Arboretum Neighborhood Association

It’s time again for a neighborhood wide general meeting of the Arboretum Neighborhood Association.  This meeting carries “heavier weight” shall we say than usual as the primary focus will be further discussion about the possible transition to City public water for our area and dissolution of the Lake Forest Water Co op.  This is a complicated topic and those in attendance at the Lake Forest Water Co op meeting on Oct. 30th witnessed how chaotic a meeting discussing this top can get given the strong feelings many of our residents are experiencing related to this.  For this reason the ANA Board is asking that we approach this meeting with much more strict organization than in the past.  Please thoroughly read this email and all attachments/links to ensure you are prepared adequately for participation.

Who Should Come To This Meeting?

1.  I live in Forest Park (ie “up the hill”) and have a private well that has nothing to do with the Lake Forest Water Co op.  Why should this meeting matter to me?  The proposal to connect to City public water will not affect the private wells utilized in Forest Park.  Nor will Forest Park residents be impacted by any associated expenses.  The proposed construction options will impact everyone in regards to traffic flow and overall environmental impact.  This is also an opportunity to explore the “what if’s” should anyone have questions about opting to shut down their private well in Forest Park and connect to City water in the future.

2.  Will this meeting include a vote by members of the Lake Forest Water Co op pertaining to any imminent changes as was part of the meeting on Oct. 30th?  NO.  This meeting is purely an informational follow up to the many questions and concerns raised at the Oct. 30th meeting.  There will be no voting nor any discussion pertaining to the overall administration of the Lake Forest Water Co op.  The Lake Forest Water Co op will have meetings again in 2025 that focus on these matters.

3.  I am a renter and not a property owner in the neighborhood.  Lake Forest Water Co op matters seem to be for property owners only.  Should I come to this meeting?  YES.  As a resident of this neighborhood the changes being proposed directly impact your daily life including the water you drink, the construction on the land that your home exists on, the environmental impacts to the area surrounding your home, as well as the roadways you drive on.  Meetings that involve voting on changes are directed to property owners only.  This meeting will have no voting component.

Meeting Details

When: Monday Nov. 18th from 6pm – 8pm

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

Agenda: 

-Michael Hansen, UW Arboretum land care manager, Seasonal updates and Q & A regarding nature management in the Arboretum

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

-Brent Valentine, Lake Forest Water Co op Board Of Directors, in tandem with ANA Board Of Directors, Updates regarding questions and concerns raised at Oct. 30th meeting

-Pete Holmgren, Madison Water Utility Engineer, presentation and Q & A of proposal to connect to Madison Water Utility and dissolve the Lake Forest Water Co op

-Open Q&A session with fellow neighbors, ANA Board members, and representatives from Lake Forest Water Co op regarding any and all other neighborhood concerns as time allows

How To Participate

1.  Please review the Lake Forest Water Co op website at http://www.lakeforestwater.org/ for more background information about this proposal.

2.  Everyone must review these THREE documents: http://lakeforestwater.org/SiteFiles/MWU_FAQ.pdf, https://pdf.ac/46vu4D, https://pdf.ac/1ruPHb.  These documents can also be found on the water co op website listed above. The first two documents contain many frequently asked questions and their answers.  The third document contains the meeting minutes from the Lake Forest Water Co op meeting on Oct. 30th. Please ensure that the questions you may have are not already answered within these documents.

3.  All questions MUST be submitted to myself BEFORE the meeting.  This is being done in the spirit of keeping the meeting on track and ON TOPIC and to not repeat some of the inefficiencies experienced at the Lake Forest Water Co op meeting on Oct. 30th.  If your submitted question can be answered by the information in the attachments, the Board will respond to you privately and direct you to that information and thus not be presented at the meeting.  Only IF time allows at the end of the meeting will open questions regarding the proposal to transition to City water be welcomed. Please prepare accordingly and submit your questions ahead of time.

4. Brief open questions specific to items from Mike Hansen’s (from the Arboretum) and Tag Evers’ (from City Council) presentations will be welcomed at the end of their specific allotted presentation time.

5. There is not an option to attend the meeting remotely.  I will provide a summary as per usual in the week after.

Please send specific questions you would like addressed to ANA secretary Alison Stawicki at juliet_as@yahoo.com to allow our speakers advanced time to research any answers requiring further clarity