Arboretum Neighborhood Association

October 31, 2023

BOO!  I only come with Treats, no Tricks today. 

I have gotten a flurry of public notices to share with you all so here goes:

MADISON METRO NEW BUS RAPID TRANSIT LINE PROPOSAL

Madison Metro would like to invite you to attend one of their upcoming BRT North/South Public meetings. These meetings are a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the proposed second BRT line that will connect the North side of Madison with Fitchburg. All in-person meetings will have interpreters for Spanish speakers.

For more information you can visit their website at:  https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/routes-schedules/bus-rapid-transit/north-south-brt-line

Meeting dates are as follows: 

·       South Side Wednesday, November 1 5:30pm – 7:30pm Urban League (2222 S. Park Street)

·       North Side Thursday, November 2 5:30pm – 7:30pm Warner Park Community Center (1625 Northport Dr.)

·       Fitchburg Thursday, November 9 5:30pm – 7:30pm MainStay Suites (5421 Caddis Bend)

·       Virtual meeting Wednesday, November 8 6:30pm – 7:30pm Register and receive meeting link at madisonbrt.com

INVITATION TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WORKING WITH REFUGEES

Become a Welcomer! The global humanitarian organization Alight will be hosting in person events in Madison and Milwaukee November 6-9 to share information about volunteer opportunities to welcome refugee newcomers. Attend an event to learn more about how you can join this growing movement of welcomers!  Learn more and RSVP here, or reach out to AidanJ@wearealight.org with questions. Event dates and locations include: (Click here to view the event flyer)

November 6
5:30 pm  @ UW Morgridge Center (Red Gym), Madison
November 7
10:30 am @ Cambridge Market Cafe, Cambridge
5:30 pm@ Turning Tables Tavern and Eatery, Milwaukee
November 8
10:00 am @ DreamBank, Madison
5:30 pm: @ Goodman Community Center, Madison
November 9
10:00 am @ Grace Coffee Co, Middleton
1:30 pm @ Collectivo Coffee-On the Square, Madison

5:30 pm @ Delta Beer Lab, Madison

UPCOMING LISTENING SESSION RE: CITY STORMWATER VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Please spread the word and join the Stormwater Utility for a public listening session as part of development of the Stormwater Vegetation Management Plan. There are three opportunities to attend these listening sessions, with two in-person listening sessions and one online listening session.  

These listening sessions are intended to solicit feedback on big picture questions regarding vegetation goals and maintenance on existing stormwater utility land. These sessions will be interactive, with live polling on big picture questions, image mapping, and opportunities to identify what is working well, in addition to hearing any concerns you might have.

• East Side: November 1, 2023 at Hawthorne Library at 5:00 PM located at 2707 E Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53704. Please register for this meeting at this link on Eventbrite so we can make sure we have enough chairs and tables. There is no fee or ticket required to attend.
• West Side: November 20, 2023 at Sequoya Library at 6:00 PM located at 4340 Tokay Blvd., Madison, WI 53711. Please register for this meeting at this link on Eventbrite so we can make sure we have enough chairs and tables. There is no fee or ticket required to attend.
• Online Option: November 28, 2023 at 5:30 pm on Zoom. Registration is required prior to the Zoom meeting, please register for the Zoom meeting using this link: Nov. 28, 2023 Public Information Virtual Meeting Registration

Note: We will not discuss plans for specific projects at this meeting, but rather focus on big picture vegetation goals. Individual projects related to reconstruction that include vegetation changes have separate public information meetings and engagement processes outside of this plan for maintenance of existing vegetation.

WISCONSIN POLICY FORUM ANNUAL CITY BUDGET BRIEFING

ANA Board Member Tyler Byrnes is a research staff member with Wisconsin Policy Forum.  We wanted to be sure to connect the neighborhood with the valuable information this organization has to share with the public (and how lucky are we to have an inside track to their efforts?!).  Every year they provide their Budget Brief which “details the city’s financial strengths and challenges and how they play out in the 2023 city budget. The hope is to provide greater clarity about Madison’s current and future fiscal outlook as the city’s leaders and the public consider the city’s tax and spending plans for the year ahead.”  The full brief can be found here:  Budget Brief

And just for fun:  Share These Fun Halloween Facts During Spooky Season

Watch out for kiddos tonight!  Suggested trick or treating hours are from 4-8pm.

September 20, 2023

You lucky ducks get TWO emails this week!  We have a few pieces of news and updates to share:

ANA Biannual General Meeting Wed. Oct. 4th 7-9pm

Due to the need for AV equipment, and seasonal temperatures, we have decided to move the neighborhood wide meeting back to the UW Arboretum Visitor Center.  Meeting details as follows:

    Please join us for a public informational meeting regarding neighborhood issues.

    When: Wednesday Oct. 4, 2023 from 7pm – 9pm

    Where: U.W. Madison Arboretum Visitor Center Auditorium, 2880 Longenecker Drive Madison, WI 53711

    Agenda: (order of speakers to be determined)

    -Michael Hansen, UW Arboretum land care manager, Q & A regarding nature management in the Arboretum (Spongy Moth and Jumping Worm management, Seasonal deer control program, new land use developments/plans)

    -Sarah Grimalkin, City of Madison Parks, presentation of recent soil testing results in Harvey Schmidt and Fraust Parks and implications on next steps for rehabilitation plans.

    -Tag Evers, District 13 Alderperson, open Q & A with District 13 constituents about current local issues

    *Our fourth speaker is still to be confirmed but we have reached out to several options:  City of Madison Housing Authority regarding funding available to former Town of Madison homeowners for small home improvements through Project Home, The UW Madison Police department about offering an open Q & A, and Clean Lakes Alliance about best fall/winter seasonal property practices for our lakes.  If anyone has any other requests for speakers please let us know as at present no one has been confirmed.

    -Open Q&A session with fellow residents and ANA Board members regarding any and all other neighborhood concerns as time allows

    Please reach out to ANA secretary Alison Stawicki at juliet_as@yahoo.com or any ANA Board member with any questions or concerns you would like addressed if unable to attend meeting.

Neighborhood pumpkin carving day!  Sunday Oct. 15th  2:30-4:30pmLet’s have a little fun and get the neighborhood festive for Halloween!  Bring a pumpkin, bring carving tools, bring a cozy scarf!  Meet up at the shelter in Fraust Park and let’s get “spooky!”  I will be able to have a small stash of pumpkins on hand along with carving tools but please bring your own if possible.  The Board will also be providing a “hot chocolate bar” to make your own special creation to warm up with.  And hey if the kiddos want an excuse to wear their costumes a week early, why not!
Upcoming roadside tree care
The City’s Urban Forestry team has been busy evaluating our neighborhood Terrace trees.  The Terrace is the area between the edge of the street and where a property line starts.  For more detail about how the City defines this please follow this LINK.  Quoting the forestry department, they “

identified 22 mature ash [trees] for treatment.  These trees were immediately incorporated into our City-wide ash treatment program and will be treated on 3-year intervals going forward.  A focus of our program continues to be supporting large canopy trees and the benefits they provide.  Staff also identified 29 trees with advanced decline or poor structure that we will be scheduling for removal.  The sites of all removed trees will be evaluated for replanting.  Our goal is to plant the largest canopy species that is appropriate for the site while accounting for local species diversity.”  The trees to be removed will have a yellow dot spray painted on the trunk.  Tree removal is scheduled to begin any day now for the remainder of the fall.  Stumps will be removed as well.  Places where replantings are tentatively planned will have a “T” spray painted on the road in green.  The replantings are scheduled for Fall of 2024.  Again quoting the forestry department, “I am currently in the process of planning tree locations and species selection for the replacements, and will gladly share my replacement plans with the neighborhood as it comes together. We have a select list of approved street trees that we can plant within the City right-of-way. When I select which tree will go where, I’m primarily looking for increasing species diversity and which tree will thrive in that location. There will likely be no maple, and minimal oak plantings because of the high population of maple in the City already, and the large oak population in the general arboretum area. I generally lean towards native trees for replacement trees.”Odds and ends

Recently the Wingra Proper Watershed study gave an update on their work.  The presentation was recorded and can be accessed HERE.

Have you visited the fruit trees in Harvey Schmidt Park lately?  There are alot of edible options in good picking shape that are coming in to full ripeness now.  Take a stroll and bring home some treats!

Lastly free Covid-19 rapid tests are being made available again for home delivery starting September 25th.  To learn more read 

HERE.  No word yet on community vaccine clinics for the new fall 2023 Covid vaccine.  Large chain pharmacies began taking appointments this week.

Have a great weekend!