenona and go down to the schools. People heading to Dorn Hardware, including myself, would probably chose to risk the at-grade crossing of the Beltline on Verona Road rather than go the extra block and then have to cross Verona Road/Midvale at-grade anyway even though they had already taken the overpass.
The Stage 1 plans calls for moving the Southwest Commuter path to the west at the underpass of Verona Road. Stage 3 offers a couple of choices – keeping it more or less on its same alignment or putting it on a Raymond Road bridge. I go for the straight shot myself.
Availability of the FEIS
The FEIS is available at many libraries and also online. You probably have to ask at the desk to see a copy. Copies don’t circulate.If you have little time, at least study the Executive Summary which is at the beginning of Volume 1. It’s about 25 pages long.
Find the entire FEIS at these branches of the Madison Public Library:
Central Library, 201 West Mifflin Street
Alicia Ashman Branch, 733 North High Point Road
Meadowridge Branch, 5740 Raymond Road
Monroe Street Branch.1705 Monroe Street
Sequoya Branch, 4340 Tokay Boulevard (at Midvale)
South Madison Branch, 2222 South ParkIt’s also available in adjacent cities:
Middleton Public Library, Main Branch, 7425 Hubbard Avenue, Middleton
Verona Public Library, Main Branch, 500 Silent Street, Verona
McFarland Public Library, Main Branch, 5920 Milwaukee Street, McFarland
Fitchburg Public Library, Main Branch, 5530 Lacy Road, FitchburgAn electronic copy of the FEIS is available on the web at the following address:
http://www.dot.wi.gov/projects/d1/verona/environment.htmHow to comment
Comments can be made by e-mail or hardcopy. By e-mail, comment to Larry Barta larry.barta@dot.wi.gov In hardcopy, comment to Joe Olson, Regional Director, WisDOT, SW Region, 2101 Wright St., Madison, WI 53704-2583.The Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association, located in the southeast quadrant of this Verona Road/Beltline intersection, will definitely be commenting on a number of aspects of the FEIS, and I will make DMNA comments available on this forum in hopes that some of you will be interested in supporting the Association’s stands.
BADGER ROAD DROP OFF SITE RELOCATING
Badger Rd. Drop Off Site To Close For Construction – Temporary Site at 121 E. Olin Ave.
The Streets Division’s drop off site at 1501 W. Badger Rd. will be closed starting Thursday July 28th. The site will be moved temporarily to the City’s transfer station at 121 E. Olin Ave. The offices at Badger Rd will remain open during construction.
“We are going to be completely repaving the facility at Badger Rd. So we must shut down the drop off site during construction,” Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said. “The project is expected to last 4 to 6 weeks.”
The facility at 121 E. Olin Ave. is located between the Goodman Pool and the Alliant Energy Center. It will be open the same hours as the other Streets Division drop off sites 8:30 to 4:30 seven days a week and Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 8 p.m.
Operations at the drop off sites at 4602 Sycamore Ave. and 402 South Point Rd. will not be affected by the project.
The temporary drop off site at 121 E. Olin Ave. will accept the same material as the site at Badger Rd. Residents will not be able to purchase appliance or electronic fee stickers at Olin Ave. Fee stickers will be available at all Madison Public Libraries and at the Streets Division’s office at 1501 W. Badger Rd.
“Residents using the Olin Ave. facility on weekdays are asked to use caution as the facility has quite a bit of truck traffic entering and leaving the site,” Dreckmann said.
The Olin Ave. site also serves as the City’s brush processing site. For safety reasons, residents will only be allowed to get wood chips at the facility M-F from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Wood chips will not be available at any other times.
For more details on the temporary site switch go to the Streets Division’s web site www.cityofmadison.com/streets or call the west side office at 266-4681.
AND THE JAMES C WRIGHT AWARD GOES TO . . .
I’m not sure how I feel about this one . . .
Presented annually by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Equal Opportunities Division of the Department of Civil Rights, the Reverend James C. Wright Human Rights Award honors the late Reverend James C. Wright who served as Executive Director of the Equal Opportunities Commission from its inception in 1968 until his retirement in 1992. The award is given to an individual who exemplifies the Rev. Wright’s dedication and compassion for civil and human rights and conducts their daily life consistent with these values. This year marks the sixteenth annual presentation of the award.
The Equal Opportunities Commission’s Selection Committee selected Mr. Richard V. Brown Sr., as the 2011 award recipient. The award will be presented at the August 2, 2011 Common Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Common Council Chamber in Room 201.
Mr. Brown served two-terms on the Dane County Board of Supervisors, sponsoring legislation to further civil and human rights, including authorizing the Dance County Taskforce on Poverty, sponsorship of budget proposals to increase resources for the Dane County Office of Equal Opportunity and to decrease to the cost to incarcerated persons in the county jail with little or no resources.
Mr. Brown has provided leadership on several commissions and committee to promote human and civil rights such as the City of Madison Community Services Committee, the Dane County Housing Authority Board, the Dane County Personnel & Finance Committee and the Dane County Equal Opportunity Commission.
As a former City of Madison landlord he has provided housing to struggling families and used his resources to create a voice for the community by founding and personally sponsoring radio programs to provide spiritual, political and open dialog on issues that impact the civil rights of Madison’s minority communities. He has supported various community programs and groups such as the Southside Raiders, South Madison Panthers, and the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.
Past recipients of this distinguished award include: Jacqueline Wright, 1996; Dr. Richard H. Harris, 1997; Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson; 1998; Helen Vukelich, 1999; Anthony “Nino” Amato, 2000; John Noreika, Sr., 2001;Dr. John Y. Odom, 2002; Peter Muñoz in 2003; Earnestine Moss in 2004; Jonathan “Jon” Gramling in 2005; Agnes Gutierrez Cammer in 2006; Jeffery Erlanger in 2007; Professor Richard Davis in 2008; Darlene Hancock in 2009 and Alfonso Studesville in 2010.
OPENINGS IN TONIGHT’S EDITING CLASS
Several Openings still available in Intro To Editing with Final Cut Pro
Thursday July 28th 2011, 5:30-8:30 PM(1 session course — $50 for members, $68 non-members)
You may sign up on our web site at: http://www.wyou.org/pc/Classes.html or by calling (608) 258-9644 and leaving a message or by emailing info@wyou.org
This class is a hands-on introduction to the software and many of its features which aims to acquaint students with the software and provide them resources for learning to use the program in more depth after the class. The class also serves to certify producers to use the editing equipment on their own projects for WYOU. Class sizes are small for more personal instruction.This is a one-session class on using Apple’s Final Cut Pro software.
WYOU has an editing lab that’s open Monday 10am – 5pm, Tuesday 5 – 8pm, Thurday 10 am – 5pm, Saturday 1 – 5 pm, Sunday 4 – 7 pm. The lab features 3 Macintosh stations with Final Cut Pro software found in many professional video operations.
ENDING WEALTHFARE
Ok, even if you are not a Progressive Dane member, you can sign too . . . no time for a re-write.
In early May, the Progressive Dane was proud to endorse an innovative and new approach to campaign finance reform proposed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. The plan seeks to replace the big money plutocracy that currently dominates our state elections with a small dollar democracy that would provide incentives to candidates to raise small dollar donations from individuals in their districts that can vote for them. This proposal – aptly named Ending Wealthfare – will give ordinary citizens who lack the means to donate large sums of money to political campaigns a more meaningful role and more prominent voice in the electoral process while making it possible for candidates to run competitively for office without having to rely on a small number of wealthy special interest benefactors. You can find more information on the proposal here.
The plan has also been endorsed by the League of Women Voters. The PD Steering Committee encourages our members to follow the League’s lead by individually endorsing this pioneering approach to comprehensive campaign finance reform. As WDC works to find a sponsor for this legislation it’s important to show the grassroots support the proposal has in every corner of the state. You can endorse Ending Wealthfare here.
Working together we can succeed and we again hope you’ll follow our example and endorse this ground-breaking proposal. Thanks for all you do!SIGNS OF PROTEST
Just a reminder . . .Center for Photography at Madison to take in the Signs of Protest Photographic exhibit showing every Saturday, from 10-3pm through August 27. The Center is located at 303 South Patterson Street on the near east side of Madison.
Here is the link: http://www.cpmad.org/content/signs-protest-special-juried-exhibition-cpm
ECO MOVIE NIGHT TONIGHT AT JAMES MADISON PARK
The very best, Oscar-nominated, environmentally-themed animated short films. A unique summer event. Free and outdoors, James Madison Park. Walk, bike or canoe. Movies start at 8:30 pm
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS RALLY
Wisconsin Public School Advocates to Rally at the Capitol, Saturday July 30, 3:00 PM
“A need for national, state, and local action”
As hundreds of thousands of public school supporters gather in Washington DC the weekend of July 28 to 30, 2011, Wisconsin advocates will hold a rally in support of the Save Our Schools agenda at 3:00 PM on Saturday July 30, near the State St. entrance to the Capitol.
“Public schools are under attack. There is a need for national, state, and local action in support of our schools. Wisconsin has been ground zero in this; the Save Our Schools demands from the Guiding Principles provide a great framework to build our state movement and work to expand opportunities to learn” said education activist Thomas J. Mertz.
The Save Our Schools demands are:
– Equitable funding for all public school communities
– An end to high stakes testing used for the purpose of student, teacher, and school evaluation
– Teacher, family and community leadership in forming public education policies
– Curriculum developed for and by local school communitiesDoing more with less doesn’t work. “The time to act is now. While phony debates revolve around debt ceilings, students and teachers across the country are shortchanged. We need real reform, starting with finally fixing the school funding formula, and putting families and communities first. What child and what teacher don’t deserve an excellent school?” said rally organizer Todd Price, former Green Party Candidate for Department of Public Instruction and Professor of Teacher Education National Louis University.
The event will feature speeches from educators, students, parents and officials, as well as opportunities for school advocates from throughout Wisconsin to connect and organize around issues of importance in their communities.
For more information, visit: http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/ and http://saveourschoolswisconsin.wordpress.com/
COMMUNITY LITERACY INTERNSHIPS
Working as a Community Literacy Intern is a great way to sharpen your managerial, organizational and communication skills as you help others in your community. Our interns help run our Community Literacy program, which provides one-to-one tutoring for adults in Dane County who wish to improve their reading, writing or speaking skills in English. We are looking for future interns who are out-going, reliable and interested in working with ESL students from various cultural backgrounds. Interns will staff one of six Community Literacy programs.
Internship responsibilities:
· Make reminder phone calls to students (frequently in Spanish)
· Write personalized, goal-based lesson plans for each student signed up to study
· Tutor ESL or literacy students individually
· Conduct intake and assessment of new students
· Provide support for volunteer tutors during lessons
· Manage the Community Literacy site (arrange room, track attendance, match students with tutors)
· Provide assistance, if needed, in the childcare roomFor each internship listed below, add 3-6 additional hours of lesson planning time. Lesson plans are completed at the office on a flexible schedule. We are currently hiring for the following six internships:
1. Mondays 5:00-8:15 pm at Literacy Network
2. Tuesdays 5:45-8:15pm at the Allied Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club
3. Tuesdays 5:45-8:15pm at the Dane County Parent Council on Red Arrow Trail
4. Wednesdays 5:45-8:15pm at Literacy Network
5. Thursdays 9:45am-12:15pm at the Lussier Community Center on Gammon Road
6. Saturdays 8:45am-11:15am at Literacy NetworkAll candidates are required to:
· Own reliable transportation
· Attend training sessions Tuesday, Sept. 6th (6-8pm) and Wednesday, Sept. 7th (5-8pm)
· Work 6-10 hours weekly (no absences) from September 19-December 17
· Be reliable, mature, patient and have great communication skillsCandidates must have previous experience with one or more of the following:
· Adult education
· ESL lesson planning
· Working with people of other cultures
· Speaking SpanishSuccessful interns will receive a total payment of $300 for their time as well as a letter of recommendation from Literacy Network
Application deadline is August 5, 2011. If interested and qualified, please email or mail resume and cover letter to:
amy@litnetwork.org
Community Literacy Internship Recruitment
Literacy Network
1118 S. Park Street
Madison WI 53715Please indicate which class(es) you are applying in your cover letter.
OPERATION FRESH START GARAGE SALE
Saturday, July 30 · 8:00am – 3:00pm
Operation Fresh Start
1925 Winnebago StreetThe Operation Fresh Start Student Policy Committee is hosting a Garage Sale to raise money for the Policy Committee Fund which supports extra-curricular activities at Operation Fresh Start. Come check out the fabulous selection of treasures and support these great students!
BUS ADVOCATES MEETING
Monday August 1, 2011
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Capital Centre Meeting Room – 344 W Dayton St.Eric Sundquist, Madison Plan Commissioner and on Madison’s Long Range Transportation Planning Committee, will talk to us about Transportation Demand Management planning and role of having a good TDM when seeking development approval.
JAMES MADISON PARK SNACK SHACK
If you haven’t seen James Madison Park lately, it’s time to look again. The park now features a renewed shelter, available for rent starting July 1st and a snack shack! Plan your group’s event or picnic while taking in the magnificent scenery along the scenic shoreline of Lake Mendota. The shelter is easily accessible from downtown or campus bike routes and street parking is also available. Have your choice of soaking up the sun or getting some shade from the majestic trees. You’ll be amazed at the amount of green space and panoramic lake views!
James Madison Park Snack Shack
The James Madison Park Snack Shack is now open daily from 11:30a.m. – 4:30p.m. It offers a variety of food and drinks to refuel on a beautiful summer day. Grab your friends, a snack from the snack shop and enjoy the upstairs patio overlook and flower gardens.James Madison Park Shelter – Available for your party reservation
It has been several years since the shelter at James Madison Park has been available for reservation. But come and discover the incredible views of Lake Mendota this incredible shelter has to offer your next party. The shelter is ideal for family reunions, student organizations or any other group gathering.The James Madison Park Shelter can accommodate up to 80 people and has water and restrooms on site. Reserving the shelter on weekdays is only $82. For weekends and holidays, pay $125 for the entire day (10 a.m.-10 p.m.) or $90 for half-day reservations. Amplified sound is permitted for a four-hour period until 9 p.m. The park is alcohol-free, so serving alcohol will require an alcohol permit.
To reserve this shelter for your next event, please call (608) 266-4711.
CANOPY CENTER MOVING
Canopy Center is moving! We will be at our new location at 1457 E. Washington Ave., Suite 102 and open for business on August 1st. We will not provide programming next week to give us time to get everything moved and unpacked before jumping right back into the swing of things (the Parent Stressline will be available next week). The Oasis and Parent Stressline programs plus administrative staff will be housed at this location.
All mail should be sent to:
Canopy Center, Inc.
1457 E. Washington Ave., Ste. 102
Madison, WI 53703The Families United Network parent support program will now be held in a church at 1904 Winnebago St. The program will be condensing programming to one evening per week on Wednesdays, to allow us to serve more families at once and reduce costs. The church building offers us more than enough space to provide our evening meal prior to groups, and enough group rooms for our 5 parent support groups and 7-8 kid/teen groups, plus childcare for kids under 5. (The program is in no way affiliated with the church, but they are providing a very welcoming environment)
The office at 1457 E. Washington Ave., Suite 102 will be shared by Canopy Center, Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center and Family Sexual Abuse Treatment (FSAT). This co-location has already resulted in program and staff collaboration and we are excited about the possibilities for the future as we work together to bring a stronger child advocacy network to Dane County families and children.
ALL PHONE NUMBERS WILL REMAIN THE SAME FOR CANOPY CENTER! Main Office 241-4888, Fax 241-4825, Parent Stressline 241-2221. Check our website for direct phone numbers in our staff directory. The computers and phone will be down for a short period of time on Monday and Tuesday next week (July 25th and 26th) as we move our server and set up our new phone system. If you urgently need to reach someone, you may call my cell phone number at 608-345-9501.
An Open House will be planned for this fall, so please look for that announcement!
TROY GARDENS MARKET STAND
This is actually from last week . . . . but info still mostly good.Every Thursday the Troy Market Stand will be open from 4:00-6:00pm during CSA share pick-ups. The market stand is open to the public and is located at 500 Troy Drive.
On the market stand: The first of the tomatoes and salsa baskets! We have only a taste this week, but expect plenty more to come in the near future. Also carrots, beets, scallions, broccoli, green cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumbers, summer squash, kale, collards, green beans, yellow beans, basil, parsley, and cilantro. And finally, the last of the fennel.
CLOTHING CENTER HOURS CHANGE
More reduced services.CAC’s Clothing Center, which provides free, seasonally appropriate clothing for families and individuals in need, will be closed on Fridays as of August 1st.
The Clothing Center’s hours will be: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 am to 3 pm or by appointment. For more information or to arrange an appointment, please contact Theresa at (608) 246-4730 Ext. 229 or theresai@cacscw.org.
BENEFIT TO HELP LOCAL 171
Is this what we have come to?Sunday, August 7 · 2:00pm – 8:00pm
Harmony Bar & Grill
2201 Atwood Ave.
Madison, WisconsinJoin your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and comrades, for an afternoon filled with a fantastic line-up of music, suds, and solidarity!
Musical line-up featuring Jim Schwall and Friends, Druthers, with Ken Owens, with special guest: Helliphant.
Sunday, August 7, starting at 2 pm, until 8 pm. Stop by anytime!
NORTHSIDE COPS WANT YOUR INPUT
Interested in helping improve the quality of police services you receive?
If so, I need your help. I want to create a District Advisory Committee. I am envisioning a very diverse group of individuals with whom I can meet occasionally for the purpose of learn what public safety and quality of life problems they see in their neighborhoods.
It is the function of the police department to reduce crime, fear and disorder, and my responsibility to assure we deploy our resources to accomplish that mission. To accomplish this, I want to understand the public safety concerns of residents of the North District from their perspective. This understanding will help me make the best possible decisions on how to deploy available personnel resources, and to be better able to understand the community implications of any staffing adjustments we might contemplate.
If you are interested in speaking with me, and perhaps meet on a couple times a year to share your insights, please email me at cmclay@cityofmadison.com, or call 245-3650 and leave your name, phone number and email address if you have one. I will be in contact with those interested in the very near future to discuss how we proceed.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Captain Cam McLay
Ok, cleaned out a bunch of my email inbox, hope you find this information helpful!
