District 2 News

More Water Main Flushing Info

2007-03-25T22:13:00.001-05:00

All Alders,

I'm sending this message to inform you of the start of our 2007 flushing program. If you have any commnent or suggestions on the communciation plan outlined below, please feel free to contact me.

Our plan is to conduct unidirectional flushing operations througout the City's water system beginning next week and throughout the summer and Fall. Piloted last year, this method of cleaning the City's water pipes proved more effective than traditional methods. The purpose of this operation is to scour and clean sediment and mineral buildup in the pipes to ensure high quality water at customers' taps throughout the year.

When our crews are flushing water mains in your district, we will add you to our flushing schedule email listserv. Messages will be sent to the listserv two or three times a week with a list of the streets being flushed for several days following the the message.

Key information regarding the fluhsing program:
Overview schedule map: http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/Documents/udf_schedule_citymap_links.pdf
Flushing starts Sunday night, March 25th if weather allows.
One crew will work at night, Sunday through Thursday, beginning on the central Isthmus.
Four crews will work during the day, Monday through Friday, in other areas of the city.
The flushing program will continue throughout the year until the end of November.
Flushing can cause discolored water, low pressure, and sometimes complete loss of water service for a few hours.
We appreciate the public's patience as we conduct this critical cleaning process.

Public notification methods:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/ under "Plans, Programs & Projects"
Flushing Information Hotline: 261-9178 (recording updated weekly)
Email list serv: http://lavos.wiscnet.net/mailman/listinfo/mainflushing
Newspaper ad, first Monday of every month.
Communication with neighborhood associations.
Blue Yard Signs in neighborhoods "Water Main Flushing Program"
Direct phone/e-mail notification for customers that request it.
Special coordination with critical customers (schools, hospitals, etc).
Direct mailing in some areas (pilot program on central/west Isthmus).
Radio and TV ads.

Please contact me with any questions you may have, or contact our Flushing Program Coordinator, Doug De Master (261-9834, ddemaster@cityofmadison.com).

Thank you,

David Denig-Chakroff
General Manager
Madison Water Utility

Water Main Flushing Schedule

2007-03-25T21:55:00.000-05:00

From the Water Utility . . .

Water Main Flushing is scheduled to begin in 5 areas on Sunday night March 25 and Monday morning March 26, weather-permitting.

A map showing a general schedule for the year: http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/Documents/udf_schedule_citymap_links.pdf

During the first few days of flushing we will be working in the following areas, Monday-Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted:

Near East (Flushing Area 7):Between N Sherman Ave and Packers Ave, from Schlimgen south to Ingersoll and E. Washington.

Near East (Flushing Area 8):Between Atwood and Lake Monona from Olbrich Park to Division.

Near East (Flushing Area 11): Between HWY 30 and Atwood, from HWY 51 to North St and E. Washington.

West Side (Flushing Area 14):University (Tomahawk to Midvale), Old Middleton, Glen Oak Hills Park, Bordner, Norman Wy.

Central (Flushing Area 24, 10 pm to 6 am, Sunday night to Friday morning): On the isthmus from Ingersoll to the Capitol Square.

DETAILS BELOW
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Doug De Master
Engineering Systems and Mapping Engineer Madison Water Utility
119 E. Olin Ave
Madison, WI 53713
608-261-9834 (office)
608-225-9137 (mobile)
608-266-4644 (fax)

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AREA 7 (Day): 3 to 7 runs per day

Run ID Run Description
7001 (Night, Sunday March 25) N Sherman from Schlimgen to Roth St
7002 N Sherman Ave from Roth St to Michigan Ct
7003 Commercial Ave from N Sherman Ave to Ruskin St
7020 N Sherman and Fordem from Michigan Ct to Northfield Pl
7021 Superior St - Michigan Ct (Commercial to Sherman)
7022 Superior St - Erie Ct (Michigan to Sherman)
7023 Superior St and Northfield Pl
7024 Sherman Ave from Fordem to N Thornton Ave
7101 Fordem Av - E Johnson St (Sherman to Second)
7102 S side Fordem connection loop (directly N of Johnson)
7103 W & N sides Fordem connection loop (directly N of Johnson)
7104 Marston Av - E Johnson St (Sherman to Fordem)
7105 Marston Av - Sherman Av (E. Johnson to Thornton)
7106 E Johnson St (Marston to S of Brearly)
7107 Marston Av (Johnson to Sherman)
7108 E. Johnson St (Thornton to Paterson)
7109 Sherman Av (Marston to Gorham)
7110 Baldwin St (Johnson to Sherman)
7111 Elizabeth St - Sidney St (Baldwin to Sherman)
7112 Elizabeth St (Sidney to Few)
7113 Few St - Sherman Av (Johnson to N of Ingersoll)
7114 Elizabeth St - Leitch Ct (Few to NW end)
7115 Jean St - Elizabeth St (Few to Ingersoll)
7116 Gorham (Johnson to Brearly)
7004 (Sunday Night, April 1) Commercial Ave from Ruskin St to Packers Ave
7005 Schlimgen Ave from Sherman Ave to Packers Ave
7006 (Sunday Night, April 1) Packers Ave form Schlimgen to Aberg

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AREA 8 (Day): 3 to 7 runs per day

RunID Run_Desc
8001 Oakridge (Welch - Miller)
8002 Oakridge Ave - Atwood Ave
8003 Sugar Ave. (Atwood - Union Pacific RR)
8004 Atwood Ave - Fair Oaks Ave (Oakridge to Buena Vista)
8005 Welch Ave. (Oakridge Ave - Ludington Ave)
8006 Center Ave (Atwood - Elmside)
8007 Welch Ave. - Lakeland Ave.
8008 Ludington Ave (Atwood Ave - Oakwood Ave)
8009 Maple Ave. (Oakridge Ave - Atwood Ave)
8010 Oakridge Av - Dunning St (Elmside to Lakeland)
8011 Elmside Blvd - Lakeland Ave - Miller Ave - Atwood Ave
8012 Lakeland Ave - Hudson Ave - Atwood Ave
8013 Atwood Ave. - Elmside Blvd. - Willard Ave.
8015 Elmside Blvd.
8016 Atwood Ave. (Elmside Blvd. - Division St)
8017 Sommers Ave. ( Elmside Blvd - Division St)
8018 Center Ave. (Elmside Blvd. - Division St.)
8019 Willard Ave. ( Elmside Blvd - Ohio Ave)
8022 Ohio Ave (Oakridge Ave - Atwood Ave)
8023 Atwood Ave ( Ohio Ave - Division St)
8026 Oakridge Ave - Division St
8027 Lakeland Ave. - Schiller Ct.
8028 Evergreen Ave. (Oakridge Ave - Atwood Ave)
8029 Schiller Ct. - Lakeland Ave.
8030 Dunning St ( Atwood Ave - Yahara Pl)
8031 Schurz - Yahara - Russell - Rutledge (Lakeland to Riverside)
8032 Yahara Pl (Schurz to Dunning)
8033 Garrison St. ( Atwood Ave - Emmet St)

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AREA 11 (Day): 3 to 7 runs per day

RUN 11001 Dempsey - Stoughton - Milwaukee - (Calvert to E of Fair Oaks)
RUN 11002 West Corporate Dr
RUN 11003.1 Dempsey Rd (Milwaukee to Stoughton)
RUN 11003.2 Dempsey Rd (Immediately S of Milwaukee)
RUN 11004 Dempsey Rd (Portland to S of Steinies)
RUN 11005 Anchor - Bergen - Steinies (Dempsey to Dempsey)
RUN 11006 Rockwell - Bergen - Steinies (Dempsey to Dempsey)
RUN 11007 Lori Circle
RUN 11008 Dennett Dr - Hargrove St (Dempsey to Walter)
RUN 11009 Hargrove St (Walter to W end)
RUN 11010 Tulane Av - Ring St (Dempsey to S end)
RUN 11011 (Night) Tulane Av - Ring St (Hargrove to S end)
RUN 11012 Anchor Dr - Gunderson St (Dempsey to Tulane)
RUN 11013 Margaret St (Dempsey to Gunderson)
RUN 11014 Anchor - Ontario - Rockwell (Dempsey to Dempsey)
RUN 11015 Coral Ct
RUN 11016 (Night) Schenk St (Tulane to Milwaukee)
RUN 11017 Paus St - Schenk St (Dempsey to Tulane)
RUN 11018 Buckingham Ln - Dawes St (Paus to E end)
RUN 11019 Dawes St (Schenk to E end)
RUN 11020 Sussex - Buckingham - Dawes

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AREA 24 (Night): 2 to 5 runs per day

RUN 24001 E Mifflin St (N Livingston St - N Paterson St)
RUN 24002 N Paterson St (E Mifflin St - E Washington Av)
RUN 24003 N Paterson St (E Washington Av - E Johnson St)
RUN 24004 N Paterson St - E Johnson St (Mifflin to Brearly)
RUN 24005 Dayton St (Paterson to Brearly)
RUN 24006 Brearly - Gorham (Johnson to Ingersoll)
RUN 24007 2" main SW of Castle Pl
RUN 24008 Castle Pl
RUN 24009 Johnson St (Paterson to Franklin - 12")
RUN 24010 Johnson St (4") - Franklin St (Paterson to Mifflin)
RUN 24011 E. Dayton St (Paterson to Blair)
RUN 24012 E. Mifflin St (Livingston to Hancock)
RUN 24013 E. Mifflin St (Paterson to Livingston)
RUN 24014 E. Gorham St (Paterson to Blair)
RUN 24015 Paterson St (Gorham to N end)
RUN 24016 Washburn Pl - Prospect Pl
RUN 24017 Washburn - Prospect - Paterson
RUN 24018 Livingston St (Gorham to E. Wash)
RUN 24019 Livingston St (Gorham to N end)
RUN 24020 Blount St (Mifflin to N end)

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AREA 14 (Day): 3 to 7 runs per day

RUN 14001 University Av - Whitney Wy (Tomahawk to S of University)
RUN 14002 University Av (Tomahawk to SE end)
RUN 14003 Whitney Wy - Old Middleton (S of University to W of Segoe)
RUN 14004 University Av (W of Segoe to N of Bruce)
RUN 14005 Highbury Rd - Locust Dr (Univ to Rose)
RUN 14006 Rose Pl (University to Locust)
RUN 14007 Connector- Rose Pl (Univ to Locust)
RUN 14008 Burbank Pl - Locust Dr (Univ to Maple Ter)
RUN 14009 Maple Ter
RUN 14010 Segoe Rd - Vernon Blvd - Midvale Blvd (Univ to Regent)
RUN 14011 Price Pl (Vernon to N end)
RUN 14012 Vernon Blvd - Price Pl (Segoe to N end)
RUN 14013 Segoe Rd transverse connection (between Sawyer and Vernon)
RUN 14014 Sawyer Ter (Segoe to Frey)
RUN 14015 Frey St - Sawyer Ter (Segoe to N end)
RUN 14016 E end Sheboygan Av (W of Segoe)
RUN 14017 Old Middleton Rd (Whitney to Merrill Crest)
RUN 14018 Old Middleton (Wynnwood to Merrill Crest)
RUN 14020 Old Middleton Rd - Gettle Av (Merrill Crest to Rosa)

Update on Tenney Locks Lighting

2007-03-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

From Supervisor Barbara Vedder

This is the latest update that I requested regarding the Tenney locks lighting. Be assured that I’ll be monitoring this and will keep you posted.

Barbara Vedder

Hello Supervisor Vedder,

Thank you for the phone message regarding our progress on adjusting the lighting at the Tenney Lock and Spillway. Public Works staff removed a light fixture this winter and met with the lighting vendor to determine the best way to affix the new light shields. They came up with a way to retrofit the existing fixtures; staff will use a bucket truck to install the shields prior to the start of the 2007 Season, which starts May 1st.

Please let me know if I can provide any additional information. Darren Marsh

Darren Marsh
Parks Division
Land and Water Resources Department
Rm. 234
1 Fen Oak Ct.
Madison WI 53718
(608) 224-3766

Fax (608) 246-3898

Dane County BUILD Grants Available

2007-02-13T16:08:00.001-06:00

Dane County is Accepting Applications for BUILD Planning Grants
Applications must be received by Dane County, postmarked no later than March 30, to be accepted. The attached Application Guide provides information about how to prepare a funding application. It is also available on the web at http://www.co.dane.wi.us/plandev/community/build/ or by email by contacting Steve Steinhoff at 266-4270, or mailto:steinhoff@co.dane.wi.us, or Olivia Parry at 261-9957 or mailto:parry@co.dane.wi.us. Please contact Steve or Olivia with any questions you may have.

Steve
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve Steinhoff
Community Development Coordinator
Dane County Planning and Development
210 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd., #362
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-4270

New Police Liaison

2007-02-12T18:31:00.001-06:00

From: Radke, Timothy
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 9:37 AM
To: Konkel, Brenda
Subject: Police Liason for Tenny-Lapham neigborhood

Greetings.

My name is Tim Radke, and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and your neighborhood association. I am a Police Officer currently assigned to the central Community Policing Team, and will serve as a Police Department liason to the Tenney-Lapham neigborhood this year.

I have been a Police Officer with the City of Madison for approximately 6 years, working in Patrol Services in the South, East, and North Districts prior to having the opportunity to work with the CPT downtown beginning in January of this year. I currently am on light-duty status due to an injury, but I look forward to returning to regular-duty work and taking a more active role with the rest of my team in the near future.

If you have any questions you can direct them toward me, and if I don't know the answer I will do my best to find it out for you. I hope to make most of the neighborhood meetings this year, and if there is something you would like answered for a particular meeting, please ask me in advance.

Also please keep me informed of upcoming meetings, changes, concerns, etc. I look forward to meeting you and the other members in person.

Sincerely,

P.O. Tim Radke #3243

Central CPT - 1644

City of Madison Police Department

(608) 266-4145

Meeting on Lapham School Possibly Closing

2007-02-12T18:29:00.000-06:00

Please Attend

Monday February 12th

8:00pm

Doyle Admin. Building

545 W. Dayton

Long Range Planning Commission

MMSD administrative staff will be discussing possible closing of Lapham

TUESDAY-February 13th

6:30pm

Marquette SCHOOL LIBRARY

LAPHAM/MARQUETTE PTG MEETING

FREE CHILCARE AVAILABLE

No Snow Emergency Tonight

2007-02-12T18:27:00.000-06:00

To: snowemergency@wiscnet.net
Cc: Schumacher, Al
Subject: [Snowemergency] NO snow emergency tonight

Hi,

The City of Madison will NOT declare a snow emergency tonight. Because more snow is forecast for late this evening and early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, there is a good chance we will declare one tomorrow.

If you live in the Downtown/Isthmus Snow Emergency Zone you will not have to follow the alternate side parking rules tonight.

If you live outside the Zone, you should park on the ODD house numbered side of the street this evening.

George

George P. Dreckmann

Recycling Coordinator

City of Madison

1501 W. Badger Rd.

Madison, WI 53713

608-267-2626

FAX 608-267-1120

Public Market at Brayton Lot?

2007-02-12T06:48:00.000-06:00

There will be a separate meeting for Tenney Lapham and Marquette at a later date, but feel free to come to this meeting as well.

Neighborhood Meeting Concerning

*Four-Season Public Market/Possible Brayton Lot Location*

7:00 pm, Tuesday, February 20, 2007

St. Patrick’s Church, 404 E. Main St., Parish Hall Basement

Common Wealth Development, Inc. and Blue Planet Partners, Inc., two non-profits in our community, in cooperation with the City of Madison, Dane County, the Madison Community Foundation, and a number of other nonprofits are proposing to bring a four-season public market to Madison. (You can read more about the Public Market in the attached brochure.) They have been working for approximately 18 months on a wide set of issues including potential sites. A number of these potential locations are on E. Washington Avenue, with the Brayton Lot being a strong candidate site. The non-profits are now at the stage of the project where they must begin to find the right home for the market and would like to get the community engaged early in the process.

The purpose of this meeting is to brief the community on the project, discuss steps to date, get the community’s initial input on the project, and discuss key next steps. The meeting will be facilitated by First Settlement neighbor, Bert Stitt. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me:

Ald. Judy Olson, District Six

608-245-0557

district6@cityofmadison.com

Neighborhood Grants

2007-02-12T06:15:00.000-06:00

From Rebecca Cnare

Good Morning,

I am sending you this e-mail because you have been a contact person for a City of Madison Neighborhood Grant sometime in the last four years. While many of you still have grants currently in process, I wanted to take an opportunity to let you know about the details for the 2007 Neighborhood Grant Cycle. We are starting the grant process earlier this year in the hope that more projects will be able to be completed this summer.

If you believe that you have received this e-mail in error, or wish to be removed from this contact list, please reply, and I will take you off of the list.

Information about the 2007 City of Madison Neighborhood Grants is listed below, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact myself, Rebecca Cnare at 266-4957 or Linda Horvath at 267-1131.

The first important date is our annual grant workshop. It will be held at 6pm, Wednesday, February 21st, 2007 in Room LL110; the basement of the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The grant guidelines and application forms are available on the city’s webpage: http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/grant program.htm,

Warm Regards, Rebecca Cnare

2007 City of Madison’s Neighborhood Grants

Information Release

The 2007 grant guidelines and application forms are attached and also available on the city’s webpage: http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/grantprogram.htm. You can contact Linda Horvath at 267-1131, Ext. 219 (lhorvath@cityofmadison.com) or Rebecca Cnare at 266-4957, Ext. 204 (rcnare@cityofmadison.com) for more details.

Learn More

Grant Informational Workshop: February 21, 2007 (Optional)

An informational workshop is planned for anyone who has questions about the grant program. The informal session is to be held at 6:00 p.m. in Room LL.110 (lower level), Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Eligible Applicants

Grants are open to recognized Neighborhood Associations, Planning Councils, and Business Associations. In some cases, a community organization may be able to apply if granted prior authorization.

Type of Grants

The City of Madison Neighborhood Grants Program, administered by the Department of Planning and Development, Planning Unit, provides funding for a variety of activities to strengthen neighborhoods. Two types of grants are available:

▪ Mini Grants for projects/activities where grants awarded will be up to $500 and have no match requirement. Deadline for mini-grant submissions is April 9th, 2007

▪ Neighborhood Grants for larger, more complex projects/activities where grants awarded will be up to $20,000 and have a flexible match requirement based on the resources available within, and to, the neighborhood.

· Deadline for the “letter of intent” for grants is March 7 ^th, 2007

· Deadline for final grant submissions is April 9th, 2007

Eligible Projects and Activities

Grants are available to fund the following eligible projects and activities:

▪ Community Enhancement: The intent of category is to assist and encourage neighborhood–based organizations in making improvements to public places. Projects/activities that will be considered are those that will improve the appearance and livability of the neighborhood’s streetscapes, gateways, and neighborhood business areas. Such projects/activities are generally high visibility, capital projects that can be undertaken and completed in a short period of time.

▪ Neighborhood Leadership and Capacity Building: This category is for projects/activities to improve the organizational capacity of neighborhood associations in addressing issues, improving conditions, and enhancing the quality of life within the neighborhood. It is designed for neighborhoods with active associations and leadership, as well as neighborhoods with little organizational structure or leadership.

▪ Neighborhood Planning: This category is to provide financial assistance to neighborhood organizations to help neighborhoods strategically plan for the future. Projects/activities that will be considered include the preparation of neighborhood plans, typically focusing on matters such as land use and development standards, as well as other issues. Such plans may cover an entire neighborhood, a sub-area of the neighborhood, or a neighborhood business district.

Dates to Remember

February 21, 2007: Grant Informational Workshop

March 7 , 2007: Deadline for the “letter of intent” for grants over $500

April 9, 2007: Deadline for mini-grant and neighborhood grant submissions

Rebecca S Cnare, ASLA

Urban Design Planner

City of Madison Department of Planning & Development

Madison Municipal Building Ste LL.100

215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd

PO BOX 2985

Madison WI 53701-2985

rcnare@cityofmadison.com

608.266.4957

608.267.8739, fax

Water Meeting: Feb 5th

2007-01-27T12:54:00.001-06:00

East Isthmus Drinking Water Series Announcement

A collaborative effort of Madison Water Utility and near east side neighborhoods (Marquette, Emerson East, and Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara) has resulted in a series of public meetings to discuss drinking water issues on the East Isthmus. The first meeting will be held on Monday, February 5, 6-8 pm, at 1021 Spaight Street, Immanuel Lutheran Church. Topics to be covered include water quality testing to ensure drinking water safety, the role of Public Health, and how Madison Water Utility communicates with its customers about drinking water issues.

Additional meetings are also being scheduled to address challenges with locating a new well on the Isthmus, the impact of development pressure on water supply, long-term sustainability of the aquifer, and water conservation. Updates on dates and agendas for future meetings can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/water. Meetings are currently being planned for late April and June.

All meetings are open to the public. We hope you can join us.

Joseph Grande
Water Quality Manager
Madison Water Utility
608-266-4654

Alternate Side Parking

2006-12-02T14:24:00.000-06:00

Information about alternate side parking can be found here.

District 2 is in the snow emergency zone and have special rules that apply.

You can sign up for an email telling you when there is a snow emergency here.

Keeping Safe from Burglaries

2006-12-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

From the December Central Police District Newsletter (not yet posted on the website)

Burglaries: Take Charge of Keeping Your Home Safe

Rarely a day goes by when a burglary report does not cross the desk of the Lieutenant of Detectives for the Central District. Sadly, the circumstances are similar in most cases.

Burglary is defined as whoever intentionally enters the dwelling of another, without the consent of the person in lawful possession, and with the intent to steal or commit a crime. That’s the legal version, but for the victims of a residential burglary, it is the awful realization that your private space and belongings have been tampered with or taken. Beyond the inconvenience, cost, and frustration of replacing or assessing the loss is a powerful emotional burden brought on by the loss of personal privacy and safety.

An overwhelming number of burglaries could be prevented by some of the simplest and cost-efficient crime prevention techniques known to humans. First and foremost is using locks: locking windows, doors, entryways, exits, outer doors, basement crawlspaces, anything or anyplace that allows someone to access your private space. Locking a door isn’t something you do just when you go away for the weekend; you should have the door locked to your home or apartment anytime you are away and all the time you are inside. Here are some real examples of incidents of burglaries that have occurred: a person leaves their apartment unlocked while they go to the basement to do laundry. A person locks their bedroom door but leaves windows unsecured and returns from shopping to find the windows open and laptop computer gone. A large picture window reveals a purse sitting on the couch of a home, and the resident awakes from a nap upstairs to find the unlocked front door ajar and the purse gone. In every one of these cases, a lock would have been a deterrent.

Thanks to camera systems in many multi-family housing units, we can see the burglar enter and exit the place. While useful from an investigative standpoint, it speaks volumes to the number of places where people simply don’t lock their doors and how fast a person can enter and exit with items of value.

In the Central District, we are coming to winter break. Many people who leave for the holidays come back to find their homes broken into and in disarray. You can do something about this by taking proactive steps to keep your home safe. Be certain you lock all windows and doors before
you leave, and let your landlord know where they can contact you if you are gone for an extended time. Consider asking a trusted friend to stop in on your place to check the status and bring in mail or magazines. If you have any concerns about the efficiency or reliability of the lock to your home, take care of it now and not the day before you leave for a vacation. Take control of the safety of your home and use locks to keep it secure.

Neighborhood Conservation District Meeting

2006-11-27T00:43:00.000-06:00

Part of this post lifted from an email from Julia Kerr, President of the Vilas Neighborhood Association -

I just wanted to remind people about this week's meeting to discuss the neighborhood conservation district ordinance that many people have expressed interest in.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 29th between 12-1:30 in room 260 of the Madison Municipal Building. The meeting is intended to work through some of the issues that were raised at the Plan Commission meeting that many of us attended.

The proposed ordinance is also scheduled for a more formal hearing at the December 18th Plan Commission.

Agenda here.

Water Updates

2006-11-26T18:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry for my absence from this blog . . . If you are interested in City of Madison water issues, there are two meetings this week . . . Monday the meeting is on Well 3, Tuesday the meeting is on broader health issues.

Here's the water quality update from the Water Utility

In this issue of the Water Quality update:

- Well 3 Public Meeting - November 27th, 6 p.m.

- Joint Meeting of the Madison-Dane County Board of Health and the Board of Water Commissioners - November 28th, 5:30 p.m.

- Manganese Monitoring Study update

Well 3 Public Meeting - November 27th, 6 p.m.

Water quality issues on the Isthmus and the future of Well #3 will be the focus of a public meeting scheduled for Monday, November 27th at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church at 2670 Milwaukee Street. Representatives from the Water Utility will discuss historic water quality data for the Well 3 service area including recent manganese sampling results, past and present actions to minimize exposure to carbon tetrachloride, the likely process for abandoning well 3 and replacing it with a new well, and the implications of using well 3 as "reserve supply" until a new well goes on-line. We will also solicit community input into the proposed direction of the planning process. Representatives from the Public Health Department of Madison and Dane County and the Mayor's Office will also attend.

Joint Meeting of the Madison-Dane County Board of Health and the Board of Water Commissioners - November 28th, 5:30 p.m.

Water quality issues as they relate to public health will be the focus of a joint meeting of the Boards of Health and Water Commissioners. An agenda for the meeting can be obtained at the following link,

http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/meetings/2006/11/3821_A_BOARD_OF_HEALTH_FOR_MADISON_AND_DANE_COUNTY_06-11-28_Meeting_Agenda.pdf

Manganese Monitoring Study update

In the previous update on October 17, 2006, I summarized the manganese results for Well areas 3, 8, 10, and 29. We have now completed sample collection and analysis for the remaining well service areas. A total of 517 samples were collected from 469 city-wide locations. Over 95% (493 samples) had manganese concentrations below 50 ppb, the aesthetic standard, while less than 1% (3 samples) were above the lifetime health advisory level of 300 ppb established by USEPA. Of the 21 samples with a manganese level between 50-300 ppb, 18 of them had manganese below 150 ppb while the remaining three had a manganese concentration between 151-300 ppb. For the locations with manganese above 300 ppb, three additional samples were collected at each site. All resamples at the three locations were below the aesthetic standard of 50 ppb. The cause of the initial high manganese levels at these locations was hydrant flushing at the time of sampling at one site, an unused tap due to a military deployment at another site, and an infrequently used outside tap at the third location. Results from these follow-up samples were consistent with observations in Well areas 3, 8, 10, and 29. That is, we did not observe any location in the city-wide sample group that consistently had levels of manganese that exceeded the lifetime health advisory level of 300 ppb. Finally, a preliminary analysis of the data suggests that the manganese level at residential taps may occasionally be above the aesthetic limit but is rarely above the lifetime advisory level of 300 ppb.

A comprehensive report is currently being produced by a collaboration between the Water Utility and Public Health Department. The report will focus on four primary objectives: 1) determine the manganese levels in drinking water arriving at residential taps, 2) identify the geographic extent of tap water in excess of the manganese aesthetic standard and lifetime health advisory level, 3) evaluate the effectiveness of uni-directional flushing in removing manganese from water mains, and 4) evaluate potential factors (source water, pipe size and material, hydraulic conditions, etc.) that may be contributing to elevated manganese levels. The report is expected to be completed by mid-January and, if that target is met, our findings will be discussed at the Board of Water Commissioners' January meeting. Stay tuned...

Joseph Grande
Water Quality Manager
Madison Water Utility
608-266-4654

Hearings on Coal Plants

2006-10-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

Info from Madison Area Clean Energy Coalition

Be a part of the Solution! Attend Two DNR Hearings
on Madison's Coal-fired Power Plants' Permits to Pollute

Wednesday, November 8, 5:30 pm
MADISON GAS & ELECTRIC's Blount Street Station

Wednesday, November 15, 5:30 pm
UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN's Charter Street Heating Plant

Hearings location: GEF 2, 101 S. Webster St. Room G09 (Enter @ Plaza door)

The Wisconsin DNR is holding hearings on air pollution permits for two of
Madison's coal-fired power plants. This is our opportunity to protect the
air we breathe and encourage MG&E, the UW, and the State of Wisconsin to
join us in being part of the solution!

Need a Hearing Refresher and/or Issue Education?

You can get ready for the hearings by joining us the Monday before either
one to get a preview on the hearings, learn about what is at stake, and how
we can use the hearings to help us achieve a cleaner, greener, and more
efficient Madison:

Monday, November 6, 7pm
Wil-Mar Center
Mendota Room
953 Jenifer St.

or
Monday, November 13, 7pm
Neighborhood House
29 S. Mills St.

Additional Info on Parking and Driving Downtown during Halloween

2006-10-28T18:03:00.000-05:00

From Mary Carbine at the BID. Sorry its a bit late . . .

Dear BID Members,

Mitch & I just got back from a walk around the district to see how Halloween preparations are shaping up. Here is some additional information we learned on parking & street closures, for Friday and Saturday.

Map of No Parking Zones / Alternate Street Routes: http://www.cityofmadison.com/halloween/documents/alt_traffic_routes.pdf

1) The No Parking zones indicated on this map will be in effect starting at 5:00 pm for both Friday and Saturday nights, 10/27 & 10/28. There are already signs on the streets and meters giving notice of the effective dates & times; you can check to confirm the times for your block.
2) There are no planned street closures tonight (Friday) for the streets crossing State (but of course, police reserve the option to close streets tonight if necessary for safety).
3) On Saturday, the plan is to start setting up street closure barricades around 7 pm, with closures to be in effect by 7:30 pm (start time of event gating). You will start seeing barricades being set out around 4 pm Sat. in preparation.

4) BUCKEYE LOT, 214 W. Gorham. There will be no parking available in the Buckeye Lot from 6:00 am Saturday 10/28 to 6:00am Sunday morning. Signage is being posted on the meters in the lot today. They will begin setting up the entertainment stage in the Gorham entrance of Buckeye at 2pm on Saturday. It was explained to us that the whole lot was needed for truck access to set up the staging, and that they needed to give adequate time to people in the lot to get their cars out.

We will do our best to keep you updated. We know how important it is for all of you that this weekend and the plan goes well, and we stand with you in hopes for a peaceful and successful Halloween.

Tenney Locks Lighting Update

2006-10-09T12:57:00.000-05:00

From Supervisor Vedder . . .

I received this message this past week. Please write back if you have any input that you’d like to pass on. I’ll keep checking the shields situation with John Schraufnagel as well as Darren. I’ve been told that they have been ordered.

Barbara

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Marsh, Darren"
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2006 16:28:03 -0500
To: "Vedder, Barbara"
Conversation: Tenney Lock and Spillway Lighting
Subject: Tenney Lock and Spillway Lighting

Dear Supervisor Vedder,

Thank you for your call earlier. I am sorry for the delay providing the Tenney Lock lighting schedule. Dane County Parks is still working with the lighting vendor to make sure new system is working properly and that our staff have the training to operate the computerized timer system. Staff updated the timer light schedule to reflect our limited Lock Operation.

Current Schedule:
Security Light at building will be on seven days a week
Breakwall Lighting will be on seven days a week - may look at shutting down during the winter months (discussion with Sheriff Dept) to help save on energy costs
Lock lights will be turned on manually by Lock Attendant Staff as needed (October Schedule is Sat and Sun 12 Noon to 6:00 PM)
As of this date Parks has not received the half shields for the Lock Lighting.

Please let me know if I can be of any additional assistance. Darren

Darren Marsh
Parks Division
Land and Water Resources Department
Rm. 234
1 Fen Oak Ct.
Madison WI 53718
(608) 224-3766
Fax (608) 246-3898

Water Update

2006-10-09T12:56:00.000-05:00

Water Update from the new Water Quality Manager . . .

Water Quality Manager Hired

Effective Monday September 25, the Water Utility hired me (Joseph Grande) as its new Water Quality Manager. I look forward to the opportunity to serve Madison in this important and challenging position; to let residents know we have a safe, healthy, high quality water supply; and to help keep it that way for future generations. My highest priority in the near term is to work to restore full confidence in our drinking water quality for anyone who has lost that confidence. Toward that end, I want to encourage you and all our water customers to contact me with any drinking water quality concerns, questions or comments you may have. My email is jgrande@cityofmadison.com. My phone number is 266-4654. I will be making myself available to attend neighborhood meetings, civic groups and functions, school classes, and other groups seeking information about our drinking water quality. I will also be assuming responsibility for updating and maintaining this list-serve to provide regular water quality updates to those individuals who wish to receive it. If you have any suggestions for how I can improve communication of water quality issues to the public, please let me know.

Changes to Drinking Water Quality List-serve

There will be some changes to this list-serve effective immediately while other changes will occur more gradually, based largely on user recommendations. I look forward to hearing from you and modifying the content of this list-serve based on your suggestions. An immediate change is that updates will occur on a more regular schedule. A Water Quality update will be posted every third Tuesday of the month to coincide with Water Board meetings. The update will include a preview of information to be presented at the monthly meeting. Additional postings may also occur as needed.

Well 29 Shutdown for Winter --Chlorinator Problem Discovered

A Water Utility review of records today, following the shutdown of Well 29 for the winter yesterday, revealed that a faulty meter at the well had disrupted the introduction of chlorine and fluoride at the well since August 29. During that entire period, the well was on standby status and was only operating twice a week, in the middle of the night, for about eight hours total per week. At all times that the well was not operating, the area was being served by wells with proper chlorine and fluoride feed rates. As of yesterday, the well is shut down completely and is no longer providing any water to the system. When operating, Well 29 served residents on the far east side of Madison.

Routine testing at a distribution site served by Well 29 has shown sustained chlorine residual levels over the past month, indicating sufficient disinfection, and all bacteriological samples from that sample location have come back safe, indicating no bacterial contamination. Ten chlorine residual measurements and ten bacteriological samples were collected during the time period in which untreated water was added to the system.

Dr. Thomas Schlenker, Director of Public Health for Madison and Dane County said, “Because we get our drinking water from a deep underground aquifer that is protected from microbial contamination, and because drinking water samples collected nearby during the period of the meter malfunction consistently showed adequate chlorine levels and no microbial growth, the health risks associated with this incident would appear to be very minimal. Individuals who may have briefly consumed unchlorinated water would not likely have experienced any ill effects.” A review of public health records for the past month showed no increase in gastrointestinal illnesses that could be attributed to consumption of non-chlorinated water.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was informed about the situation and is reviewing whether any code violations have occurred as a result of the incident.

The Mayor has asked Utility General Manager David Denig-Chakroff, Water Quality Manager Joseph Grande, and City Engineer Larry Nelson to review the incident to determine why it happened and how any similar occurrence can be avoided in the future.

Three Highest Manganese-Producing Wells Shutdown; Fourth to Follow

With water demand ebbing, Well 29 now joins Well 3 (Isthmus area) and Well 10 (near west side) offline and out of service for winter. These wells have been notorious for producing elevated levels of manganese and will remain out of service at least until demand picks up in the spring, when their need for stand-by service will be re-evaluated. Well 8 (southeast side of Isthmus) is also expected to be shutdown later this month or early next month.

Long-Term Options for Well 3

On Tuesday (October 3) at the request of the Emerson East Neighborhood Association, David Denig-Chakroff, General Manager, and I made a brief presentation to the neighborhood group on the long-term options for Well 3. Because of concerns over elevated levels of carbon tetrachloride as well as iron and manganese, three options are currently under consideration by the Water Utility. They include: 1) installing a filtration/treatment system to the existing well, 2) abandoning the well without replacing it, or 3) replacing Well 3 at a new location. Each option has its problems and the utility will investigate these options over the next several months. At the present time, option 1 is unlikely. The age of the well combined with site restrictions limit the feasibility of this option. From a water quality and cost perspective, option 2 is appealing. However, abadoning the well might lead to water shortages in the Isthmus area during peak demand periods or a fire emergency, and the Utility might not be able to satisfy our water supply redundancy requirement. The Water Utility is currently assessing these issues. Finally, siting a new well in the Isthmus area, option 3, may be very difficult due to regulatory requirements. If a site were identified, it would be costly and could take years before the new well came online. In the meantime, short-term water shortages could occur.

City-Wide Manganese Sampling Now Complete

The collection of household tap samples for the manganese monitoring program was completed this week. A total of 469 samples were collected city-wide and samples are currently being analyzed by the City lab. Results will be presented in future postings to this list-serve and at Water Board meetings.

Joseph Grande
Water Quality Manager
Madison Water Utility
266-4654
jgrande@cityofmadison.com

Ash Trees

2006-10-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

This is from the Friends of the Yahara River listserve, but I thought others might be interested in it:

A sad but necessary action...

There are many good sources of information on this threat to one of our most common trees in Madison. Please do help us keep watch for this pest. This page from the DNR includes information on what to watch for and who to call if you suspect a particular tree is afflicted:

http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2006/apr06/borer.htm#5

Ash trees to be cut down statewide
They will be tested for deadly pest in 17 counties
By Anita Weier
October 4, 2006

Dane County is one of 17 Wisconsin counties where some ash trees will be cut down to be tested for infestation by the emerald ash borer.

The destructive wood-boring beetle has left behind millions of dead and dying ash trees in the Midwest, but has not yet been found in Wisconsin.

State officials hope to find the beetle early if it does enter the state, so steps can be taken to stop it from spreading.

Unfortunately, testing for the disease - and fighting its spread if found - involves felling trees. State officials say about 270 trees in and around Madison will be taken down in the next 12 months.

The emerald ash borer, native to Asia, has been responsible for the loss of an estimated 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana since its detection in the United States in 2002. The beetle also was found in northeastern Illinois this summer.

Wisconsin has about 717 million ash trees in the forested areas of the state, according to Dick Rideout, head of the Urban Forest Council at the state Department of Natural Resources. Additionally, as many as 30 percent of the city-planted trees in many municipalities are ash.

Survey work by the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the DNR and the U.S. Department of Agriculture started Oct. 2 in several counties, but work in Dane County will not likely begin for several weeks, according to Jane Larson, a spokeswoman for the state agriculture department.

"No one likes to cut down live trees," said Adrian Barta, a plant pest program coordinator for the state agriculture department. "Unfortunately, in this case, the best tools we have for detection of new infestations require taking down trees."

Early detection is the best protection against the ash borer, Barta said in a written statement.

Sample trees of less than 10 inches in diameter and in declining health will be targeted. Trees on public land will be chosen where possible, and some Wisconsin municipalities already have offered trees.

The surveyors plan to cut down 1,420 trees statewide this year and peel a 12-inch strip of bark, a process known as girdling, from another 4,480 trees that will be cut down next autumn, Larson said in an interview today.

"Girdling is a method that intentionally injures the tree bark. When ash trees are girdled, the tree releases distress chemicals that are believed to attract emerald ash borers," Barta said.

Counties chosen for testing are close to known infestations in neighboring states, have high tourist traffic, like Dane County, or have concentrated timber or firewood operations using ash.

Besides Dane, the counties selected for testing are: Adams, Brown, Columbia, Juneau, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha.

Work crews will locate and mark ash trees in public rights of way along roads for later removal and inspection. Crews will carry identification, and vehicles will have signs reading "EAB Survey," state officials said.

The number of trees cut down per county will vary. For instance, more trees will likely be sampled in border counties.

In Dane County, areas to be tested are in Madison and towns surrounding it. An estimated 135 trees would be cut now and another 135 girdled and cut next fall, Larson said.

"We have state and federal people helping with this, and we may work with some municipalities,
" Larson said. "Kenosha and Waukesha have already offered some of the trees in their public areas. We have not started working Dane yet. Before we go into a county, we would work with the county and municipalities so they know what we are doing."

The borer attacks all types of true ash trees, including green, white, black and blue ash trees. Hybrids also are susceptible, Larson said, but the mountain ash is not a true ash tree and would not be susceptible.

"If the borer is found, you do have to remove ash trees within a half-mile of infestation," Larson said. "You need to find out how large the infestation is. In Illinois, I don't think they are trying to remove trees yet; they are finding the size of the infestation."

More information about the emerald ash borer and ash trees can be obtained at datcp.state.wi.us or at entomology.wisc.edu.

Return to story

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Neighborhood Conference

2006-10-07T16:03:00.000-05:00

From Mayor Dave:

The City of Madison is pleased to announce the upcoming citywide Neighborhood Conference, "Building Strong Neighborhoods: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future." The conference will take place on Saturday, November 11, 2006, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

I want to extend a special invitation to you to attend the conference. Information and registration materials can be accessed on-line at www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/neighborhoodconf2006/. The cost of the conference is minimal: $20.00 for Madison residents; $30.00 for government officials, non-profits, and non-City residents prior to the October 27, 2006 deadline.

We are excited to have Joel Bookman, who has over 25 years experience building community connections in Chicago, including recent work with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), as our keynote speaker. Over 30 workshops will be offered during the full-day event. Language translation, interpretation for people with hearing impairments, and other services will be available.

I look forward to seeing you at the conference! Please feel free to contact Linda Horvath, 608-267-1131, Ext. 219, lhorvath@cityofmadison.com; or Jule Stroick, 608-267-8744, Ext. 218, jstroick@cityofmadison.com, for more information.

Downtown Safety: Lights vs Trees

2006-09-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

The police and forestry staff have completed another survey of the downtown area to look for lighting issues that would impact the safety of downtown residents. Last May they did one sweep through the downtown and were able to complete that work by June. This time they found several burnt out lights and lots of work for forestry that will take them a few months to complete. They even identified some areas where they need to add some lighting. If you live in the downtown area and are aware of lighting issues, please check the list below to see if they are aware of it or report it to the appropriate people.

The following lights were found to be out or in need of maintenance as of Sept. 19:
516 E Johnson
640 E Johnson
300 block N Franklin
E Gilman: light 2198 out
Wisconsin at Gorham: light 4501
Howard Place: L013
Langdon west of Henry: light 4519
Langdon west of Howard Pl: P14
Gilman west of Henry: light 2184
414 Gilman at Amy's Café
W Dayton west of Marion: light 4070
W Dayton at Bedford: light 4068
W Dayton: light 4066
N Frances (Dayton to Johnson): light 4563
Regent west of W Wash: light 1589M
Regent at Murray: light 1595M
Brooks south of Univ Ave: light 5721
10 S Bassett: light 2109
10 S Broom: light 2014
S Broom at W Main: light 2016
W Wilson at Broom: light 1954
We will pursue additional lights on the following streets:
1200-1300 Spring St
N Orchard: Regent to Dayton
Fahrenbrook Ct: Brooks to Mills

Additional light outages should be reported to Mike Christoph at 266-4767.

Tree trimming is necessary at the following locations:

415 N. Carroll St
Parking lot on N. Carroll for Bethel Luthern
Henry & Gilman Apts. On W. Gilman
508 N. Henry
408 N. Henry
430 W. Gilman St
409 N. Francis St
305 N. Francis
114 N. Basset
10 Blk. N. Basset & W. Wash southbound
100 Blk. N Bassett & W. Wash southbound
211 S. Bedford across street
219 S. Bedford
531 W. Mifflin St
547 W. Mifflin St
416 N. Butler
Butler & Gilman
130 E. Gilman
104 E. Gilman St
300 Blk. N. Pickney & Johnson St
Masonic Temple on Wisconsin
Bethel Luthern on Wisconin
103 Langdon
127 Langdon
135 Langdon
245 Langdon
22 N. Franklin
114 N. Franklin
128 N. Franklin
Franklin & Gilman
24/26 N. Butler
136 N. Butler
Gates of Heaven on E. Gorham
304 Butler
10 Blk. E. Johnson
138 E. Johnson
318 E. Johnson
626 E. Johnson
710 E. Johnson
740 E. Johnson
E. Johnson & Livingston on Johnson
10 S. Franklin
512 E. Main
Across from 321 E. Main
100 S. Butler on State Bldg. Side
541 W. Wash
1317 Spring St
1000 College Ct
10 N. Broom (Capital Grill)

If you are aware of addition lighting issues caused by the trees, please report them to Marla Eddy in City Forestry at 266-4450.

Water Updates: Well 3 Shutting Down

2006-09-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Well No. 3 Shut Down for Winter Following Elevated Carbon Tetrachloride Reading (Serves Tenney Lapham Area)

The Utility took Well No. 3 off standby operation today and began preparing it for winter shut down upon receipt this morning of a sample result showing a carbon tetrachloride level of 6.2 ppb. A violation of water quality standards and regulations would occur if three consecutive samples from the well exceeded 5 ppb. A sample taken in June had a carbon tetrachloride level of 4.7 ppb. Though the water quality regulation has not been violated, we are concerned about this level of carbon tetrachloride in the well, so we are shutting it down for the winter earlier than planned. Over the winter and before placing the well back in service, we will evaluate options for dealing with the elevated carbon tetrachloride levels in the well. The sample result received today was from a sample collected on September 5th. The well has been on standby status since May in order to minimize the amount of iron and manganese produced from the well. Because it was on standby status, the well had been in operation for a period of only about 4 hours since September 5th. Well No. 3 provides service in the East Isthmus area when it is operating.

Carbon tetrachloride is a contaminant found in solvents and produced from industrial processes. By making some well modifications, the Utility has been able to maintain levels below regulated standards when the well is pumped on a regular basis. It is likely that placing the well on standby status and pumping it irregularly has caused carbon tetrachloride levels to rise.

Other City Wells Being Scheduled for Winter Shut Down

Three other wells will be shut down for winter by the end of September. These include Well No. 10 (near west side), Well 29 (far east
side) and Well 8 (near east side). These three wells, all of which produce levels of manganese below any levels of health concern but above aesthetic guidelines, have been on standby status. Five additional city wells will be shut down in October and November. These additional shutdowns are unrelated to manganese levels and are due solely to significant reductions in water demand during the winter months.

Water Quality Manager Interviews Underway

The Utility is conducting interviews this week for its vacant Water Quality Manager position. Following a national search, 14 applications were received for the position, and the field has been narrowed to six individuals who are being interviewed this week. The interview and selection team for the position consists of representatives of the Utility, the Health Department and the Board of Water Commissioners. We hope to have the position filled by the end of the month.

City-wide Sampling Program in Progress

Water quality sampling for manganese throughout the water system is in progress. This follows the sampling programs conducted in the areas served by wells producing the highest levels of manganese and where discolored water reports were highest. Sampling results indicate that iron and manganese levels are low outside these areas and that our flushing program is effective in reducing manganese levels inside these areas.

Flushing Program Update

Water main flushing continues in several areas of the City. Over the next several weeks, the Utility will shift to its traditional nighttime flushing program in order to be able to complete flushing operations throughout the City before cold temperatures force the termination of the program for the year.

Meeting MOVED: Mayor re: James Madison Park Buildings

2006-08-29T14:22:00.000-05:00

The meeting with the Mayor regarding the homes in James Madison Park has been moved . . .if you think of someone who needs a call - please let Jeanne know . . . .

********************

As you know, tomorrow at 6:30pm the mayor and representatives from the Capital Neighborhood and Tenny Lapham will be meeting at Collins House to further discuss improvement to James Madison park and possibly moving of the two house/selling of land and homes, etc.

The mayor feels that the meeting will be much more productive if we are at the site. That way we can walk around and get a much better idea of what is proposed and how it could work.

I understand that concerns were raised about moving the meeting. I would be happy to have my assistant personally call people who are coming to the meeting to make sure they know about the change of location. Please forward names to me.

Thank you.

Jeanne Hoffman
Assistant to the Mayor
CCB Rm. 403
210 MLK Jr. Blvd.
Madison, WI 53703
608/266-4611
608/266-8671
jhoffman@cityofmadison.com

Letter from Madison Trust for Historic Preservation re: Houses in James Madison Park

2006-08-28T09:40:00.000-05:00

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
City-CountyBuilding, Room 403
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Madison WI 53703

Re: James Madison Park houses

August 25, 2006

Dear Mayor Cieslewicz:

The members of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation appreciate your commitment to a healthy and vibrant city for all our current and future residents. We feel strongly that one of the contributing factors to Madison’s unique appeal is the irreplaceable aesthetic and sense of place provided by our historic architecture.

The James Madison Park houses, at 640, 646, and 704 East Gorham Street, are individual city landmarks and along with the Lincoln School building make an important historic grouping. Protecting landmarks on site is a fundamental principle of historic preservation.

Moving the structures would reduce their status and provide a grim precedent for the treatment of other landmarked structures in our community. For this reason we cannot support moving these houses from their original sites. The Trust would appreciate being part of the continuing dialogue on the topic.

Respectfully,
James Westring
President
Madison Trust for Historic Preservation

Meeting with Mayor regarding Houses in James Madison Park

2006-08-28T07:33:00.000-05:00

The mayor will be holding a joint meeting of the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood Association and Capitol Neighborhoods to present his ideas about how to deal with the Lincoln School and three houses in James Madison Park. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 on Wednesday August 30 in Room 300 in the Madison Municipal Building. Please come if you can.

Various ideas have arisen recently regarding the homes and Lincoln School Apartments located in James Madison Park. One idea is to sell the homes with a long term lease on the land. Both land and homes are currently owned by the city and managed by the Parks Department. The mayor has floated the idea of moving the homes. The Tenney Lapham Neighborhood Association (the part of James Madison Park in which the houses are located is within the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood Association boundaries) and the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation have both taken the position that the houses should not be moved, largely because the are local Madison Landmarks. The CNI Executive Council, at its August 10 meeting took the following preliminary position with respect to the three houses in James Madison Park:

The houses should not be moved because of the historic significance of their location. The city should retain ownership of the land underneath the houses and sell the houses while providing a land lease agreement. Fifty percent of the proceeds from these properties (resulting from sales, leases, rent, property taxes, etc.) should be earmarked directly for James Madison Park.

Please join us for this discussion.

Voting News

2006-08-23T10:19:00.001-05:00

From the Clerk's office:

Open Registration closes tomorrow, one week earlier than it had closed before the enactment of 2005 Wisconsin Act 451 (which went into effect on July 1). After 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, the only place voters can register to vote is in the City Clerk's Office, or at the polls on Election Day. The new deadlines are posted on our website; it appears that the City of Madison is the only Dane County municipality that updated its website to reflect the changes in Act 451.

8/29 Amplified Sound at Tenney Park

2006-08-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, August 29, Anya Christianson will have a party at Tenney Park, with amplified sound from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

City Budget Hearing

2006-08-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

From the Mayor's Office:

Save the date:

Mayor Cieslewicz will hold a public meeting on the 2007 City of Madison budget on Tuesday, August 22 at 6pm, at the Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St.

The mayor initiated these annual meeting to enable members of the public to provide input on his proposed capital and operating budgets prior to their introduction. The mayor will kick the meeting off with a presentation on the 2007 budget picture, after which members of the public will have an opportunity to talk about their priorities for the City budget.

In addition, we will once again be holding three "Build Your Own Budget" interactive workshops. These will be held in September, details TBA soon.

George Twigg
Communications Director
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
(608) 266-4611

Well Three Manganese Update

2006-08-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

from the Water Utility

Manganese Sampling Update
August 11, 2006

Summary

The Water Utility has now collected and analyzed 1241 household samples for manganese in the Well 3, Well 8, Well 10, and Well 29 flushing areas, which are the four wells producing the highest levels of manganese in our water system. This number is about 85% of the total number of household samples we expect to collect during the flushing program in these areas. The results continue to show low levels of manganese at household taps (taken at outside hose-bib spigots). 88% of all samples were below the EPA aesthetic recommendation for drinking water of 50 parts per billion (ppb). 12% of the samples were above 50 ppb. 12 of the 1241 samples (1%) were above the EPA lifetime health advisory level of 300 ppb.

The 12 samples containing more than 300 ppb manganese were collected at 8 sites. None of these 8 sites was found to have water consistently above 300 ppb manganese. Further details about these samples can be found in the table included below.

Based on these results, Dr. Thomas Schlenker, Director of Public Health for Madison and Dane County rescinded the limited health advisory for infants and persons with liver disease in the Well 3 and Well 10 areas on July 17. Dr. Schlenker said, “levels of manganese that have been and are being measured indicate that tap water is acceptable for daily consumption for the entire population.”

Well 3 Flushing Area

The Utility has completed flushing in the Well 3 service area. In addition, we have received the lab results of all 394 samples from our post-flushing sampling in the area. All samples were taken at randomly selected sites in the area from hose-bib spigots.

326 out of 394 samples (83%) were below 50 parts per billion (ppb), the EPA aesthetic guideline for drinking water. 62 out of the 394 samples (16%) were between 50 and 300 ppb. Six samples (1.5%) were above the 300 ppb EPA Lifetime Health Advisory Level for drinking water.

The six samples containing more than 300 ppb manganese were collected at 4 sites. None of these 4 sites was found to have water consistently above 300 ppb manganese. Further details about these samples can be found in the table included below.

Fall Neighborhood Conference: Save the Date!

2006-08-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

From Jule Stroick, City Planning Department

Save the Date!

2006 Neighborhood Conference:
Building Strong Neighborhoods. Learning from the Past. Looking into the Future.

Mark your calendar! The City of Madison’s citywide neighborhood conference is planned for Saturday, November 11, 2006 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center (1 John Nolen Drive). Neighborhood residents and people who care about neighborhoods are invited to attend to build their skills and knowledge in such important areas as organizational development, neighborhood improvement projects, and working with city officials, developers and landlords. There will be over 30 workshops to choose from during the all-day (8:00am – 4:00pm) event.

All are welcome! For more information, contact Linda Horvath of the City of Madison Department of Planning and Development, at 267-1131, ext. 119. Check the Neighborhood website, www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/, the first week of September for general conference information and registration materials. Special thanks to MGE for their continued support of this neighborhood-based event.

Please pass this message to interested
individuals, businesses, and organizations.

Safety Tips for Returning Students

2006-08-11T18:25:00.000-05:00

From UW-Madison

August 11, 2006

As a result of a series of recent downtown Madison crime incidents, students are encouraged to maintain a heightened awareness of their own personal safety, especially if walking late at night.

Please keep in mind the following safety tips from the University of Wisconsin Police Department:

Carry a cell phone
Walk with a friend whenever possible.
If you intend to consume alcohol, do so in moderation so as not to put yourself in a position of increased risk.
Report any crime or suspicion of a crime immediately. If police are contacted within the first five minutes, they has a better chance of finding a suspect. Dial 911 for help.
Take advantage of SAFEwalk and SAFEride programs available on campus. Call 262-5000 for detailed information or visit http://www2.fpm.wisc.edu/trans/Safe/
Keep our head up. Do not look down or away. Make brief eye contact with all people you meet.
Use public walkways and avoid shortcuts, especially at night.
Be aware of places along your path of travel that could conceal a criminal (shrubbery, buildings recesses, etc). Avoid or keep a distance from these areas whenever possible.
Make sure someone knows when you leave and when to expect you back.
If you think someone is following you, cross the street. Head for a well-populated and well-lit area at night.
Wear clothing that will allow you maximum mobility if it is necessary to run. Be prepared to drop your valuables (heavy books, packages, etc.), since these can slow you down.
For women, take a self-defense course like Chimera. For further information call 263-5702 or visit http://www.danecountyrcc.com/chimera/
Carry a whistle or personal panic alarm with you.

For more information, call (608) 264-COPS or the Offices of the Dean of Students at (608) 263-5700. Or visit http://www.uwpd.wisc.edu/Crime%20Prevention.html

Streetcars . . .

2006-08-09T22:09:00.000-05:00

Here's the website.

http://www.cityofmadison.com/streetcar/

Yahara River Closures

2006-08-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

From City Engineering . . .

August 8, 2006

For immediate release

For more information, contact:

Christy Bachmann, City of Madison, 608/266-4095

Curt Neuhauser, WisDOT Project Manager 608/245-2676

Yahara River to be closed at East Washington Ave on August 10^th and August 14^th thru the 17^th

The City of Madison and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation have determined that the Yahara River will need to be closed at East Washington Avenue to facilitate the reconstruction of the roadway and bridge. The closure is required because of the possibility that pieces of concrete or debris may fall from the bridge during the removal of the bridge and roadway. For safety, the river will be closed to boat traffic at the following times:

Thursday August 10th – 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Monday August 14th thru Thursday August 17th

Plant Graffiti

2006-08-09T08:04:00.000-05:00

OK - this isn't really news, but its too odd not to share.

Last night, at the James Madison Park Neighborhood Association we were talking about graffiti and how quick removal is the key . . . but how do you remove this graffiti found recently in the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood?

Thanks to Bob Shaw for the photo (taken in Reynolds Park) and for the continued work he does to maintain plantings in and around Reynolds Park.

Gorman Project Update

2006-08-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

From Gorman & Company

Dear neighbors,
Some of you may have heard that Gorman & Company has withdrawn its request for TIF from the City. This is true. Gary Gorman last week sent a letter to Mayor Cieslewicz confirming this. We've made a tough business decision not to proceed with the project. Though recent conversations with staff have been positive and to a certain extent productive, ultimately it became clear that although our request fell in line with City policy and some recent interpretations of its practices, our gap number of just under $4 million was too great to be bridged by political and financial limitations.

When our firm explored the possibilities of what this development could be -- with efforts starting nearly two years ago -- we agreed that it had to make a statement, to send a message. Although the recent plan softened this to some extent, we were still comfortable that the product retained the spirit and marketability of what we'd hoped to create. Unfortunately the financial package we we able to put together -- relying ultimately on City TIF support to hedge the risks inherant in this major undertaking -- fell far short of anything approaching that of our normal business practice.

At the end of the day, I'm comfortable that we established new friends in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood, gave your alder insight into the way we do business, and preserved a positive relationship with hardworking staff that will lend itself well to continuing our efforts to continuing to work together to craft a stronger Madison.

Huge thanks to the A800 steering group and Alder Konkel for their passion and efforts. I hope our paths will cross again soon.

Best,
Chris Laurent
Gorman & Company

Downtown Liquor License Density Plan

2006-08-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

The ALRC subcommittee on process will be discussing this today . . . at noon in Room 103A of the City-County Building. This is the same time as the Plan Commission subcommittee on demlitions will be meeting in room LL-110 across the street in the Municipal Building.

Proposed Alcohol License Density Plan

The density of alcohol-licensed establishments has been shown to directly affect the volume and severity of alcohol-related problems within a specific area. The following license density plan is aimed at reducing both the number of alcohol licenses and the overall capacity of alcohol-licensed establishments within certain areas of Madison. The specific intent of this density plan is threefold: 1) decrease the strain on public resources caused by alcohol-related problems by decreasing the frequency and severity of these problems; (2) provide opportunities for additional business in the downtown area not associated with the sale or service of alcohol; and 3) serve as a model for future alcohol license density planning in other areas of the city.

Reductions in both the number of alcohol licenses and the overall capacity of alcohol-licensed establishments will be achieved through voluntary and involuntary attrition. Voluntary attrition involves a license holder surrendering their alcohol license. Involuntary attrition involves an alcohol license being revoked or non-renewed by the Common Council.

The targeted area for this alcohol license density plan includes police sectors 403, 404, 405, and 406 in the Central Policing District. The area included in these sectors is bordered approximately by Blair Street, Lake Street, Lake Monona, and Lake Mendota. Approximately one-third of the alcohol licenses in the City of Madison are currently located in this area. It is expected that this density plan will remain in effect for a minimum of five years in order to obtain the desired results. Regular evaluation and analysis will be conducted by city agencies for the duration.

Specific points of the plan include:

New alcohol licenses are only available in the targeted area for bona fide restaurants. Being classified as a restaurant does not guarantee the granting of an alcohol license in these sectors or anywhere throughout the city. In determining whether an establishment is a bona fide restaurant, the Alcohol License Review Committee and Common Council will evaluate all of the circumstances relevant to the license. Some of the factors to be considered include, but are not limited to: alcohol and food sales revenue percentages; hours of operation; hours of food service; types of food offered; frequency, duration, and timing of entertainment; seating arrangement for patrons; use of security staff; advertisement; and perceptions of patrons, citizens, and enforcement officers.
The application process for transferring an alcohol license is not affected by this density plan (i.e., an existing tavern or liquor store owner retains his or her opportunity to transfer his or her alcohol license to a new owner).
If an existing alcohol license in the targeted area is surrendered, it is not available for transfer within the targeted area.
Requests for an increased capacity for an existing alcohol-licensed establishment in the targeted area will only be entertained if the establishment is a bona fide restaurant.

More Tenney Locks Lighting Info

2006-08-06T20:59:00.000-05:00

June 13, 2006

Donald Sanford
Midwest Outdoor Lighting Solutions
1211 Garfield Street
Madison, WI 53711

RE: Tenney Park project letter to Jerry Mandli dated May 30, 2006

Dear Mr. Sanford:

We have reviewed your letter and thank you for the compliments on the restoration project. Although the majority of the work is not readily visible and of a mechanical nature, it does greatly enhance the facility. We also agree it was badly needed.

Some of the lighting issues you had concerns with may be better understood if we give you more of the background on why it was done this way:

The poles and fixtures style were to be consistent with the original 1936 locks at Babcock and LaFollette.

We needed a directional clear lumen of sufficient capacity to make the locks safe and functional. We are dealing with a potentially dangerous situation in the locks as well as paper work involved with issuing permits, giving instructions, etc.

Neighbors and park area were a major consideration. This is why the total foot candles were reduced and fixtures were made much more directional to avoid stray lighting.

Another issue you should be aware of is that the lighting contractor is not finished. They will have to do testing and adjusting once they complete their installation. This may also improved the conditions you have pointed out.

Thank you for your comments with regard to this project. It looks like you did quite an analysis. It is public input like yours that we better understand what is wanted or preferred in the field. Let us know if you have any additional concerns or questions and we will be glad to address them.

Sincerely,

DANE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, HIGHWAY & TRANSPORTATION

John Schraufnagel
Assistant Director of Public Works

JR/hr

Tenney Locks Lighting Info

2006-08-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

July 31, 2006

Donald Sanford
Midwest Outdoor Lighting Solutions
1211 Garfield Street
Madison, WI 53711

Dear Mr. Sanford:

Enclosed is a response to your letters of June 18th and July 5th from our Tenney Park Lock consultant.

As you can see he has addressed your concerns. The lighting requirements, aesthetics, costs, boater safety and neighborhood issues were all seriously considered before selections were made.

Although we did not find any major changes that should be implemented, there is some additional information that will clear up any of the outstanding issues:

Lumen output from the new fixture lamps will diminish over time. This isn’t a straight-line graph. The system is designed to provide the desired illumination at 70% of the lamps initial output and may reach that within a few years. The metal halide lamps should last for about ten-thousand hours at which time the lumens will be at about one half of their original intensity.

It was discovered after an early morning (12:10 AM) inspection that the light timing was not working properly. The electrician/consultant is notified and this will be corrected as soon as possible. The intention is to only leave the lights on for one half hour after the locks are closed. This would be adjusted seasonally.

The fixtures are classified as semi-cutoff which brings most of the light to the areas needed. To further reduce lateral glare directional shields will be added to deflect the light away from the road and the neighborhood to the north.

This will conclude our review of lighting at Tenney Park Locks. We again want to thank you for your input. We are always open to such recommendations and considered them as we reviewed this project and will keep them in mind as we develop future plans.

Sincerely,

DANE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, HIGHWAY & TRANSPORTATION

John Schraufnagel
Assistant Director of Public Works

Enclosure

Breese Stevens Info . . .

2006-08-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

From Parks Department Staff:

The Breese project is scheduled to go out for bid in Dec-Jan. The money is availble in this year's budget. The current proposal is to transfer some of the money from Breese this year and replace it in the 07 budget, when we will actually spend it. The transfer is to the Goodman park maintnenance facility, not the pool. Goodman Maintenance, like Breese is one of those facilities that has been neglected for decades and desperately needs to be rebuilt. The Mayor and the Parks staff are still very committed doing the Brees project in 2007.

Encroachment issue in Tenney Park

2006-08-06T20:41:00.000-05:00

The City's response to on-going concerns about encroachments on Tenney Park . . .

July 26, 2006

Michael P. Druhan
1252 Sherman Avenue
Madison, WI 53703-1722

re: Encroachment in Tenney Park

Dear Mr. Druhan:

I apologize for a delayed response to your letter of May 15, 2006. I have recently been urged by the Council of the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association to deal with this matter, which concerns them greatly. On July 5, they passed a resolution asking the Parks Division “to pursue all avenues in reclaiming the appropriated land including the removal of all hardscape and plants that the owners of 1252 put on park property” .

Thank you for your letter explaining your background knowledge of this issue. I will respond to several of the points that you raised. It seems clear that you have known from the time of your survey in 2004 (and possibly when you purchased the property earlier in 2004) exactly where the legal property line was. You removed the fence from City property in 2004, without asking us for permission. After receiving a variance from the Board of Review to build in your sideyard setback, you proceeded to install pavers, flagstones and landscaping on City property, and allowed your landscaper to store items on city property.

Sometime in 2005, your landscaper asked one of my staff landscape architects for permission (which was granted) to get access to your back yard across City property from the Tenney Beach parking lot. This did not allow material storage or any permission for improvements on park property.

You proceeded to landscape onto City property (with plants not on the historic Tenney Park Landscape Plan) without asking City permission. However, you now you think the City should have asked the Neighborhood Association, the DNR, the State Historical Society, and you as abutting landowner, for prior approval before planting on our own City property. We have a very good working relationship with the neighborhood and the Friends of the Yahara River Parkway, and we understand them quite well. They are being neighborly to you and they love the work you’ve done in restoring the house, but we have heard nothing but objection to your encroachment.

On April 19, 2006, I met with you to view the situation and explained that we would not allow any encroachments onto City property other than possibly the rain garden or other landscaping that might be compatible with plans for Tenney Park. Later it was reported by a neighbor that your landscaper was digging some kind of a utility pit in the park near the rain garden. The boat dock materials that you had stored on City property were quickly removed, but the encroaching flagstones in the driveway and walkway were not.

I visited the property again (May 8, I believe) and discussed the encroachment with your landscaper, who still had apparently not received any word about the encroachments being a problem. With his help, we easily located the property line shown on the survey. You were not home at the time, but the discussion with the landscaper did not lead to any removal of encroachments nor were any plantings.

I understand that your concerns are mainly about landscaping and the landscape interface and maintenance with the park. You are right to be concerned about the city’s ability to do maintenance. It is not difficult to observe the budget difficulties that we currently have. Certainly when you purchased the property it was obvious what level of maintenance we had provided. However, we are experiencing a rebirth of interest in our city parks, and more landscape and natural area maintenance has been done in Tenney in the last five years than in the previous 30. Much of this has been accomplished by the dedicated volunteers of the Friends of the Yahara River. We are also agreeable to volunteer maintenance by our abutting neighbors, as long as they do not claim our land or give the appearance that the land is private.

We have no desire to invite the public to your property line, but we also do not want it to be, or appear to be, private property. The historic landscape concept for Tenney Park is a natural landscape with primarily native plant materials. The maintenance that you propose would make it look more like private property. If you do not wish to view the park landscape, or the park level of maintenance, or the public park use, you are free to install a fence and landscaping of your choice on your property.

Regarding plan approvals, it is neither required nor common practice to have the extensive multi-agency review of the landscape plan that you have suggested. In retrospect, it would have been a good neighborly idea for us to involve you in our landscape planning for our city property adjacent to yours. Perhaps it also would have been appropriate for you to ask our approval for your landscape design before you installed it on our city property?

We are still open to your suggestions on how our plan can be more compatible and not interfere with your use and enjoyment of your property. Perhaps our park does need better drainage, and perhaps I should be insisting that you not direct your drainage into a rain garden that you have constructed on city property, and which I did not object to after the fact. We too want the bats to return, and we are confident that our natural landscaping plan for Tenney Park will benefit them and other wildlife.

At this point the cleanest and most permanent resolution of this issue would be to require you to remove all of your encroachment and reinstall the chain link fence that you removed from City property. Of course it should be installed correctly, on the property line. If it appears too time consuming to argue about who should pay for a fence, we may install it at City expense. A second alternative would be for you to install the fence of your choice on the property line. Installing a fence that encroaches on City property is not an option.

A third alternative, which I approach cautiously given the history so far, is to allow you to clearly mark the property line (a row of posts 20 feet apart?), then plant and maintain a landscape that meets our criteria for Tenney Park and does not allow any other encroachment. This will require a landscape design, installation and maintenance plan approved and signed off by the Park Superintendent.

I have offered several alternatives to resolve the problem. Please let me know which solution you wish to pursue and I will work out the details with you. You have 60 days from receipt of this notice to remove all of the encroachments from park property. Failure to do so will result in referral to the City Attorney’s office for appropriate action. If you fail to correct these encroachments within 60 days as specified, the city shall perform the work and charge it to you as a special assessment on your taxes. If you wish to appeal this directive, you may appeal to the Park Commission, which meets the second Wednesday of every month. To be included on the agenda, we must receive a request from you ten days in advance of the meeting.

Sincerely,

Simon Widstrand
Parks Development Manager

cc: Ald. Brenda Konkel
Michael May, City Attorney
James P. Morgan, Park Superintendent

July Central District Police Newsletter

2006-08-06T20:37:00.000-05:00

The Central District Police Newsletter is available online.

Sidewalk Repair Issues

2006-08-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

If you have issues with the sidewalk replacements in District 2, you are urged to contact Economy Cement directly. Jeremy Hillebrand says contacting him will be "quick and efficient". His email is jhillebrand24@hotmail.com However, please feel free to cc: me so that I keep informed of the issues.

New Voter Terminals to Assist Various Persons

2006-08-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

From the City Clerk:

Good morning.
As you know, every Madison Polling Place will have an AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal this fall. The AutoMarks do not record any votes; they literally mark the ballot you will put into the tabulator. These machines have a touch screen with large print and a Braille keypad with audio prompts through headphones. The AutoMarks will be programmed to translate instructions into Spanish and possibly Hmong. (For a more thorough description, see http://www.automarkts.com/)

If you would like to see the AutoMarks in use before the September Primary, there will be a public test of these machines when we are testing the tabulators:

August 28 – September 1

8 a.m. - Noon, and 2-4 p.m.

Room 104 of the City-County Building (formerly Family Court)

We will have an AutoMark set up for absentee voting in the City Clerk's Office as soon as the County Clerk programs and provides us with the memory cards that will allow the machines to read each ballot.

- Maribeth

Madison City Clerk's Office

Urging you to check the "Urban Forestry" Program

2006-08-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

From Gary Tipler:

"Urban Forestry" on Madison City Channel 12 (see link below)

Sunday, August 6 at 8 pm
Wednesday, August 16 at 2 pm
Saturday, August 18 at 8 pm

Are you concerned about the impact that sidewalk replacement and other street right-of-way work may have on your street trees? If not, you should be. If you value the shade, air cooling, cleansing, and rainfall interception abilities of trees, you might want to view the program, Urban Forestry, on Madison Cable Channel 12, which airs tonight and can be viewed at anytime online (see link below).

Learn from the Milwaukee forestry inspector about the devastating loss of street trees that Milwaukee experienced almost 30 years ago as a result of then standard practices of sidewalk and street improvement. This lead to subsequent changes in procedures in the way the City contracts for these improvements, that have successfully protected the health of street trees
for 25 years.

Also, hear from Madison's City Forester and learn that the City of Madison has no such protections in its contracts.

The program begins with a presentation on tree diseases that are now affecting or may affect our trees by a Department of Natural Resources representative, and concludes with questions from the audience.

Is it too late to curb the potential damage to some of the street trees of the Marquette Neighborhood with sidewalk replacement work about to begin this week on Jenifer and other streets? Can we yet protect our trees from excessive root cutting? Can we demand that the City adopts procedures and contracts in future projects?

View the program, and let's consider our options.

- Gary

"Urban Forestry"

The impact of trees in the city was the focus of the program by Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. recorded July 27, 2006 at the Gates of Heaven Synagogue.

The program included Marla Eddy, city forester for Madison; Jim Kringer, Milwaukee forestry inspector; and Jeff Roe, DNR urban forestry coordinator. There were questions from the audience following the presentation.

View the program online, on the Madison City Channel 12 web site:

http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/mcc12/archive/ad/ad072706.ram

Order a tape or dvd: http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/mcc12/duplications.html

Madison City Channel 12: http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/mcc12/index.html

'Urban Forestry' was sponsored by Daffodil*Parker Florists, 502 W. Main, Madison's only downtown florists.

Police: Central District Weekend Updates

2006-07-30T18:51:00.000-05:00

From Lt. Gloede

The Central District had several major incidents over the weekend.

On 7/27 police responded to the 2300 blk of E. Mifflin St. A woman had her purse forcibly taken. A K9 search was conducted and a suspect was arrested.

On 7/28, Early Friday morning, there was a incident that was similar to the Patterned Robbery/Assaults. A group of 4-6 young males surrounded a man on E. Doty St. and demanded money. The group then punched the man and took his wallet. The suspects fled.

On 7/29 at 12:02am, there was an aggravated assault at the corner of Lake and Langdon. Police arrived and found a victim with a laceration to the neck. He was transported to area hospital. Laceration appears to be result of a fight out side of KK. Suspect at large, few witnesses of incident.

On 7/29 at 1:23am, there was a report of shots fired near the government ramp on Doty St. A vehicle in the ramp was located with a shattered window and evidence of a bullet whole in the vehicle. No victims or suspects located.

At about the same time there was a large disturbance/fight inside the Majestic. Unknown if the two incidents are related. As officers where in the area, additional shots were heard from the top of the ramp. No victims or suspects located.

On 7/30 at 2:16am, a victim arrived at a local hospital with a gun shot wound. Officers determined that the incident took place in the triangle lot in the 100 blk of King St. Evidence found in the lot was consistent with a shooting taking place there. NO calls reference a shooting from anyone in the area.

During the investigation a citizen informed officers that a man had a gun in a car. Officers observed the car and a subsequent stop led to the recovery of a weapon and drugs.

Central District deployed extra resources in response to the patterned attacks. No groups were identified Friday night, however officers did observe suspicious activity by a group on Saturday night. Further analysis will be conducted in the upcoming week.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Capt. Schauf is out of the office next week.
Lt. Carl Gloede
209-7063 (cell)

Urban Forestry Program and Channel 12

2006-07-30T18:47:00.000-05:00

Capitol Neighborhoods' program on urban forestry was recorded by Madison
City Channel 12 and can be seen at the following times:

Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 5 at 12 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m.

Streaming video will also be posted to the City Channel Web site at
http://www.mcc12.tv/streaming.html

Amplified Sound Tenney Park 8/6/06

2006-07-28T18:27:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, August 6, Physicians for Social Responsibility will use the Tenney Shelter for their annual Lanterns for Peace. They will have amplified sound from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Manganese Update 7/28/06

2006-07-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

Manganese Sampling Update
July 28, 2006

Summary

The Water Utility has now collected and analyzed 998 household samples for manganese in the Well 3, Well 8, Well 10, and Well 29 flushing areas, which are the four wells producing the highest levels of manganese in our water system. This is about 80% of the total number of household samples we expect to collect during the flushing program in these areas. The results continue to show low levels of manganese at household taps (taken at outside hose-bib spigots). 90% of all samples were below the EPA aesthetic recommendation for drinking water of 50 parts per billion (ppb). 10% of the samples were above 50 ppb. 11 of the 998 samples (1.3%) were above the EPA lifetime health advisory level of 300 ppb.

The 11 samples containing more than 300 ppb manganese were collected at 8 sites. None of these 8 sites was found to have water consistently above 300 ppb manganese. Further details about these samples can be found in the table included with this report.

Based on these results, Dr. Thomas Schlenker, Director of Public Health for Madison and Dane County rescinded the limited health advisory for infants and persons with liver disease in the Well 3 and Well 10 areas on July 17. Dr. Schlenker said, “levels of manganese that have been and are being measured indicate that tap water is acceptable for daily consumption for the entire population.”

Well 3 Flushing Area

The Utility has completed flushing in the Well 3 service area. We have received the lab results of 361 samples from its post-flushing sampling in the area. We anticipate taking a total of about 400 post-flushing samples in this flushing area. All samples are taken at randomly selected sites in the area from hose-bib spigots.

300 out of the 361 samples (83%) were below 50 parts per billion (ppb), the EPA aesthetic guideline for drinking water. 55 out of the 361 samples (15%) were between 50 and 300 ppb. Six samples (1.7%) were above the 300 ppb EPA Lifetime Health Advisory Level for drinking water.

The 6 samples containing more than 300 ppb manganese were collected at 4 sites. None of these 4 sites was found to have water consistently above 300 ppb manganese. Further details about these samples can be found in the table included with this report.

Well 10 Flushing Area

Flushing operations continue in the Well 10 area. Over 200 samples were taken randomly at households in this area prior to start of the flushing operation, and the same households are being re-sampled one to three weeks after flushing is completed on their streets and will be re-sampled again 30 days after flushing.

Out of 286 pre- and post-flush samples collected, 271 samples (95%) were below 50 ppb, and 14 samples (5%) were between 50 and 300 ppb. One sample above 300 ppb was re-sampled four times at levels of 3 ppb, 57 ppb, 11 ppb and 3 ppb.*

78 of the 286 samples were collected after the water mains were flushed. 74 of these 78 (95%) were below 50 ppb. The two highest results were 96 and 127 ppb, both of which were probably influenced by nearby flushing; follow-up samples will be taken to confirm that this is the case.

Well 29 Flushing Area

The Utility has completed flushing in the Well 29 area. About 300 samples were collected following flushing, 257 of which have been analyzed. 241 of the 257 samples (94%) were below 50 ppb. 14 of the 257 samples (5.4%) were between 50 ppb and 300 ppb. Two samples (0.8%) were above 300 ppb and were re-sampled. One very highly discolored sample (10,100 ppb) cleared up quickly upon running the tap and re-sampled at 64 ppb.* Three more follow-up samples showed levels of 19, 6 and 9 ppb. The other site tested initially at 441 ppb, with follow-up samples of 4, 20 and 6 ppb.

Well 8 Flushing Area

The Utility has completed flushing in the Well 8 area. 94 post-flush samples have been collected and analyzed. 83 of the 94 samples (88%) were below 50 ppb. 9 of the 94 samples (10%) were between 50 ppb and 300 ppb. Two samples, both from the same site, measured over 300 at levels of 335 ppb and 1530 ppb.* These samples were taken from a basement tap that had apparently not been used in months or years. A sample from a more frequently-used tap in the same building measured 31 ppb.

* Temporary, short-term elevation of manganese at the tap may be caused by a variety of situations. In a number of cases, we are finding the high readings came from hose-bib spigots that had not been used frequently, allowing sediment to accumulate in a way that would not happen in taps used regularly. Short-term elevation may also be caused by a temporary hydraulic disturbance in the water distribution system. In each case where a sample result is above 300 ppb, the Utility is investigating to try to determine the reason for the short-term elevation.

Urban Forestry Program Tonight

2006-07-27T07:35:00.000-05:00

Urban Forestry Program by Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc.

Thursday, July 27, at 7 pm
302 East Gorham Street, James Madison Park at N. Butler

The impact of trees in the city will be the focus when Capitol Neighborhoods
Inc. (CNI) presents a public program with experts from Madison, Milwaukee
and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Urban forestry has gained momentum in recent years as scientists better
understand the economic benefit of trees for cooling, air cleansing and
rainfall interception.

The CNI program will include Marla Eddy, city forester for Madison; Jim
Kringer, Milwaukee forestry inspector; and Jeff Roe, DNR urban forestry
coordinator. There will be time for questions from the audience following
the presentation.

The program is free to the public and sponsored by Daffodil Parker. It will
be taped and scheduled on Madison City Channel 12.

Sponsored by Daffodil*Parker Florists

http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/goh.html
www.capitolneighborhoods.org/resources/events.html

Gates of Heaven Celebrates 35 Years Tonight

2006-07-27T07:33:00.000-05:00

Gates of Heaven Synagogue 35th Year Anniversary Open House

Thursday, July 27, 5-6:30 p.m.

302 East Gorham Street, James Madison Park at N. Butler

A reception marking the 35th anniversary of the preservation of the 143-
year-old Gates of Heaven Synagogue building in James Madison Park will be
held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 27. The brick and stone Madison
landmark was designed by noted architect August Kutzbock and is one of the
oldest surviving synagogue buildings in the United States. Gates of Heaven
was moved to its present site in James Madison Park in 1971 when threatened
with demolition. Friends of Gates of Heaven has organized the free event
which includes light refreshments and music by Yid Vicious.

The Gates of Heaven Synagogue, in Hebrew, Shaare Shomaim, was built in 1863
for the Ahavath Achim congregation of eighteen German Jewish immigrant
families. The synagogue, the first built in Madison and the third oldest in
the country, is German Romanesque Revival or Rundbogenstil, in its design
according to noted architectural writer Ada Louise Huxtable. Kutzbock had
also designed the second State Capitol building, the City Hall, and the
stately mansions at the intersection of East Gilman and N. Pinckney
including the Mansion Hill Inn. The building served the Ahavath Achim
congregation until 1879 when it was rented to the Unitarian Society. The
building was sold in 1916, and has had several uses subsequently.

In 1971, the Gates of Heaven Synagogue faced demolition to make room for a
new office complex to be built on its site, located at 214 W. West
Washington Avenue. Concerned citizens rallied to save the building by
forming the Gates of Heaven Foundation, organized by Norton and Lois Stoler.
The group raised over $20,000 and nominated the building to the National
Register of Historic Places. A partnership of the City of Madison and the
Foundation, led by Sol Levin, was successful in gaining federal matching
funds to complete the $60,000 moving fund. A local moving company estimated
the cost of the move at $45,000. The Belding Moving Company of East Chicago,
IL was the low (and only) bidder. Ninety-six airplane wheels were placed
under the structure and two tank retrievers from World War II lifted it from
its original site and pulled it through a mile of downtown Madison's streets
on July 17, 1971. The buff sandstone building was then restored and
landscaped. Saving the Gates of Heaven from demolition was Madison's first
successful historic preservation effort.

The Gates of Heaven is a Madison, Wisconsin, landmark owned by the Madison
City Park's Department. For information on reserving Gates of Heaven for
special events, call the Madison Parks Department, 608-266-4711.

http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/goh.html

The landscaping is undertaken and facilitated by volunteers. Donations are
gratefully accepted for the gardening expenses. Checks may be written to
"Gates of Heaven Preservation Fund", PO Box 2023, Madison, WI 53701 and are
tax deductible.

For information contact Gigi Holland (Tenney-Lapham) 251-8586,
(gigiholland@sbcglobal.net) or Judy Sidran 256-4744 (JudySidran@aol.com)

We welcome old photos or remembrance stories that include the Gates of
Heaven and the neighborhood before James Madison Park.

Further photos and more information the Gates of Heaven Synagogue online:

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/advancedSearch.asp

Use Advanced Search, Keywords 'Gates' AND 'Heaven'

http://www.historicmadison.org/html/MadHist/Articles/GatesofH.asp

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More Storm Update

2006-07-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

The Streets Division will maintain its regularly scheduled monthly collection of brush from the curb. This is a Friday brush collection week so residents with a Friday refuse/recycling collection should have their brush out to the curb today and we will collect it sometime this week.

We also have additional brush crews diverted from other facets working in Thursdays districts and then will work back into Wednesdays when they are completed in Thursdays area. When the Friday area is completed by the regular brush crews, those crews will work into the Monday district. All crews will then converge into the Tuesday area. Next week, the week of July 31st is a non-scheduled week for brush collection. As a result, all available crews will be working in storm related cleanup. We are hoping to have all storm related brush collected by the end of next week.

This storm was a citywide event and not just a storm that hit a few neighborhoods. It will take us some overtime to complete the task as I have authorized working 10 hour days to complete the task in the next two weeks. We also ask residents to be patient as we want to systematically go through the city in order to be more efficient and not jump around from area to area getting individual calls.

You Can Own a Historic Downtown Home

2006-07-23T17:22:00.000-05:00

Historic Homes for Sale Downtown Madison
This Could Be Your Chance
Unique Historic Homes Now Available For Owner Occupancy in the Heart of Downtown Madison - Mansion Hill

August 8 at 6:30 pm
Meet at 512 Wisconsin Avenue
Walking tour of homes

Fifteen homes
A variety of sizes and architecture
Built from 1853 to 1923
All are in the Mansion Hill Historic District
Eligible for historic tax credits

Come and see what is available; decide if this might be for you. Talk to other downtown home owners who have or are in the process of rehabbing historic homes. While the interior of the homes will not be open for inspection, a number of interior photos will be available.

Schedule:
6:30 and 7:00 Hear about the dream and potential - Fred Mohs, long-time Mansion Hill resident
6:45 and 7:15 Walking tours identifying available homes -- Gene Devitt, long-time Mansion Hill resident and Michael Bridgeman, organizer Madison Trust for Historic Preservation Mansion Hill tours and downtown resident
7:00 and 7:30 Learn about potential financing options - Mark Olinger, Director Madison Department of Planning and Development
7:30 - 8:00 Reception for those who are seriously interested in the possibility of restoring a Mansion Hill Historic District home and conversation with neighbors who have or are restoring owner occupied historic homes

Storm Clean Up Update from Staff

2006-07-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry, this one is a little late . . . was taking a day or two off for my birthday . . .

I just wanted to give you a little information about the cleanup from the storm of July 20th for you to be able to share with residents who call you.

As of Friday, July 21st, we are still assisting Forestry, led by Marla Eddy, in their efforts to remove dangerous and hazardous limbs that are still hanging from trees. All of July 20th was spent making sure streets were opened from where trees or limbs had fallen and closed the street. Crews worked last night until dark and will work tonight until dark.

The Street Division plan as of today is to continue with our normal scheduled once per month brush collection cycle. We will be collecting in Friday's collection district next week, the week of July 24th. We will have additional crews collecting brush in other parts of the City to assist in the storm cleanup. We pobably will work overtime next week due to the storm cleanup. The week after next is a non brush schedule week which means that we will work all week during the week of July 31st in storm cleanup.

We ask that all residents be patient as this storm unlike most storms was widespread and effected the entire city as opposed to just a few neighborhoods. It will take awhile to get everything collected.

TLNA Draft Agenda for August

2006-07-23T16:14:00.000-05:00

Here's the Draft Tenney Lapham Neighborhood Association Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, August 2, 7 - 9 at Tenney Park Apartments

Dscuss TLNA support for planned Johnson Business District festival in late August
Discuss Sean's review of projects for which city is seeking federal funding and ways in which they involve the neighborhood
Discuss and act on neighborhood position re: James Madison Park and historic houses
Discuss Kozac properties
Discuss and act on latest on neighborhood plan

And likely the BUILD will also be on the agenda.

Downtown Muggings: Update regarding a Plan for the Fall

2006-07-23T16:09:00.000-05:00

This message is from Chief Wray . . .

Mayor Dave

Just as a FYI a few weeks ago I requested that staff of the Central District put together a plan that will address the "robbery/mugging" issue. This is in anticipation of this fall when the students return. As you may recall these incidents were at their peak this past spring when we employed a number of strategies including additional staff during critical times. After the students left the number of incidents leveled off to the normal although unacceptable summer time rate. Capt. Schauf is working on providing me with a summary plan that I will share with you within the week. We are looking at three approaches. 1.) Operations strategy that focuses on the potential suspects 2.) Information strategy that will encourage protective behaviors for students and other citizens 3.) Some environmental considerations ( for example improved lighting in areas where previous incidents have occurred ). The Central District has done considerable work and analysis related to this problem and would be willing to share this information with you and others on request.
Thanks Chief Wray

Redevelopment Meeting Across E Wash . . .

2006-07-18T12:55:00.000-05:00

Judy Olson asked me to share this with District 2 residents:

Neighborhood Meeting

Redevelopment of Badger Cab Site (S. Ingersoll/E. Wilson)

Meeting at Luke House, 310 S. Ingersoll St.

7:15 - 9:00 pm, Thursday, July 27, 2006

I invite you to attend a neighborhood meeting to discuss a proposal by Stonehouse Development to redevelop the site currently occupied by Badger Cab Company, who, in the next few weeks will be moving its operations to the far east side. Stonehouse envisions demolishing all the structures on the site and constructing three 4-story buildings containing a total of 75 rental housing units. The building will include underground parking for residents and surface parking for visitors. The exterior will be made of a mix of masonry, hardy plank, and stucco.

Stonehouse will apply to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) for low-income housing tax credits to underwrite the cost of the housing, most of which will be affordable according to WHEDA standards. The project will exceed the affordability standards of the City of Madison Inclusionary Zoning ordinance. Stonehouse is exploring an option for creating rent-to-own housing on this site.

Stonehouse believes that they can demonstrate a need for tax incremental finance (TIF) assistance from the City. To provide TIF assistance, the City would have to amend the boundary of TIF District #36 which does not currently include this block.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me.

Ald. Judy Olson, District 6

Phone: 608-245-4557

e-mail: district6@cityofmadison

Health Advisory on Drinking Water Recinded

2006-07-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

For Immediate Release

Monday, July 17, 2006

Contact: Dr. Thomas Schlenker, (608) 267-4122

Health Advisory Update: Drinking Water Advisory Rescinded

MADISON ... Based on the results of tap water sampling at hundreds of residences in the Well 3 and Well 10 services areas and other areas served by the Madison Water Utility, the public health advisory for infants less than 6 months of age and individuals with liver disease to refrain from drinking tap water is no longer in effect, Director of Public Health Dr. Thomas Schlenker announced today.

Levels of manganese that have been and are being measured indicate that tap water is acceptable for daily consumption for the entire population. As always, discolored or dirty looking water that may occasionally emit from household taps should not be drunk or used for cooking. If such water persists, it should be reported to the Water Utility at (608) 266-4665, or water@cityofmadison.com.

Analysis of 647 household tap water samples from the Well 3 and Well 10 areas collected since May 30^th shows 88% with manganese levels below the aesthetic standard of 50 parts per billion (ppb), 11% above 50 ppb and 0.6% above the health standard of 300 ppb. Repeated re-sampling indicated that each of the three samples with levels above 300 ppb collected as part of the ongoing random sampling, as well as each of the five samples above 300 ppb collected in response to consumer requests, measured at acceptable levels of manganese.

This suggests that occasional moderate elevations in manganese in drinking water may occur when hydraulic changes dislodge sediment but that such elevations are not sustained. Thus, unrecognized long-term exposure to moderately elevated levels that might prove harmful to susceptible individuals would be unlikely to occur.

Newly instituted flushing techniques have proven to be effective at removing naturally occurring sediment from service lines. To ensure sustained safe and aesthetically pleasing drinking water, joint Madison Water Utility/Madison-Dane County Public Health ongoing monitoring and testing of well and tap water will determine where and when repeat flushing needs to take place. High manganese-producing wells will be considered for filtration or assignment to standby status.

Interim reports on drinking water will be shared with the public in the coming months and a full report and summary of results of manganese sampling for all wells and all areas of the community plus analysis relative to other contaminants will be published before the end of the year.

Gardeners Needed: This Week

2006-07-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

The following message is from Ilse.

Hi garden enthusiasts:
Our flower beds at James Madison Park need weeding. If you could come for an hour any evening this week between 6 and 8 p.m. we could have it done in no time. Please let me know when you can make it and I'll meet you there. Thanks,
Ilse

If you'd like to help out, either get in touch with Ilse or let me know and I'll get you Ilse's contact info. I can be reached at 345-8720 or brendakonkel@yahoo.com.

PUD for 305 E Johnson to become Restaurant with Liquor License

2006-07-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

This one likely sounds familiar, as this is the second time this project is going through the planning process. It's item number 26 on the Council Agenda. Public hearings start at 6:45 and all other items wait until after the public hearing end. This item, unfortunately, is after the Midvale Plaza project, which is likely to be controversial.

Here's the Neighborhood Association Comments on this project:

FROM JAMES MADISON PARK DISTRICT DATE: JUNE 22, 2006
141 N. Hancock St.
Madison, WI 53703

RE: PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE PROPERTY ON 305 E. JOHNSON ST.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Representatives from the James Madison Park District met with Messrs. Navin Jarugumilli owner and Mark Schmidt of Knapp Schmidt Architects on June 6, 2006 regarding the proposed conversion of the property on 305 E. Johnson St. into a restaurant on the first floor with renovated apartments on the second and third floors. James Madison Park District has been asked to provide a letter of support for this proposal.

On June 13, 2006 a meeting was called for members of the JMPD to further discuss the project proposal. In general, the group believes that the plan makes appropriate and good use of the site and expects that the new business and the renovations to the existing building will be an asset to the neighborhood.

We can offer our support of this proposal if it proceeds in good faith, sensitive to the needs of the neighborhood and the concerns of the JMPD and can satisfy the following conditions.

· That the restaurant be open from 6:30 am to 11 pm only and that both food and drinks will be served only during those hours. We understand that alcoholic beverages will be among the drinks offered.

· That the restaurant be vented upright to guarantee the maximum removal of cooking odors from the vicinity.

· That any outdoor seating be located only in the front of the building and not in the rear.

· That the architectural design and execution retain the historical aspect and appearance of the present building.

We wish the developers good luck in achieving success in their enterprise and welcome them as contributors to the improvement of our neighborhood.

Ilse Hecht
Chairperson and Representative of the JMPD to the Capitol Neighborhood Association

Landmarking 428 N Livingston

2006-07-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

This item is on the Council agenda for Tuesday, July 18. It is item number 5 on the Council Agenda.

Landmarking 428 N Livingston

The meeting will be held at 6:30 in the Council Chambers. Room 201 City County Building (210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)

1322 E Mifflin St Zoning Variance

2006-07-16T17:27:00.000-05:00

July 27, 2006, this item appears on the Zoning Board of Appeals Agenda:

Dino Maniaci, owner of property located at 1322 East Mifflin Street, requests side yard variances to contruct a second story addition with a second story deck.

Meeting starts at 5:00 Room LL-110 in the Municipal Builiding (215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)

Tenney Park Amplification July 23

2006-07-16T17:09:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, July 23, the Madison Center for Creative and Cultural Arts will hold another of their series of Sunday Serenades, this one in Tenney Park, with amplified sound from 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

James Madison Park Amplification July 25

2006-07-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, July 25, Foley & Lardner will have a lunchtime picnic for their employees at James Madison Park. They will put up a tent, and will have amplification, only from Noon - 1:00 p.m.