A quick round up . . . may need to do another tomorrow once I sort through more emails!
Mo’ Meetings
This one is always late . . .
Meeting: Madison Police Department Policy & Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 6:30pm
Location: Madison Municipal Building
215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Room 215 Madison, WI 53703
Meeting: Notice of Possible Quorum of City of Madison Committee(s)
Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 2:30pm
Location: Traffic Engineering/Parking Division 1210 Sayle St Madison, WI 53715
SEED EXCHANGE
Thursday, March 14th Seed Exchange
6:15 – 7:30 pm
Lakeview Library, 2845 North Sherman Avenue
Bring seeds that you have purchased or saved. If you don’t have seeds, you can bring a snack like cookies or chips, or just bring yourself. There will be plenty of extra seeds to take home. Free and open to everyone. Sponsored by Madison Area Permaculture Guild and the Sustainable Gardening Club.
What Madison can do to support the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women
Will be discussed on Thursday March 14th 6:30pm at the Madison Central Library 201 W. Mifflin in Room 104. Sponsored by the Peregrine Forum as an International Women’s Month Program. A full description of the program is provided below. 608-284-9082
The United Nations Association of Dane County is leading a campaign in to get the Madison City Council to adopt a resolution reflecting the principles of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women. It is generally referred to as CEDAW. CEDAW is a treaty that focuses on women’s rights and women’s issues worldwide. It is both an international bill of rights for women and an agenda for action. Originally adopted by the UN in 1979, 185 of the 193 member nations have ratified it. Conspicuously absent is the United States, which has never done so. That puts us in the company of Iran, Somalia and the Sudan.
Getting individual cities to adopt the principles of CEDAW has been an increasingly popular strategy since 1998 when San Francisco became the first city in the US to adopt the principles of CEDAW. This strategy emerged because the US Senate, despite debating CEDAW five times, has never ratified the treaty, which President Jimmy Carter signed in 1980. Without being ratified, the treaty is not binding on or in the US. So far, 40 cities have adopted resolutions reflecting the principles of CEDAW. UNA Dane County wants Madison to become the 41st.
The direct action campaign involves circulating petitions in support of the adoption of a resolution by the Madison City Council, drafting the resolution, and filling the galleries of the council chamber while the resolution is being considered.
Presenter: Mary Yeater Rathbun, President, UNA Dane County
PFAS at Water Utility Board tonight!
This alert is from Saturday . . .
Hot off the presses, see the breaking story in WSJ about the PFAS oozing from Truax ANG (including a helpful sidebar, “What are PFAS“).
PFAS is on the Water Utility Board’s agenda this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 4:30pm at the Water Utility (119 E. Olin).
The agenda is here. Two proposed plans following from recommendations at the Feb. 5 meeting (see minutes for that meeting here) will be discussed –Item #4:
1. PFAS monitoring plan: https://madison.legistar.com/
2. Contingency plan to shut down Well 15 & 16: https://madison.legistar.com/
We support the Water Utility staff’s recommendation of Option #3 in the “PFAS Monitoring plan.” As for #2, we didn’t recommend shutting down any wells at this point without more comprehensive PFAS data from all the wells, which we will have if the PFAS monitoring plan is approved. We expect it will be.
We plan to attend and support this plan and also comment on some related issues during the public comment period.
Please attend and comment on these two plans–or in the general public comment period if you have something else to say about PFAS or other water quality issues!! You can also email comments to: <water@madisonwater.org>
Please feel free to share this with anyone else you think might be interested.
Move to Amend Lobbying Day Today
Every day, more than 90 Americans are killed by gun violence. Hundred more are injured. Gun manufactures via the NRA spent over $55 million dollars in the 2016 election cycle, using their purse strings to control the puppet strings of politicians. Tuesday, you have a great opportunity to tell lawmakers what you think about our gun policies and money in politics. Please meet this Tuesday at the First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave, Madison, sometime between 8:45 AM – 2 PM. During the morning, Moms Demand Action will provide training to get you ready to talk to legislators. You’ll be with an experienced Moms Demand Action member for all legislator meetings, which will occur in the afternoon. For more information on Facebook visit https://www.facebook.
When talking to legislators, be sure to ask them to support a statewide vote on Citizens United. Our state level resolutions are currently designated as LRB-1201/2 (Assembly) and LRB-1397/2 (Senate). For contact information, see our State Reps Spreadsheet.
Seven recent polls indicate that government corruption is the top issue facing America. Multiple polls show over 90% of Americans, regardless of party, think special interest money has too much influence in American political campaigns.
Here in Wisconsin, 144 communities have called for an amendment that would clarify that only real people should have inalienable rights and that money is not the same thing as free speech. That’s 55% of Wisconsinites and on average the referenda pass with an 80% approval. Nationwide, 19 state legislatures and 800 communities have called for an amendment.
We hope to see you Tuesday. If you have any questions or comments, just reply to this email. Thank you for your activism!
Jim Crist and George Penn, Co-Chairs, United To Amend
P.S. And please support our work with a donation. Just click here.
Isthmus Flood Prevention Coalition
Hello Neighbors,
Friends,
- Mon. Feb. 25 = Draft Recommendations from our Coalition circulated for neighbors’ review. Stay tuned!
- Wed. Feb. 27 = Neighborhood meeting to discuss Draft Recommendations (see details below)
- Thurs. Feb. 28 = Final Recommendations confirmed and circulated to neighbors
- March 1 – 5 = Neighbors contact Dane County supervisors supporting the Recommendations and/or providing your own concerns/feedback on flooding
- March 5 = Attend public hearing of the Task Force (5:00 PM Lyman F Anderson Ag & Conservation Center -5201 Fen Oak Drive – Room A/B Madison WI 53718)
- April = Dane County Yahara Chain of Lakes Task Force final recommendations for flood prevention policies and actions will be released
MNA Green Spaces and Trees Committees
Green Spaces & Trees Committee
Tuesday, 3/16, 5:30
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center
953 Jenifer at Brearly (enter on Brearly)
AGENDA
1. Report on the Mayoral Candidate’s topics letter and responses.
2. We will expand on our ideas and efforts that we named last month along with others for the projects and tasks we wish to undertake this coming year.
Brief report on the Mayoral Candidates letter and responses.
Last month in the meeting and following, we identified a priority project and carried it out. We prepared a series of points to ask the mayoral candidates about their positions on a few pointed topics that have significant impact on street trees and on addressing flooding concerns. Thank you Stephen, John, Anne, Audrey and Jack for your help.
We heard from the four leading candidates, and their responses were published on several neighborhood listservs and several neighborhood Facebook pages and group.
We got many favorable comments from each of the candidate’s teams and from readers for clarifying issues on the topics and for sharing the candidates responses.
I hope to see you next Tuesday, and please share this with friends and encourage them to participate.
Thanks.
Gary Tipler
Chair, Green Spaces & Trees Committee
Marquette Neighborhood Association
Mifflandia Samosa Party
As you may know, the City of Madison’s West Washington – West Mifflin (Mifflandia) Special Area Plan community planning process is underway. The plan will analyze opportunities within a small area centered upon the 400-500 blocks of West Mifflin Street and West Washington Avenue. The Downtown Plan (adopted in 2012) established a vision for the future transformation of this area, and recommended a more detailed plan for the future.
To accomplish this, City Planning staff is utilizing a public engagement strategy called “Mifflandia” to interact with students, residents, businesses, property owners, and other stakeholders. “Mifflandia” uses a lighthearted name to engage people who may not normally be interested in urban planning, and utilizes unique techniques reach a wide audience.
The result of this engagement will be the development of plan recommendations for more detailed design standards and implementation strategies for the planning areas. This plan will also address land use, preservation, redevelopment opportunities, building and streetscape design, open space, activity nodes and connectivity to the abutting neighborhoods.
The first public meeting and plan kickoff occurred on October 29. Please join us for the second Mifflandia Plan Public Meeting, also billed as a Mifflandia Plan Samosa Party, on Monday, March 4, at the Madison Senior Center, 330 West Mifflin Street. An open house will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 7:00 p.m. presentation by City staff.
City planning staff has prepared some draft plan alternatives and recommendations based off the more general recommendations from the 2012 Downtown Plan for discussion and review. Samosas, tea and mango lassi from Maharani Indian Restaurant, our West Washington Avenue neighbor, will be served during the meeting.
Please consider completing the first public engagement online survey if you have not previously done so. The survey is available here.
You may review past information and data resources, as well as sign up for further plan updates, on the project website.
Second Public Meeting
Monday, March 4, 2019
Madison Senior Center – 330 West Mifflin Street
Meeting Itinerary:
6:30 p.m. Open House
7:00 p.m. City Staff Presentation
