I have 6.5 hours of notes, and not enough time to use them! Here’s a shorter version of what happened. I have quite a bit to blog, this week and next, so I hope I have time to share the full versions of some of this . . . meanwhile, WYOU, student on ALRC, liquor in gas stations and homelessness and Lisa Link Peace Park and very little more than that.
GETTING STARTED
The meeting started its obligatory 10 or so minutes late.
ROLL CALL
Clausius is absent.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Mayor starts off by announcing that some people showed up to talk about the Operating Budget and he says that they legally can’t take testimony on the Capital Budget, only the Operating Budget has been placed on the agenda. Rhodes-Conway asks to make sure that the registration slips be saved. [Fred Mohs was in the hallway with his model of the Edgewater and I think the Mayor was trying to avoid letting him speak. I’m quite certain that in the past, he has bent the rules and allowed people to speak when they made this very same mistake.]
SUSPENSION OF THE RULES
The rules were suspended without objection, allowing them to take things out or order and introduced items.
EARLY PUBLIC COMMENT
1 person was there to support the Northside Plan.
5 people were there to talk about Lisa Link Peace Park and homelessness issues, they were in opposition to park plans. 3 more had to leave before they were able to testify.
CONSENT AGENDA
When they are ready for the consent agenda, Bruer isn’t in the room. [I guess he couldn’t be bothered to listen to the homeless people who took time to come and speak to the council.] Clear, in Bruer’s absence, makes the motion. [Probably saving everyone about 5 minutes.]
The motion is to pass everything on the agenda except
#23 – Student Seat on the ALRC
#24 – Liquor Sales at Gas Stations
#57 – Lisa Link Peace Park
and public hearing items 1 – 19.
They also pass item #20 which requires an extra-majority vote unanimously.
Cnare re-refers items 86 & 87 back to the Water Utility Board
Rhodes-Conway doesn’t separate, but notes that the Northside Plan is on the agenda and thanks the steering committee and public that worked so hard to get the plan done.
Bruer wanders back in just in time to vote.
#1. RECESSED PUBLIC HEARING ON OPERATING BUDGET
11 people speak in support of WYOU. 1 more left before they could speak. [I will try to do the long version of this soon.] Some of the points made were as follows:
– This isn’t taxpayer dollars, it is fees collected by the cable company and given to the City for PEG (Public, Education & Government) channels.
– Save the station and the 35 years of investments for future generations.
– WYOU is one of the things that makes Madison uniquely special
– WYOU has local programming you won’t see on any commercial cable station.
– WYOU has a diversity of programming.
– WYOU provides alot of education that you can’t get elsewhere.
– PEG fees were originally applied to support public access to the media, so that cable networks don’t have a monopoly on the airwaves.
– Internet and You-tube is not a replacement for the stations because it provides access to equipment, training, a studio and hands-on experience and support.
– Several small businesses have been started as a result of WYOU.
– One gentleman started when he was a low-income youth at WYOU in 1975 and learned how to put on a show and still does it today.
– WYOU provides an important historic record of Madison through the decades as demonstrated by the Runyon tapes and provides an important value to our community.
– Government will still have its cable access, but what about the public?
– WYOU creates jobs and gives people skills to get jobs.
– It’s hard to get out alternative voices with the government and corporate media and WYOU provides one way to do that.
– This is one tool to exercise free speech and challenge corporate double-speak.
– Now, more than ever we need a way to get the word out with the failing newspapers.
– The promise of cable hasn’t been what it was. We no longer have common experiences shared through network TV (who shot JR or last episode of MASH) but hundred of channels to choose from, and yet not much on TV.
– WYOU has been working hard to make up for loss of PEG funds in 2011. They have a solid business plan, a new Executive Director with business and marketing experience, they are working to increase community support, expanding station awareness, joining local business groups, working in partnership with local businesses and networking. They are looking for new opportunities and directions, covering lots of community events, holding fundraisers and on air fund drives and trying to get scarce grants. They made changes to the program schedules, the are working with producers to improve the quality of programming and to create shows with greater appeal. They are working on underwriting, video production services, doing more classes, partnering with schools and keeping the station on the air 24/7 while managing a business.
– This small amount of money is a good return on your investment.
– And finally, this was the statement by Executive Director Barbara Bolan:
Good Evening.
I am Barbara Bolan, Executive Director for WYOU Community Television. I celebrated my first-year anniversary at the station on October 14th, having come on board after the 2009 budget decision that funded WYOU at its 2008 level from PEG funds.
I spoke in front of some of you last week at the Board of Estimates meeting, stressing the changes on the state and federal level that, if passed, will strengthen community media in local communities and may reinstitute PEG funding in 2011. You asked some quantitative questions of me and I answered them to my best ability.
So, tonight, here is a quick look at WYOU Community Television, by the numbers:
Years as Madison’s community television station: 35
Charter Channel locations: 95 and 991
Broadcasting 24 hours a day/7 days a week
Number Board Seats: 9
Number of full time staff: 3
Number of hourly staff: 2
Total number of membership: 642, 350 of them active
Number of active volunteers: 70, including producers
Operating budget: $200,000
Money in bank reserve: $32,000What do these numbers say? We have a long history, we’re challenged by our distribution channels, and we have dedicated and passionate people using the facilities.
In the first 10 months of 2009:
Percentage of locally produced programs airing each week: 65%
Number of shows who use the WYOU studio: 19
The number of Camera and Editing Classes taught: 88
Kids taught in summer youth camps: 50
The Number of Boy Scouts earning media badges at WYOU: 42
Number of cameras and equipment checkouts per month: 70
Weekly hours our 4 editing stations are in use: 20What do these numbers say? We honor our mission to educate people and provide them access to television media.
The number of on-air pledge drives in 2009: 2
Number of hours of live programming during those pledge drives: 104
Number of pledge drive donors: 214
The Average pledge amount?: $70Money raised thus far from all sources, over and above the $140K PEG monies: $35K
What do these numbers say? We are raising money from community supporters and will continue to find ways to bring in new station revenue.
Looking ahead to 2010:
The amount needed and deserved from PEG funds for WYOU: $140,000
The reduction in operating budget envisioned is 20%Without the full PEG fund, the cuts will be deep and jeopardize the education and open access Madison citizens expect from us.
I ask you to support WYOU as it changes its operation its structure to secure future revenue sources.
I ask you support WYOU as it retains its mission to teach and incubate future voices.
I ask you to fully fund WYOU for 2010.Thank you.
There were 9 others who registered in support of WYOU.
Bruer recessed the public hearing until next Tuesday.
OTHER PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS
Items 2 – 19 all pass with the recommendations on the agenda.
There was one registrant on the Segredo license. It was Susan Schmitz from Downtown Madison Inc who said that this is the type of business they are trying to attract, so that there are other options besides “vertical drinking”.
Former Alder Paul Van Rooy also spoke in support of the Northside plan.
STUDENT ON ALRC
I can’t do this justice with the little time I have, hopefully others who focused on this issue alone will fill in the gaps.
Eagon made a motion to move adoption of 3rd substitute. He explains this adds a citizen and an alder to the committee and the Mayor agrees to appoint a students. This is different than the 4th substitute which assigns a seat to a student.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
6 people speak in support including representatives from ASM, the Badger Herald and the Daily Cardinal and the current non-voting ASM appointee. They explain that this is a step towards getting students more involved in the community in a positive way. They describe why students are invested in the downtown and what perspective they can bring to the committee. They express concern about there being a formal voice for students when the discuss the Alcohol Density Plan and if and how that continues, in addition to being concerned about bar raids and drink specials. There is some discussion of how students were disregarded by the Tavern League. They also question the slippery slope argument that if a student is appointed, there will then need to be a Tavern League and UW administrative appointment and how students are not a special interest group.
3 people speak against including Barb Mercer from the Tavern League and two ALRC members. Mercer is adamantly opposed to a student being on the ALRC. Doesn’t think the compromise includes her. [Duh, the Mayor’s “compromises” never include all the stakeholders!] She doesn’t think that a student should “represent” the industry on the committee. I guess she fails to grasp that the Tavern League is not the only ones impacted by the ALRC. She seems to take great offense that this would allow the UW another seat at the table. And apparently fails to grasp that UW administration might have different interests than the public. She claims UW is the biggest competitor to the Tavern League. She says this is just a backdoor way to change the culture and control of the ALRC. Ah, the heart of the matter!
The committee members Chet Gerlach and Pamela Bean say they are just worried about the meetings going longer if there are more members.
There are 23 or 24 others registered in support.
QUESTIONS OF SPEAKERS
Gerlach and Bean tell Clear that yes, it is just about the length of the meetings. Bean says if seats added, its ok for it to be a student. Gerlach is ok with one of the 7 being a student.
Mercer tells Kerr they don’t mind the addition of two seats. They just don’t want a student to have a privilege the Tavern League doesn’t have. She seems to draw no distinction between the Tavern League that has a financial stake in the outcome of decisions made and students who are impacted by those decisions but don’t have a financial stake. She doesn’t want student to have a vote on city-wide policies.
Pham-Remmele tries to question students. The representatives from the Badger Herald and Daily Cardinal bravely step forward to answer her questions after the Mayor explains there are two papers on campus. She tries to ask them how many students vote in either council races or ASM elections. Apparently, only 300 – 500 people vote in a district of 1,000. That answer was way off and failed to recognize that students vote in other districts besides district 8, it was kind of disappointing. She asks if they think a student can represent the student population. She bristles at the notion that the student population is 25% of the city and asks if students even know about ALRC. Here, they nail the question! They acknowledge that yes there is some apathy, and even tho they may not know about ALRC but they are passionate about what their neighborhood looks like and the policies that affect them.
Pham-Remmele starts asking them if the drink. Everyone in the room is getting uncomfortable. The student who was over 21 said yes they drink. She asks if it is on a regular basis. Mayor asks how this is relevant, Pham-Remmele says they will be making decisions for the whole city. The Mayor points out these students aren’t asking to serve directly. She presses on and asks if they plan to stay in Madison, again it is explained they are not applying for the seat. The students point out that they can make a difference while they are here and they cite several examples of students who have made a difference and cite the Vietname War protests as an example. Mayor asks them not to digress. Pham-Remmele says she wants more answers. She asks them to summarize what the ALDP is. One student steps up to answer the question but again the mayor and council try to stop the line of questioning. Mayor asks why she is asking since these are not the people applying, she says she knows that, but asks them questions about what they would do if the served. The finally end this questioning.
DISCUSSION
Eagon prefers 4th substitute, 3rd is not perfect but he’s comfortable with mayor’s promise to appoint a student.
Bidar-Sielaff prefers a student seat being reserved. Says students play an important role, that they are not a special interest group and shouldn’t be compared to Tavern League and UW Administration.
Schumacher says that he doesn’t like how Marsh Shapiro was treated so this is bittersweet. Says papers should know the difference between personal attacks and critical journalism. Um, with the WSJ as a role model, seriously, do you expect any thing else?
Rummel prefers students to have an assigned seat to make the institutional change not dependent upon who is in office. Suggests that there are other ways to have shorter meetings than to deny students a voice.
Maniaci says this is a referendum on current situation of the ALRC, the culture of the committee and lack of diversity. Says it was her birthday yesterday and she didn’t go to the Nitty Gritty. She’s tired of being treated as half a citizen because of her age. She says this is a call to arms for students to vote. She moves the 4th substitute.
Verveer points out that they haven’t had this many students at council meeting in his tenure, notes the diversity of representation in having ASM, Badger Herald, Daily Cardinal, College Dems and College Republicans here. [It should be pointed out that usually these groups are at odds with each other.] Says student voice on the ALRC has been helpful. Points out that ALRC doesn’t just address alcohol issues but there are also 18+ Entertainment licenses and thinks it is ok for someone under 21 to serve. The committee will not be turned upside down and the sky won’t fall if a student gets to vote. He says students are up in arms because they have felt left out and this is a big deal.
Sanborn says that much of the discussion isn’t addressing the issues of why the ALRC needs to be bigger or what representation is missing. Is it just the students voice that is missing? Why are students more important than someone from the alcohol industry. He says that no one has made compelling arguments.
Bruer randomly strings together a bunch of buzzwords. Says that it seemed like a no-brainer to restore alder positions on Economic Development Commission, Public Safety Review Committee and ALRC to respond to growing concerns from council members in these areas. But, he understands they don’t want an even person committee so added a citizen appointment. He panders, says he can’t support 4, urges them to support 3.
Cnare says parents in her district are impacted and would love to see their kids involved in this way. We sometimes only see the bad things. Says people who fill certain seats on commission can be very helpful in deliberations. Its important to have people who are impacted by policies on the committees. Says we should just vote for 4 now because we’ll just be discussing this again in 5 years. Notes that they are thinking about putting a high school student on Community Services Commission.
Bidar-Sielaff wants to answer Sanborn’s question. Says Common Council Organizational Committee (CCOC) decided ALRC needs more members. There are alot of agenda items that come from this committee and we trust that committee to give us good recommendations and having 3 alders would be important. She said they also discussed that a constituency voice that is underrepresented is important. She says Tavern League is a special interest group, a single student is not. She thinks a student would bring a valuable life experience and way of looking at an issue to the table. Reminds them students are a protected class and asks why they don’t get a report on how many students are on committees like gender, race and disability.
Compton says she trusts the Mayor to make the right decisions in appointing people to committees.
Solomon thinks there are good reasons for set asides for certain voices and perspectives on commitees. He says we have a goal, we agree with what we want the outcome to be, why not count on a compromise between individuals when it could change in the future. Vote for the 4th substitute.
Verveer wants to answer Sanborn’s question as well. Yes, meetings are long, but added committee members are welcome. Policy work is done in subcommittees and they don’t have enough members to do that work. Need the additional points of view. And it will be helpful for quorum. With ALDP sunsetting, a student voice will be important in the discussion of the future of the alcohol density plan. Supports the 4th or at a minimum the compromise.
Mayor says that they should reject the 4th and vote for the 3rd because it would show respect for Eagon. Puts Eagon and the Mayor in a difficult position if they reject their compromise. Says committee appointments with specific seats are hard to fill. Is worried if students get a seat that the Tavern League will want a seat. Then UW administration, then Capital Neighborhoods and then other neighborhoods. He says he can’t make a distinction between students and those other groups and doesn’t buy Bidar-Sielaff’s argument. Says the compromise balances the need to not have designated seats but give someone from 1/5 of the population in Madison a voice. Reject 4, support the compromise.
ROLL CALL: (designate a seat for students in the ordinance)
AYE: King, Maniaci, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Verveer, Bidar-Sielaff, Cnare, Eagon, Solomon
NO: Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schmidt, Schumacher, Skidmore, Bruer, Clear, Compton, Kerr
ABSENT: Clausius
Fails 10 – 9. [The council has a rule that it takes 11 votes to pass, a majority of the council, regardless of who is in attendance.]
They then vote on the 3rd Substitute (adds an alder and a citizen – which the Mayor says will be a student, but doesn’t create a student seat on the committee.)
ROLL CALL
AYE: King, Maniaci, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Sanborn, Schumacher, Schmidt, Solomon, Verveer, Bidar-Sielaff, Bruer, Clear, Canre, Compton, Eagon, Kerr
NO: Skidmore [apparently he didn’t get the memo the police are ok with this.] Pham-Remmele
SELLING LIQUOR IN GAS STATIONS
[File this under, took longer than it had too . . . can someone teach the alcohol industry reps how to use legistar, pretty please.]
Somebody moved and seconded for approval.
Sanborn asks why we need this ordinance. If it is for drunk driving it doesn’t make sense. People drive to bars or liquor stores as much as gas stations. If it is because clerks are not as careful as in other establishments, wants to see evidence and data. Bars are probably the biggest culprits for selling to underage people as well as drunk driving.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Justin Frank representing the Madison Alcohol Advisory Council which is made of an association of retailers, gas station owners, grocery store owners, independent retailers and chains, distributors and producers(?). He says they were formed to work proactively with the city to solve problems. They want to handle the problems without ordinances. No evidence that this is a source of the problems. Waukesha proposed the same, police said no problems with those establishments. Thinks ALRC can handle this on a case by case basis through the liquor license restrictions. He says this will discourage businesses like Costco from coming to Madison.
Barb Mercer from the Tavern League also in opposition.
QUESTIONS OF SPEAKER
Schmidt asks if Costco went to Middle because of this policy or because the land is cheap? Frank says that grocers are concerned this could be a deterrent.
Schumacher asks if he spoke to Costco management – Frank says no, he just used it as an example.
Schumacher asks about the big box retail ordinance and if that could be the reason Costco went to Middleton. Frank doesn’t know.
Schumacher asks if Frank knows why he is asking the question. Frank says no.
Bidar-Sielaff tells Frank that they could do what he wants with the current language. She explains that this doesn’t apply to full service grocery stores. Franks says that wasn’t clear, thinks he is looking at the wrong copy. [Dude, this is the second time in 6 months that you wasted the council’s time because you didn’t look at the right version of the ordinance – pay attention! Learn how to use the internets already!] So, after that was explained, he is no longer concerned and sits down.
DISCUSSION
[But that doesn’t end the discussion, history lessons and general need to hear themselves speak. Ahem . . . ]
Bruer tells some story about a 6 pack. He made some deal long ago and now everyone needs to abide by it. [This is where my snarky notes from the meeting say “dude – don’t write checks your ass can’t cash”. It was getting late and he was rambling.] More buzz words and platitudes and things we’ve all heard him say before in incomplete rambling sometimes coherent sentences.
Verveer says everything Bruer said is true [sigh . . . guess I should have paid a little more attention.]. Says only in last few decades that gas stations got beer licenses because they decided it doesn’t meet the public policy concern that hard alcohol does. This restriction is a tradition we followed for over a decade. Concern was drunk driving, clerk used to note Gas Pump in bold all caps on agenda. Secondary concern is loitering and issue of transients and related loitering and littering and panhandling. In the 14 years he’s been here they’ve never granted a license to sell liquor at a gas station, beer and wine is ok. The only reason the ordinance is here is because clerk has a few people start the process in Schmidt and Compton’s districts to sell liquor without telling them about the policy. They started the process and contacted everyone they were supposed to and then were told they couldn’t do it and wondered why allowed to start the process. He says we need to memorialize or codify the policy if we think it is good public policy. Its here a second time to address the concerns Frank raised. The language is in there to address this issue. ALRC recommended it to the council twice.
Pham-Remmele speaking in opposition. Thinks this is not necessary. Its pretentious. We don’t really address the issue directly we go round about with it. We’re notorious for over regulating everything within site. If don’t buy at gas station, they will drive around. She doesn’t drink, but people who do will find a way to find the liquor. This reconfirms our zealot attitude to control and regulate everything and think that we solve problems. [Oh dear, did she forget what neighborhoods she represents and the problems they have there?]
Sanborn, glad there is an effort to codify this. Liquor license is a privilege, believes we should regulate, but need to be careful about privilege to sell a legal product if you haven’t done anything wrong. Laws need equity and logic. Gas station selling gas doesn’t create a greater danger if selling alcohol. They are carving out exemption cuz don’t want to hurt a big business, big employers, big corporations.
Kerr says it might be a cultural thing because she grew up in a blue law state, but she finds it hard to believe we would allow beer and wine with all the serious issues around drunk driving and you don’t see this elsewhere throughout the nation. Voting to support.
Schmidt – supports it on public policy, based on situation Verveer mentioned in his district. He had to answer for a long standing policy, which he agrees with in the end, but couldn’t say where it came from. It is a community standard most people agree with across the country, can’t remember being in gas stations where hard liquor is sold, it is not common. He says liquor licenses are a privilege as defined by state statute. Finally, the time spent discussing this ordinance is nothing compared to time spent on that one issue. Please codify this so don’t have to have that discussion. Codifying the policy might help ALRC.
Schumacher, supports it too. Says license holders might know gas industry, but not alcohol laws. Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. There has to be a security plan, and rules about when and how to dispense it. Training is different. he sees a small gas station differently than a Woodman’s who has training and doesn’t leave a single clerk by themselves.
Rummel would have voted no on gas stations selling beer if she were on the council at the time. Quick cheap sales of alcohol with your quart of milk means litter and activities that are are problem. 99% of customers are ok, small packages of hard alcohol would be bad. Gets distinction between a big grocery store with training, she supports it.
Bidar-Sielaff says says we should codify it, can still sell beer and wine. She is surprised Pham-Remmele supports it since people in her district have raised issues with gas stations and drinking and the littering and other problems that goes with it. Yes, you only have to drive a little further, that is the point, why have even it more conveniently located in a neighborhood and at the same time have it not be safe for rest of neighborhood. Supportive of ordinance.
Palm asks if ALRC thought of setting standards instead of broader no or yes.
Schumacher says that is a challenge for the body. Need best practices and tighten up on operators licenses. We know that we have young people without experience selling liquor. This is the heart of the next generation of work, to figure out where the problems are and create solutions. He says gas stations that sell alcohol is one place where it falls apart. If best practices are in place in the future, they could look at it again.
ROLL CALL
AYE: King, Maniaci, Palm, Rhodes-Cownay, Rummel, Schmidt, Schumacher, Skidmore, Solomon, Verveer, Bidar-Sielaff, Bruer, Clear, Canre, Compton, Eagon, Kerr
NO: Pham-Remmele, Sanborn
ABSENT: Clausius
RECESS
The mayor resists attempts to take a break after meeting for 3.5 hours. Says there is just a little bit left. Too many people want to take a break so they do . . . only 2.5 hours to go!
LISA LINK PEACE PARK
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
[This includes summary from the early testimony as well as the later speakers.]
There were 16 registrants in opposition, 3 in support.
There were 19 people who spoke against, with 7 others in opposition who left before they could speak. 6 were in support.
TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT
Support was from downtown business owners, members of the Greater State Street Business Association, Downtown Madison Inc and the Business Improvement District and members of the committee that came up with the plan.
– Visitors come from all over the world to State Street and we need to show them what a great place this is.
– Park is a gem, but it could be better, needs improvements.
– Claim this will make the park more inclusive and more welcoming.
– ATM is a welcoming tool.
– ATM will not charge fees and be a revenue tool
– Need the visitors center.
– The committee worked for two years on this plan.
– They rely on visitors for their livlihood, they bring in $70M to Madison and Dane County every year.
– Everyone will be welcome in the new park.
– DMI has a ReachOut program where they tell homeless about services available.
– The BID will staff the welcome centers, they had 28,000 customers at the 2 seasonal booths in 2008.
– ATM will make the stop at teh Visitors Center a full service stop.
– There will be no cost to general tax payer to operate the building.
– They are not putting the ATM there to get rid of the homeless and panhandling, that was not the intention.
– No reason to fear the police if you are behaving properly.
TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION
– Homeless man testified that Peace Park is the one place he can go to rest when he is tired.
– With the Overture Center and the new Condos homeless aren’t allowed to stand outside of Grace Church and so they need somewhere to go and you keep taking places from us and we have a right to be here.
– Putting a police office and events in the park are meant to displace the homeless.
– Hospitality House is 1.5 miles away and that is a long ways to walk.
– There is a bad element that used that park, but there are alot of good people who use it as well.
– All this does is displace homeless throughout Madison and if you have a bad apple, they will be a bad apple no matter where they go – at least now you know where they are.
– All we have left is the library and you’ll be kicking us out of there next.
– Rich people can hang out at the Overture, can’t we have a little space too? All he has left is this for shelter – holds up an umbrella.
– We have dreams too, you won’t listen to us cuz we make less than 1,000 per year.
– Operation Welcome Home helped a group of people get off the street and they are here to help others get off the street. It’s about to get cold and people will start dying again.
– You might say you don’t have the money to help the homeless, but what are you going to do? There is not enough room at the shelters.
– We know you already made your decision, we aren’t here asking you to give us something, we want an opportunity.
– Some of us are down on our luck, and that could be you too someday.
– Please find a way in your heart to help us, we are humans too even tho we are not making the big decisions, find a little something for us too, it could be just a little touch.
– We were displaced from Brittingham, then the South Tranfer point, where do we get pushed next? If you push us into the lake we will drown, we don’t have gills. I need your help, I don’t want to end up under water. Where do we go from here?
– The Council should read the Dane County Task Force on Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System report.
– Disbelief that 28,000 stopped by the booths. He doesn’t see that many people using them.
– Only reason to have the ATM there is to prevent panhandling and panhandling is the only means some people have to get resources.
– Questions use of public funds and thinks they would be better used to get to root causes of homeless.
– Support a day labor program.
– Lisa Link would not have wanted this. The ATM and the police in the park are the problem, that wasn’t in the plan when they talked about it.
– This won’t be welcoming.
– Benches are slabs of concrete and not welcoming.
– There are plenty of ATMs on State Street.
– The new ATM looks tacky.
– Urban parks are supposed to be a green oasis, this won’t do that.
– Police station prevents the visitors center and park from being welcoming and inclusive.
– Please look at the People’s Economic Stimulus Plan.
– Can no longer go to the library because only allowed to have one bag with them.
– Take the ATM out of the project.
– This proposal will just aggravate the homeless issues and further polarize the community. We need a win-win.
– How would you want to be treated if you were homeless?
– Feels sad, frustrated and confused when she sees people without homes of all ages, she wants to be proud of the place she lives and she wants to know Madison is doing something to address this issue and that we are moving forward in a new way we haven’t thought of before and this might be the opportunity.
– As a student, she’s never been deterred from shopping because of people in Peace Park or panhandling.
– We should be helping not hurting the homeless.
– We should be addressing the needs of the homeless, not the inconveniences of others.
– Need for new affordable housing to be built, support grassroots work and invest in change.
– Woman eagerly awaits the day when she has to tell her children what it was like when there were homeless people, because they no longer exist.
– It’s not that homeless people are opposed to renovations in Peace Park, they like the open space in the plan, its how the plan is being carried out that is the problem.
– It’s the feeling of being kicked out again that is the problem with the ATM and it doesn’t matter what the intent is, we need to address what the impact of it is.
– There is an ongoing cycle of displacement that is done with city resources, instead of addressing root causes.
– We marginalize the needs of poor people and people of color – when will we stop being blind and work to make it more convenient to be blind.
– We have two different groups with different needs and (perceived and real) interests. One group is getting what they want, the other is not.
– Peace Park can sometimes be uncomfortable, and maybe we should address that directly.
– One person holds up the ReachOut card and says that the services on the card have to be funded appropriately for the programs to be available.
– The park doesn’t need a make over, the people there need the help.
– Homeless people should have been on the committee to come up with the plan.
– Plan commission passed the plan without the correct information. They were told that the ATM was no longer an issue because of the one put in at Subway.
– Some people have different experiences with the police than you and I do.
– Is a park really a good place for police services?
– Why putting a building in green/open space?
– Stop the cycle of transplanting people from one area to another.
– We should look at where we are putting our resources and how we are criminalizing the poor.
– Formerly homeless person tells story of losing job due to seizures.
– City has a mechanism to deal with restrooms. Businesses cannot require that you purchase something to use the restroom and there are signs up all over State Street that says that. They are in violation of state statute 146.085.
– Other parks need renovations, the money doesn’t need to be spent here.
– Unlock the bathrooms in the parks instead of having porta-potties.
– Change is good, but is this change for better or worse?
– We could have people without a home or a job staff the visitors center, who knows the streets better than someone who lives on them?
– Formerly homeless person says he spent much of his time trying to find a place where you wouldn’t get harassed and where you could get some food. The group he avoided the most was the police. He was locked up for not having an id. He says that homeless are targeted and that even if it is not the intent, it is the effect.
– Formerly homeless person says that this park is more than a green space and a place to plant some flowers, when you are down this is a place for a little community and a little community goes a long way.
– Last speaker informs the council that the homeless shelters required people to be there and that many could not attend tonight otherwise they would have no place to live.
QUESTIONS OF SPEAKERS
Clear asks Schmitz to talk about what Tom Link’s involvement in the process. Schmitz says he was on the committee, sorry he wasn’t here, involved since beginning. Then she goes on to says things not in response to his question. Then she says he was an asset to the group, took his representation of his mother seriously, that is why the peace pole is pretty cool.
Clear asks about loss of green space because it looks about the same to him. Schmitz doesn’t really answer the question but talks alot. She does say that where the building will be built is already concrete. I skipped typing all the non-responsive stuff. She says that with the loss of the stone walls it will be greener.
Rummel asks Saiki about the plans. Wants to know more about the benches and the general overview. He holds up the plan, explains he is the landscape architect, lead consultant. Points out the benches – 6 in circular stage area, also next to it, they are pedestals for electronic equipment and power. Some along wall and some philosopher stone seats. Game tables and chairs. Rummel asks about benches – will there be barrier. He says no. He points out the the ATM.
Verveer asks Saiki to share the other boards, esp visitors center. He shows the pretty pictures.
Maniaci asks about the peace pole and the landscaping, please chat about it. He points out 4 columns that are colors and the banner designs, also the usage of space and landscape architecture. Shows more pretty pictures. Peace pole is world wide movement, 200,000 poles in over 200 countries, it is 8 foot tall pole, says “let there be peace” in 4 different languages. Shows area around the stage, water feature, landscape plan is simple, they are reconditioning the lawn and putting in a irrigation system.
Rummel asks Gring about Tom Link. Gring says Link does not support it and doesn’t support the ATM or the police being there but they knew that was going to happen. Outraged about ATM, I can tell you doesn’t support ATM and not happy about non-welcoming presence of police.
Verveer asks Schmitz about fundraising and the $385,000 they need to raise. She says TIF funds involved, not allowed to build in city owned property. Friends of Lisa Link Peace Park will raise the money. Not one penny of taxpayer money will be in construction.
Verveer asks Carbine about visitors information center and the staffing. She talkes about the ambassador program which is mostly non-responsive. She says they have 70 volunteers, special training, to answer questions about downtown and Madison general, including Madison Metro, travel info, how to get anywhere in the city. BID pays for that through the special assessment.
Verveer asks why ATM is critical? Concept plan was that community groups would staff it, but to step up to funding a year round operation, had to cut out other programs in the budget and they struggled cuz it is a priority and cut out other things. Needs to be something to sustain the operations. High use area, cleaned on a n hourly basis. Still working with parks to make sure funded to an acceptable area. A few thousand dollars makes a big difference.
King asks how much money for the ATM. 3500 to 5000 per year.
Alright, that’s all the time I can spare for today . . . will have to wait for the rest tomorrow. Bottom line is that there was a motion to put the ATM inside, that failed. The plan passed. The discussion, however, is worth reading, and I will try to get that done for tomorrow.
The rest of the discussion is here.
