Paul Soglin: Waxing America

City Bowling Tournament

It was nice to see so many City employees coming together for the City Bowling Tournament recently. Every year participating City of Madison agencies put together a bowling team that gets matched up with another agency. This year staff headed out to Bowlavard Lanes for the friendly competition.

Heidi Fischer, from the City of Madison Planning Division, took the fun a step further last year, organizing a food drive for Second Harvest in conjunction with the bowling tournament.  This year the tradition continued and I am proud to hear that City employees raised $1,093.67, which will provide for 3,281 meals, and collected 221 pounds of canned food items, which will provide for 184 meals! Thank you to Heidi & her team in Economic Development for their leadership and to all those who contributed. It is great to see such generosity from City of Madison staff.

 

 

 

The Greening of Monroe Street

Don't forget to head over to the Monroe Street Festival this Saturday, October 10th! This year the long-running Monroe Street Festival will highlight a new initiative focused on green urbanism, including street design and overall infrastructure. The initiative, called "The Greening of Monroe Street", will transform the area into an "eco district" by featuring ten different stations that offer a look into different approaches to green urbanism. The stations will include landscaped pop-up parks, zero waste stations, educational materials, tours along the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Nature and History Trail, and much more!

This year's initiative presents an opportunity to remember the importance of considering sustainability and the environment, even in urban areas, to protect the natural areas we know and love.

To view the "Green Passport" and see what will be happening at each of the ten stations, click on the link below:

http://weigogreener.org/images/Monroe%20Street%20Green%20Passport.pdf

To learn more about the initiative follow the link below:

http://weigogreener.org/images/Media%20Advisory.pdf

Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable 2015

Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2015 Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable on October 24th at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center! Registration begins at 8:00 am with a program from 9 am to 12 pm.

The Neighborhood Roundtable will begin with some networking and large group Q & A and then offer a few options for breakout sessions including "Neighborhood Projects and Funding Opportunities", "Neighborhood Engagement, Organizing, Involvement", and "Topic Table Discussions".

The Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable presents a great opportunity to bring residents, businesses, community organizations, and other stakeholders together to discuss how we can make Madison's neighborhoods even better to live, work, play, and learn!

For more details or to register follow the link below. I hope to see you all there!

www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/

Community Conversation on Community/Police Relations

September 2nd on Madison’s Southwest side, a neighborhood police officer when responding to an altercation, was physically attacked by one of the individuals involved and verbally harassed by several bystanders. Incidents like this one that escalate into violence endanger not only those involved, but our community as a whole.

Alders Matt Phair and Barbara McKinney, along with the Neighborhood Resource Teams, community leaders and Theresa Terrace and Southwest side neighborhood residents, plan to hold the first in a series of community listening sessions to address issues of community trust . The focus of these conversations is to build a strong Madison community.

The goal of these restorative justice sessions is to provide a comfortable environment for Theresa Terrace and Southwest side neighborhood residents, police, and policy makers alike to come together and engage with one another respectfully and freely to effectively address issues and build trust. I would encourage all residents of Madison’s Southwest side to attend.

Alders Phair and McKinney are currently working to secure a date, time, and location and will share that information as soon as it is available.

Artists with Disabilities Showcase

The next event at the “Top of State” is coming up on September 17^th! In honor of the 25^th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the event joining the usual MadCity Bazaar Pop-Up Market will be the Artists with Disabilities Showcase! The showcase, a result of the partnership with Madison Nonprofit Day and the Top of State Program, will present the work of a number of Madison artists with disabilities whose talent in the arts has allowed them to earn an income while producing a beautiful product. The contributions of these artists serve as a reminder of the many talents and capabilities of people with disabilities while enriching the local culture of Madison. The Artists with Disabilities Showcase will be held at the Top of State, where State Street meets the Square from 12 pm until 6 pm on the 17th.  Be sure to stop by to appreciate the art and celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act!

Black and Latino Unity Picnic

Last weekend was the 7^th Annual Black and Latino Unity Picnic held at Penn Park. It was great that so many Madisonians enjoyed the entertainment that included  dancing, spoken word poetry, a DJ, and, of course, good food!  More importantly, there were valuable opportunities to discuss issues and build on efforts that bond African Americans and Latinos in Madison.

The mission of the Black and Latino Unity Picnic is to generate discussion, to unite communities, and define the meaning of progress.

Events like these are important to build community and bring people of all ages, races, and ethnicities together to work towards a better Madison.  I extend my thanks to the organizers and participants.

Top of State Partner Showcase

I hope many of you have had the opportunity to enjoy some of the recent events at the Top of State by Madison’s Central BID, the City of Madison, Madison Parks Foundation, and Isthmus.  These events have provided a welcoming environment downtown for young and old to enjoy and I am grateful for the huge effort extended to make them a success.

The festivities continue on Thursday, September 10^th at the MadCity Bazaar with the “Partner Showcase”!

The “Partner Showcase” will combine a resource fair with the pop-up market to commemorate the organizations that have participated in the “Top of State” events throughout the summer.  While shopping, visitors can hear about sustainability efforts in Madison; pick up membership information from the Wisconsin Bike Fed; learn about downtown museums and events; and even look for job opportunities with the Wisconsin Union, Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR), and the City of Madison!

The event will run from noon to 6 pm at the “Top of State” where State Street meets the Capitol Square.

Find more details on the event at the link below and be sure to come out and help us celebrate the “Partner Showcase”!

http://www.visitdowntownmadison.com/events/events.php?category_id=5345#72052

Walk and Roll this Weekend!

If you're looking to get some time outside this Sunday, August 30th, be sure to join in on Walk & Roll, formerly known as Ride the Drive, neighborhood edition! Walk & Roll is a neighborhood event that allows bicyclists, walkers, and skaters, alike to "walk and roll" down open streets and stop for some food and entertainment along the way at Elvehjem and Acewood Parks!

At Acewood Park Village walkers and rollers will find a bouncy house, rock climbing wall, bicycling information, a visit from Maynard G. Mallard, and tots and sandwiches from the Pots N Tots cart and tacos from Cuco's Mexican Restaurant.

Then, at Elvehjem Park Village, visitors will enjoy live music presented by Mid-West Family Broadcasting, food carts including El Coqui Puerto Rican and Toast Gili's Panini's, tours of the Elvehjem Community Gardens, and other activities provided by Madison School & Community Recreation and Girl Scouts of Wisconsin-Badgerland Council.

The event begins at 10 am and ends at 2 pm.

To view the full list of vendors and to find information on the route and road closures click on the link below:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/activities/walkandroll.cfm

Enjoy the event!

Updraft: Brittingham Gardens Placemaking Project

Brittingham Park is making a comeback. It's taking on a life of its own. The new community garden, Operation Fresh Start's work to reclaim the shoreline from invasive species, the Disability Pride Festival, volunteer shoreline clean ups, increasing use for athletic teams, and the dramatic presence of Brittingham Boats have all made the park safer and more lively.

Together, they set the stage for Updraft, a placemaking project at the site of the community garden. Calling on the extraordinary skills of artist Mike Burns, www.mbmetalworks.com/ the project will include the creation of an open arch, artisan made benches, and an ornamental garden fence. Designed to model the possibilities of integrating public art and community gardens in urban parks, continue Brittingham Park's forward motion, and increase neighborhood cohesion, the project portrays leaves caught in an updraft, a theme suggested by park users and gardeners because they identify the garden space with wind, waves, and motion of people and bikes along the bike path.

Next week, on Wednesday, August 26, from noon- 8 PM, Brittingham Boats joins a long list of project supporters by hosting a public fundraising event for Updraft called Paddle for the Park and Ice Cream Boat Float.  Artist Mike Burns will be present from 4-7 PM to talk with people about the project, and a full-scale model will be on site. Ice cream, paddleboard relay racing, a raffle, great art, and good friends – what more could anyone want? See the flyer here!

Learn more about Updraft on Facebook at Brittingham Garden Placemaking Project:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittingham-Garden-Placemaking-Project/1003569556340509

Sherman Neighborhood Yard Art Project

If you have been around the Sherman Neighborhood lately you may have noticed some new yard art! The new additions are a product of the City of Madison Neighborhood Grant Program and have come to be called the Sherman Art Project. The art was created by neighborhood residents with the assistance of Alexis London, the artist, and the yard art team.

The Sherman Art Project has received positive reviews so far and has served as a way to bring neighbors together.  Projects like these demonstrate the importance of placemaking, providing an opportunity to bring residents together and build community.

The Sherman Neighborhood is holding a potluck and yard art celebration Sunday, August 23rd from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Northside TownCenter to share photographs of the art being created as well as information on a self-guided walking tour of the pieces.

See some of the photographs below and access the Yard Art Map here!