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| Wisconsin’s Best Weather Month As summer comes to a close, we can look forward to beautiful September weather, fewer bugs, and the completion of the many road construction projects that have been snarling up or even closing our roads and sidewalks. School is starting for MCPASD students, so it’s especially important to have safe routes to school reopened now for kids and their families. September also is “Hunger Action Month.” WayForward Resources will be using this month to raise awareness about food insecurity and to collect at least 25,000 pounds of food for their pantry. Please consider hosting a food drive at your workplace, school, organization, or book club. WayForward’s website has many creative ideas for participating in hunger action this month and sharing your story on social media. As always, donations of food or cash to WayForward benefit our neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. This month I’ll be speaking at Middleton Glen on September 12. I’ve also been invited to attend the summer social gathering of my neighbors to the south in the Ridges of Pheasant Branch on September 25. I’ll be at the Chief’s Chat with Middleton Police Chief Steven Thompsonon September 16 at 5 pm in the first floor conference room at Middleton Public Library. Chief Thompson will share information about public safety and law enforcement and will listen to residents’ questions and concerns. The following week, I’ll be giving blood at the city’s Red Cross Blood Drive on September 22 from 11 am to 5 pm at City Hall. If you’re interested in donating blood, sign up for a spot by calling the Red Cross at 1-800-REDCROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code “MiddletonWI.” The month will end with the kickoff of Middleton’s second annual observation of “Week Without Driving,” which runs from September 29 through October 5. Week Without Driving is a national campaign to call attention to the significant barriers faced by nondrivers living in our car-centric society. I encourage all readers to try to spend some time that week experiencing our city as a pedestrian, cyclist, or transit rider. I did this last year and I learned a lot about how our communities are built to prioritize mobility for cars and other vehicles over the safety of pedestrians and bikes. I hope Middleton will gradually shift this prioritization as the city implements our Complete Streets policy. Learn more about Week Without Driving on the website created by America Walks and Disability Rights Washington. Council Supports Community Campus Idea On August 13, Council held a Committee of the Whole, or COW, meeting for the primary purpose of discussing the Community Campus Project. (COW meetings are different from Council meetings because, at COW meetings, Council members discuss items but we don’t take any formal action. Also, the Council President presides over the COW meetings instead of the mayor.) At the meeting, we took an important step forward by all expressing our support for continuing with a campus project of some kind. The specifics of that project and the cost still need to be worked out, but the mayor and all seven Council members present agreed that our City Hall, Library, and Senior Center aren’t meeting the needs of our growing city and they need to be replaced or expanded and improved. Another area of agreement was with regard to the cost of the entire project. We generally agreed that the costs need to be reined in to reduce the impact on property taxes. The round number of $100 million got some traction as a hard cap for the project, including building construction/remodeling, parking facilities, project management and oversight, and other “soft” costs like furnishings. That would come to roughly $33 million per building, which is somewhat comparable to other recent municipal building projects in Dane County. For example, Sun Prairie’s library expansion, which is underway now, will cost $26 million. McFarland’s Public Safety Center cost $20 million when it was built in 2023. As a potential cost-cutting measure, there was some support among Council members at the COW meeting for preserving our existing library building — either for expanding into a larger library or remodeling it to be the new Senior Center. The new buildings in Sun Prairie and McFarland are designed to very high energy efficiency and clean energy standards. McFarland’s Public Safety Center is actually the first net-zero public safety building in Wisconsin. Sun Prairie’s library has geothermal, solar panels, batteries, and a microgrid so they’ll be able to continue operating even in the event of a power outage. The building will be one of the state’s first community resiliency centers. I feel strongly that we should follow these examples in Middleton — the state’s first LEED Gold-certified city. Although there was widespread agreement on continuing with a project, Council members had different ideas about what the public engagement process should look like. Some members thought we should hold “listening sessions” to ask people which option they would prefer, including the no-action option of making do with the existing buildings. Others thought Council should settle on one or two options to explore and hold “public information sessions” to help explain to people why we need improved facilities and what we’re doing to lessen the tax burden. I’m in the latter group. As a Council member, I regard it as my job to help constituents understand the reasons behind Council’s spending decisions, whether it’s our annual $4+ million borrowing for capital projects or a much larger amount for a major facilities project that will benefit many generations of Middleton residents. Council will continue to discuss the project in the coming months to refine the concept designs, reduce costs, and identify strategies for lessening the tax burden. I expect us to hold at least two more COW meetings on the campus project before we can settle on a more specific concept or two to share with the public for consideration. We also need to decide how, how often, and through what means we’ll engage the public in our decision making. This is by far the most important capital project for the city right now and it will be the largest project Middleton has ever undertaken. We need to take the time to understand all the options, impacts, and tradeoffs so we can make the best decision possible for the city and its people. Middleton Public Lands Middleton’s Parks and Recreation Department is working on several large projects this month. At Lakeview Park, they’re replacing the tennis courts with two new courts as well as six new pickleball courts. There will be bike parking and viewing areas, plus everything will be ADA compliant. The construction project encountered some problems with the soil, so it’s going to take more time than originally expected. (Soil issues are common here in Middleton.) Construction is anticipated to wrap up in the spring of 2026. Over at Parisi Park, after a years-long process to plan park improvements, design a new shelter, seek input from the public, and solicit bids, the shelter at the park will finally be replaced. In addition to having an open-air gathering space, the new shelter will include include three year-round public restrooms — something that can be very important for anyone who uses the creek corridor trail between Branch Avenue and Parmenter Street. Funding for the structure will come from the city’s park development special revenue fund, which is money we collect from developers of new housing. In addition to construction projects, the Parks and Recreation Department is also working on an update to the city’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, or CORP. This five-year plan is a guide for improving the city’s parks, trails, and other recreation facilities. An updated CORP for 2026-2030 isn’t just important for providing guidance on our parks and other recreation infrastructure. It’s necessary if we want to be eligible to apply for state and federal grants related to parks and recreation. The city hired Parkitecture + Planning to develop the CORP. The process will begin this month with a kick-off meeting with staff and site visits, followed by community outreach in October and November. The public engagement activities could include in-person listening sessions, Zoom meetings, and an online survey. The draft plan will be reviewed by city committees in the spring, with the goal of Council adopting the final plan in May 2026. I’ll report on progress and public input opportunities throughout the process.Included among the parks are the city’s two dog parks — at Penni Klein Park and off of Highway Q. Readers may have seen a recent letter to the editor voicing concerns about the city’s supposed policy change of maintaining a separate area accessible only to small dogs at the park on Highway Q. Parks and Recreation Director Kiley Scherer provided Council members the following clarification regarding this practice: “The small dog area at the dog park is designated for dogs under 18 inches tall at the shoulder, a policy consistent with dog park guidelines throughout Dane County parks….The policy has not changed. We recently received reports that the City’s posted signage in this area was removed without authorization. This act of vandalism has unfortunately caused confusion, and we understand the frustration that resulted. The signage has since been replaced to reflect the long-standing policy.”   Whether you have big dogs or little dogs, if you’re eager to see improvements to our two dog parks — and if you’d like to see more dog parks in Middleton, perhaps even smaller neighborhood dog parks — the community outreach events for the CORP will be a great opportunity to share your suggestions for making our dog parks the very best they can be for our furry friends. Note that, in some municipalities, the CORP addresses conservancy lands in addition to parks, trails, and other recreation facilities. In Middleton, that isn’t the case. Our conservancy lands, of course, are a very important part of outdoor recreation for many residents and visitors. For this reason, we have a standalone Conservancy Lands Plan to guide decision-making and investments in our conservancies. Speaking of conservancies, the Graber Pond Conservancy Master Plan is working its way forward slowly but surely. Adaptive Restoration, our consultant, is incorporating comments received from the Water Resources Management Commission, Misty Valley Neighborhood Association, Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, and the public (including my own written comments). It is expected that the Conservancy Lands Commission will approve the revised plan at its meeting later this month, after which it will go to Council for adoption. The 2026 budget process is already underway, and I’ll be lobbying for sufficient funding next year and over a 10-year period to make sure the city implements the new master plan. The city will be hosting its first stewardship activity for Graber Pond volunteers this Wednesday, September 3, from 5:30 to 7 pm. Volunteers will gather at the intersection of Misty Valley Road and the path to collect seeds and manage weeds. I’m very excited about this event and hope to see a lot of people there. I plan to use what I learn to start improving the Pheasant Branch Ridge Greenway right here in my own neighborhood. According to Kevin Short, the city’s Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for Field Services, the Misty Valley event will happen rain or shine, unless there’s a thunderstorm. Kevin advises dressing for the weather and bringing clippers and gloves, if you have them. (Bug spray might be a good thing to have, too.) Public Works and Outreach As I have previously mentioned, this summer the city has had a number of major road construction projects going on. Parmenter Street reconstruction has that street closed to everything except local traffic. The latest news from the city is that the project is on schedule and is expected to be completed in October. Also in or near District 6, Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill Court and Knoll Court are being resurfaced, with paving planned for tomorrow, September 2. In addition, city crews recently paved High Road to smooth the ride and address damage to the road caused by the large number of heavy earth-moving trucks that have been getting the former Ziegler farm ready to be transformed into the new Pheasant Crossing neighborhood. A resident alerted me to the High Road path being closed even after the road work was completed. I asked the Public Works Director to try to make sure the path will be open before the start of school tomorrow since this is such an important part of the pedestrian and bike infrastructure for kids going to and from school. As of Sunday evening, the “sidewalk closed” signs had been removed (see image below). I was disappointed to see that the poorly patched segment of pavement at the bottom of the hill north of Spring Hill Drive hadn’t been addressed. I’m guessing this is because the developer still has utility work to perform in that area. I have reached out to Public Works to confirm this.  Outside of District 6, the Franklin Street reconstruction project wrapped up just in time for the Good Neighbor Festival and the always popular parade last weekend. The intersection of Century and Allen continued to cause traffic headaches during August for commuters who hadn’t yet found a good alternate route. As of last Friday, all the physical construction work was done and all lanes were finally opened. Unfortunately, and not related, a water main failed under Century Avenue between Tomahawk Trail and Baskerville Avenue, so there may be continuing delays in that area until the city can finish repairs (expected to happen on Wednesday). Back on Allen, the sidewalks and the extension of the Allen Boulevard multi-purpose path are now available for use. The last step of the Century/Allen project is to install and program the new traffic signals. Right now, the temporary signals remain in place, but the new ones should be up and running on Friday, September 5. The Public Works Committee held a public information session on Monday, August 24, to hear what people think about the city’s outreach related to construction projects this summer. The session was requested by my colleague Alder Charles Myers of District 5. At the meeting, he read an email from Ellen Carlson, Executive Director of WayForward Resources, who shared the non-profit’s experience trying to remain open to clients even as last-minute changes to the Parmenter Street reconstruction project disrupted utility service and blocked entrances to WayForward’s parking lot. The committee scheduled this session after I sent my August newsletter, so I wasn’t able to publicize it. But if you have ideas to share, please email Ben John, our Public Works Director, and copy me. We’ll make sure your input is passed on to the Public Works Committee for further discussion on ways to improve communications related to road projects. Quick Budget Update This month we’ll get the first look at the 2026 operations and capital projects budget requests from the city’s departments. The requests for operating and capital projects budgets should be available on the city’s budget webpage on September 19 along with the “Executive Budget” developed by the city administrator, finance director, and mayor. This timing will give the Finance and Personnel Committee plenty of time to review these documents before we meet with department heads at our budget working meeting on September 30. This is a shift in how we’ve done things in the past. I requested the change and I think it’ll be a big improvement. Previously, the Finance and Personnel Committee would meet with the department heads to discuss their original budget requests, but there’d be no deliberation. Then, the city administrator and finance director would prepare the Executive Budget recommending reductions in the departmental requests. By changing the sequencing, we’ll be able to talk to department heads about their budget requests after changes have been proposed. This will give them an opportunity to advocate for important items that the Executive Budget recommends cutting, such as new positions or capital projects. In this way, the Finance and Personnel Committee will have better information on what the city’s priorities need to be in 2026 and what our options are for funding them. I’ll have much more information to share about the 2026 proposed budget in the next edition of E-News on 6. Thank you! Thank you for reading “E-News on 6.” If you’d like to read past editions, an archive is available here. Feel free to email me or call/text me at 608.630.7500 if you need help with a city matter, want to relay your thoughts on an issue, or have questions about city decisions and my votes. I try to respond within two business days, but sometimes it takes longer. I’m not active on social media, so the best way to reach out to me about anything official is by phone or using my district email. If you find this newsletter helpful, I hope you’ll share it with friends, family, and neighbors who live anywhere in Middleton. Just please make sure to ask them not to unsubscribe you and not to report this email as spam. Thanks! Not receiving this free e-newsletter directly? Sign up here. Important Stuff to Know I produce this newsletter all on my own, at my own initiative, to help District 6 residents stay informed. This is not an official city publication, I don’t speak for the city, and producing this newsletter isn’t one of my official responsibilities as a member of the Common Council. If you’d like to reproduce or create new content from this material, please ask me first and make sure to cite the source. Image credits: – Fredo and Daisy at the Highway Q Dog Park: Ed Janairo – High Road path: Ed Janairo |