Alleged “Daily” Round Up/Catch Up

By
Brenda Konkel
-
daily round up

Well, that was a fail this week! Life took over and I have hardly no time for blogging . . . here’s what you missed.

I think I failed partially because there wasn’t much on Tuesday and Wednesday, I’ll try again this week!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND ROUND UP 9/5-9/7

KONKEL ROUND UP

Also found on the homepage

Monday, September 7th

City of Madison

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

K-12

Higher Ed

Sunday, September 6th

City of Madison

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

Saturday, September 5th

City of Madison

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

JAMES MADISON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY

Follow this link and have your voice count

https://forms.gle/1tqqtMMxyXqwUEpc8

TLNA ART WALK – VIRTUAL

The TLNA Art Walk is going virtual this year!  We invite you to explore our neighborhood artists via the web.  We’ll miss being able to visit and learn more about the artists, but social distancing is the safer path for us.  Here are some of the artists in Tenney-Lapham. Please visit the websites and/or contact them for more information.

Please use this link to see a sample of their work: Art Walk Images

Brian McCormick
Watercolors and Woodblock Prints
brianmc52@yahoo.com
Website:  brianmccormick.artspan.com

Gay Davidson-Zielske
Paintings, drawing, multi-media
wipoet32@gmail.com

Mary Gill
Website:  www.marymadeitstudio.com

Jan Richardson Portraits, Still lifes, Landscapes, Oils, Watercolors, and Gouache
janrichardson19@gmail.com

Sharon Chase Redinger
Bill Redinger
Original Watercolor Paintings of Fruits and Vegetables
sharonredinger@gmail.com<
billredinger@gmail.com<
Website:  www.redingercreations.com

TUESDAY ROUND UP 9/8

KONKEL ROUND UP

Also found on the homepage

City of Madison

Mo’ Meetings

Meeting: Madison Food Policy Council – Healthy Retail Work Group
Date: Thursday, Sep. 10, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Location: Madison, WI

 

 

Meeting: Madison Food Policy Council – Healthy Retail Work Group
Date: Thursday, Sep. 10, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Location: Madison, WI

 

 

Meeting: Public Safety Review Subcommittee
Date: Friday, Sep. 11, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Location: Madison, WI

 

 

Meeting: Room Tax Commission
Date: Friday, Sep. 11, 2020 at 4:00 pm
Location: Madison, WI

 

 

Projects

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

K-12

Higher Ed

And more . . .

Community Update Following Spike in Cases of COVID-19

Posted on Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2020 at 12:52 pm

In the past week, COVID-19 cases associated with UW make up the majority of Dane County cases. For the dates of September 1 through 7, the following percentages of cases were UW students: 74, 60, 61, 77, 77, 78, 55In the past week, Dane County has added 901 new cases of COVID-19, and at least 71% of people who have tested positive for the virus are UW students or staff. We are closely monitoring this recent spike. In particular, we are tracking case counts and spread within the community, the effect of this spike on our healthcare system, and our contact tracing capacity.Hospitalization rates and deaths tend to lag behind an increase in cases. While hospitalizations among this age group are less common, we are closely watching this metric given students might have interacted with relatives, staff, and community members who are more at risk for complications and death.We will continue to monitor community data and identify strategies to minimize spread of the virus in Dane County. Two actions that have been taken so far:

  • On September 4, we issued quarantine notices to over 400 UW fraternity and sorority members due to outbreaks within their chapter houses.
  • On September 7, UW directed undergraduate students to restrict movement for 14 days . Strategies to restrict movement over fourteen days have been effective in slowing the spread of disease in other communities, but keep in mind we will not see the effects of this intervention immediately given the incubation period of the virus. We also have limited data on the efficacy of this intervention in the college campus setting.

Recommendations for All Community Members

Given the record-high number of cases we’re seeing, we want to remind everyone to take precautions to protect your health and safety:

  • Stay home if you don’t need to go out. Working from home, virtual gatherings, and using curbside or delivery ordering are still the safest and best options to protect yourself and others.
  • Stay home if you’re sick or feel off. A number of new cases reported going out while symptomatic.
  • Avoid gatherings. Skipping gatherings limits the chance for virus to spread. Nearly 4 in 10 people who test positive say they gathered with people they don’t live with.
  • Wear masks. Masks are required indoors, and we strongly recommend them outdoors anytime you are near others.
  • Assume you have come in contact with COVID-19 if you go out. From August 18 through August 31, 40% of cases do not know where they could’ve gotten COVID-19. Watch for symptoms like fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. If you have these symptoms, call your doctor or visit our testing page for information on how to get tested.

Answers to Your Questions

Will the case increase impact K-2 schools?
K-2 grades were allowed to have in-person instruction because we were averaging less than 54 cases a day in Dane County. Public Health Madison & Dane County staff consistently review outbreak data. Any suspension of in-person instruction will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to number of positive cases, extent of exposure, and contact tracing capacity. This case increase, (for now) is concentrated in UW students who live near campus with little evidence of spill over into other parts of the community. Grades K-2 closure is not deemed necessary at this time. Public Health staff will continue to closely monitor the data and update orders as appropriate.Does Public Health Madison & Dane County plan to issue new community-wide orders?
This case increase (for now) is concentrated in UW students who live near campus with little evidence of spill over into other parts of the community. We will continue to monitor disease spread in our community though contact tracing interviews and data analysis.Why are UW students included in Dane County case counts?
UW-Madison is not an island. Students are not confined to campus; they travel off-campus to work, volunteer, run errands, visit nearby relatives, and explore area attractions. An increase in cases on campus may impact the surrounding community, including populations at higher risk of exposure (e.g., essential workers) and populations more vulnerable to severe COVID illness (e.g., people of color, people aged 65 and older, and people with chronic conditions). As a reminder, Public Health Madison & Dane County does not have authority to inform reopening plans for UW since they are a state government entity.Why can’t you make UW move to virtual instruction?
Public Health Madison & Dane County does not have the authority to enforce local emergency orders against the State of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including their departments, agencies, employees and agents acting within their official capacities.

We will continue to encourage everyone in our community to make decisions that will keep our whole county healthy and safer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison – Public Health Madison & Dane County and a link back to the original post.

UPCOMING DEMOLITIONS

Please be advised that Marvin Martinez will be filing a demolition permit application on October 5, 2020 for Plan Commission review that calls for a single-family house located at 5098 Voges Rd Madison, WI 53718 to be demolished. For more information regarding this forthcoming application, you may contact the applicant, Marvin Martinez, Marvins Brick Pavers inc., 4256 Cleveland Rd Cross Palins, WI 53528 at lispin123@gmail.com or (608)320-9468. Applicant’s Comments: I’m a requesting the demolition of the existent house to build a new building.

Please be advised that Stacey Oehrke will be filing a demolition permit application on October 7, 2020 for Plan Commission review that calls for a 1 story office building located at 4606 Hammersley Rd Madison, WI 53711 to be demolished. For more information regarding this forthcoming application, you may contact the applicant, Stacey Oehrke, 7601 University Ave, Suite 201 Middleton, WI 53593 at soehrke@knothebruce.com or (608)836-3690.

WEDNESDAY ROUND UP 9/9

KONKEL ROUND UP

Also found on the homepage

City of Madison

Mo’ Meetings

Meeting: Women’s Initiatives Committee
Date: Thursday, Sep. 10, 2020 at 11:30 pm
Location: Madison, WI
Meeting: Board of Review
Date: Friday, Sep. 11, 2020 at 1:30 pm
Location: Madison Municipal Building
215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Room 215
Madison, WI 53703
Meeting: Police and Fire Commission
Date: Saturday, Sep. 12, 2020 at 1:00 pm
Location: Madison, WI
Meeting: Public Safety Review Committee Budget Subcommittee
Date: Friday, Sep. 11, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Location: Madison, WI

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

K-12

Higher Ed

IMAGINE MADISON UPDATES

Interactions with over 15,000 Madisonians, including historically underrepresented groups, helped shape the Imagine Madison Comprehensive Plan. The Plan is now shaping the future of our city.

Today, we release the 2020 Progress Update for the Comprehensive Plan. Our first report back to you since the Plan was adopted in August 2018. The Progress Update highlights projects from 2019 that have advanced Plan recommendations and tracks the status of each of the Plan’s Actions. If you are interested in learning more about the highlighted projects, please contact us and we can connect you with the appropriate City staff person.

Going forward, we will release a new Progress Update each summer with highlights from the previous calendar year. We are hopeful that next year’s edition will offer an opportunity to reflect on how even the most difficult circumstances can bring about meaningful progress.

Other plans in progress
If you’re curious about the future of the areas surrounding East Towne and West Towne malls, make sure to tune in to those planning processes to provide your feedback about how these areas could transform in the coming years.

THURSDAY ROUND UP 9/10

KONKEL ROUND UP

Also found on the homepage

City  of Madison

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

Higher Ed

And more . . .

DNR PUBLISHED RESULTS OF FIREFIGHTING DEPARTMENT PFAS SURVEY

Press Release:

A firefighter battles a blaze

New survey data will inform efforts by the state to address PFAS contamination that has occurred through the discharge of fluorinated firefighting foam into the environment. / Photo Credit: kzenon/iStock.com

MADISON, Wis. – As requested by Gov. Tony Evers in the 2019-2021 Biennial Budget, the DNR conducted a survey of the state’s fire departments to determine their use of PFAS-containing, or fluorinated, firefighting foams. This survey was designed to help the DNR better understand how much, how often and why fluorinated foam is used across Wisconsin. This information will inform efforts by the state, in partnership with Wisconsin fire departments, to address PFAS contamination that has occurred through the discharge of fluorinated firefighting foam into the environment.

PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large group of human-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. PFAS do not occur naturally and are widespread in the environment. These chemicals bioaccumulate and can stay in the human body for many years. The discharge of PFAS-containing firefighting foam during emergency fire events or training exercises has been identified as a significant source of PFAS contamination.

The DNR’s survey of Wisconsin fire departments closed on March 17 with a response rate of 72%. Results indicate that 77% of respondents had purchased, stored, trained with or used fluorinated foam at some point in the past. The majority used fluorinated foam for emergency fires involving flammable liquids or gas. The DNR estimates that the total amount of fluorinated firefighting foam currently in storage across the state is at least 63,200 gallons and may be as high as 96,300 gallons. It was also determined that there may be expired or unwanted foam in excess of 30,000 gallons that requires disposal.

“The DNR Firefighting Foam Survey provides valuable insight regarding the usage of and disposal needs associated with PFAS-containing firefighting foams throughout Wisconsin’s municipal fire departments,” said Chief Chris Garrison, president of the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association (WSFCA). “The survey results also clearly indicate the immediate need for resources and mechanisms for a centralized PFAS-containing firefighting foam collection and disposal program. Collection and environmentally conscious disposal of PFAS-containing firefighting foams is a priority of the WSFCA, and we will continue to collaborate with the DNR and the Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC) to ensure we minimize the impacts of PFAS-containing firefighting foams on firefighters, their local communities and the environment.”

The results of this survey will support the state’s efforts going forward to mitigate the use and discharge of fluorinated firefighting foams, including the Wisconsin PFAS Action Plan and work of the Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC). The DNR will continue to work with Wisconsin’s fire departments to address PFAS in firefighting foam and protect the health of the firefighting community, the environment and the general public.

For more information, full results and other resources including FAQs and the DNR’s poster for fire departments, visit the DNR’s webpage on PFAS-containing firefighting foam, under “State Survey.”

Email

Wisconsin has joined Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado and other states in working with local fire departments to address the environmental and human health risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This year, the Wisconsin DNR conducted a survey of the state’s fire departments to determine their use of PFAS-containing, or fluorinated, firefighting foams. This survey was designed to help the DNR better understand how much, how often and why fluorinated foam is used across Wisconsin. The survey closed on March 17 with a response rate of 72%.

Results indicate that 77% of respondents had purchased, stored, trained with or used fluorinated foam at some point in the past. The majority used fluorinated foams for emergency fires involving flammable liquids or gas. The DNR estimates that the total amount of fluorinated firefighting foam currently in storage across the state is at least 63,200 gallons and may be as high as 96,300 gallons. It was also determined that there might be expired or unwanted foam in excess of 30,000 gallons that require disposal.

The results of this survey will inform the state’s efforts to mitigate the use and discharge of fluorinated firefighting foams. The DNR will continue to work in partnership with Wisconsin’s fire departments to address PFAS in firefighting foam and protect the health of the firefighting community, the environment and the general public.

For more information visit the DNR’s webpage on PFAS-containing firefighting foam.

MMSD COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSIONS

Save the Date: Community Information Sessions on the 2020 Referenda

We will be holding several community information sessions during September and October to discuss the upcoming referenda that will appear on your ballot in November. Each session will primarily focus on the high school that is hosting (virtually) the session, but experts will be available to answer all of your questions during each session. We hope you can join us. The sessions will be streamed live on our Facebook page.

September 16 (East)

September 22 (Capital High)

September 23 (Memorial)

September 29 (La Follette)

October 1 (West)

October 6 (Session held exclusively in Spanish)

And on October 7, we’ll be holding a Teletown Hall Meeting in which District officials will share information about the upcoming 2020 referenda. Participants of the Telephone Town Hall event will have an opportunity to ask questions, share comments on their touch tone phones or just listen in to the meeting. All Madison-area residents will receive a phone call inviting them to join this live telephone town hall meeting. Register your phone number now!

-César A. Sanchez, Family, Youth & Community Engagement Coordinator (FYCE), Office of Equity, Partnerships & Engagement, Madison Metropolitan School District

PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION ON PFAS FOAM

The Department of Natural Resources will hold a public listening session on Sept. 15 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. regarding the updated draft emergency rule language, Ch. NR 159, developed to address the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam consistent with a new state law. The Natural Resources Board (NRB) directed the DNR to seek additional input from stakeholders at the board’s August meeting. The purpose of this listening session is to provide the public with an opportunity to comment or ask questions regarding any changes to the draft emergency rule.

The DNR developed the draft emergency administrative rule, ch. NR 159, to implement and administer the new state law, Wis. Stat. § 299.48. This state law directed that, with the implementation of new restrictions on the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam starting Sept. 1, the DNR would promulgate both emergency and permanent rules outlining the limitations pertaining to testing and training with PFAS firefighting foam and use of PFAS foam for emergency situations.

The public can provide input and ask questions at the listening session. The DNR is asking that any written comments on the proposed rule be submitted on or before Sept. 18, 2020. Written comments are preferred by email, but may be submitted through U.S. mail, fax or online. Written comments and any questions on the proposed rules should be submitted to:

Department of Natural Resources
Attn: Kate Strom Hiorns – WA/5
P.O. Box 7921
101 S. Webster Street,
Madison, WI 53707-7921
KathrynM.StromHiorns@wisconsin.gov

The rule language will be made available no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10 at this online location: https://dnr.wi.gov/news/input/ProposedPermanent.html.

BIKING VOLUNTEERS WANTED – CYCLE SEPTEMBER TRAILS AND PARKS CLEAN UP

Pedal for Good is a month-long celebration of biking in Madison. Activities include a trail and park cleanup, a food drive, an online class and more.

Help Madison Parks and the City Traffic Engineering Division by cleaning up a trail or park. Before you head out for a bike ride, grab a few supplies, plot your course and stop at park or trail and pick up trash along the way. Use the online interactive maps to find a trail or park near you.

Place your filled trash bags at the edge of the park, near a paved path or in the trash can, if available. Be sure to follow up with an email to parksvolunteer@cityofmadison.com to alert us of the location and work completed. We request all volunteers complete and submit the Volunteer Release Form. Send any photos along as well. We love photos to share! Thank you in advance for keeping trails and parks clean!

Volunteers are reminded of the following:

  • This is a solo project or done with members of your household only.
  • No group projects.
  • Bring your own bags.
  • Use gloves and hand sanitizer.
  • A cloth face covering is recommended.

DATA NOTES FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10 – PUBLIC HEALTH

Posted on Thursday, Sep. 10, 2020 at 4:32 pm

New Data Snapshot with icons of different types of chartsToday we released this week’s data snapshot PDF . If you’re new to the data snapshot, we publish a weekly summary of the status for each of our metrics (you can find past issues on our data and metrics page). We have a few notes for this week’s issue:

Our average number of cases per day more than doubled since last week.

Cases per day ranged from 36 to 195 with an average of 94 cases per day. Last week’s average number of cases per day was 45. In this 14-day period there were 1,321 total cases:

  • Of all 1,321 cases, 537 (41%) were tested at community testing sites, 546 (41%) were tested by University Health Services, and 28% were tested in a healthcare setting.
  • Of 1,213 people who have been fully interviewed so far, 388 (32%) reported attending a gathering or party with people outside of their household.
  • Of 1,213 people fully interviewed so far, 753 (62%) identified the likely source of infection as close contact with another lab-confirmed COVID-19 case.
  • Of 1,213 people fully interviewed so far, 493 (41%) were associated with a cluster: 428 from college-aged housing, 11 from college sports teams, 14 from workplaces, 10 from congregate facilities, 10 from childcare facilities, 9 from bars and restaurants, and 6 from weddings that took place outside of Dane County.
    • Of the 10 cases from childcare facilities, 2 were children and 8 were adults.
    • Of the 14 cases from workplaces, 2 cases were from more public-facing workplaces and 12 were from less public-facing businesses.

UW-Madison students and staff make up 65% of Dane County cases.

During this 14-day period, 846 UW students and 10 staff (856 total) tested positive, making up 65% of our total cases.

Of the 856 UW cases in this 14-day period:

  • 546 (64%) were tested by UHS, 246 (29%) were tested at the Alliant Energy Center, and 64 (7%) were tested at other sites.
  • 828 (98%) were between the ages of 18-22.
  • 441 (52%) were associated with a cluster: 426 from college-aged housing (including sororities, fraternities, dorms, near-campus apartments), 17 from UW sports teams, 2 from congregate living facilities, and 2 from a gathering. Note that these categories are not mutually exclusive, and some students were associated with more than one cluster.

Three key strategies are in effect to help slow the spread of the virus. On September 4, we issued quarantine notices to over 400 UW fraternity and sorority members due to outbreaks within their chapter houses. On September 7, UW directed undergraduate students to restrict movement for 14 days , and on September 9, UW shifted to two weeks of remote instruction and placed two residence halls under quarantine. Strategies to restrict movement and reduce contact over fourteen days have been effective in slowing the spread of disease in other communities, but keep in mind we will not see the effects of this intervention immediately given the incubation period of the virus.

The target for grades 3-5 was not met this week.

The K-12 school metrics are detailed on our website PDF . K-2 is currently open, having met its target. We are continuously reviewing outbreak data, and the decision to end in-person instruction will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to number of positive cases, extent of exposure, and contact tracing capacity. Because this case increase is concentrated among UW students with little evidence of spill over into other parts of the community, we do not plan to end in-person instruction for students in grades K-2 at this time.

Grade levels Target for Possibly Resuming In-Person Pupil Instruction Status
K-2 A 14-day average of 54 or fewer cases per day, sustained for four weeks Met on August 18, may open per Emergency Order #9
3-5 A 14-day average of 39 or fewer cases per day, sustained for four weeks Not met
6-12 A 14-day average of 19 or fewer cases per day, sustained for four weeks Not met

The community spread metric declined this week.

About a third of people with COVID-19 do not know where they could have been exposed, down from 40% last week. A high percent of cases who don’t know how they got sick means there likely are people unknowingly spreading the virus in the community.

The lab timeliness and contact tracing metric declined and turned red.

Lab timeliness (how quickly labs are reported to us) and contact tracing (how quickly we can reach out to cases) are combined into one metric because lab timeliness directly affects contact tracing. During this period 55% of cases were contacted by public health within 48 hours of being tested, compared to 73% from our last snapshot. This two-week period saw the highest number of tests per day in the pandemic thus far—3,181. At the end of August, over 90% of lab specimens had a result within 24 hours of collection. Today, that percentage is closer to 40.

For the 12th week in a row, Dane County is classified as “high activity level” on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) COVID-19 Activity Level Tracker.

Our Forward Dane metric for cases (see the first section of this blog) accounts for burden but not trajectory. The DHS metric combines the burden of cases over a two-week period (number of cases per 100,000 residents) and the trajectory, which measures the percent change in cases from the previous week to the current week and whether that change is statistically significant.

As of the DHS update on 9/9/20, Dane County has a high burden of 242 cases per 100,000 residents, and a growing trajectory in the number of cases from the most recent 7-day period compared to the prior 7-day period. This puts us at a high activity level. We want to reduce our activity level in order to better control the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison – Public Health Madison & Dane County and a link back to the original post.

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