VNA Council Minutes
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Term Ending 2022 Term Ending 2023
Sarah Bahauddin - President Rachel Bennett - Treasurer
Ben Blitz Regan Botsford - Secretary
Bonnie Gruber Doug Carlson
Pat Scheckel Wendy Fernside
Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 7:02
Minutes from the meeting on February 23 unanimously approved.
Announcements:
Join the listserv: send an email to Join the listserv: send an email to VilasNA+subscribe@groups.io
Website: https://www.vilasneighborhood.com/
Donations: (Dues no longer required for membership): https://www.vilasneighborhood.com/take-action
Madison Police Department Update: Police Officer Hunter Lisko shared that the Department is focused on reckless driving and shots fired. The Department is doing specific deterrents and reinforcements which means more traffic spots at Mineral Point Road. Lots of work on shots fired incidents and keeping citizens apprised on what is going on.
Burglary Crimes Unit update: The detectives on the squad are always happy to be of service should anyone have questions about trends, questions or prevention strategy recommendations.
Wendy asked about recent trash can thefts, garage thefts. Officer Lisko noted that thefts from auto- leaving cars unlocked, leaving garages open is very common. Vehicle related thefts are always occuring in the neighborhood. Generally safe otherwise. Officer Lisko can be reached via email hlisko@cityofmadison.com.
Alder Tag Evers Update: There’s been some concern about homelessness and an increase of panhandling in front of Trader Joe’s.
Officer Lisko shared that it was also noted that there’s a known woman going door to door and the police recently took a multidisciplinary approach to handling the situation and it went well. They were able to get her connected with longer term mental health support.
She was in a stable support situation and may be around again. She is on the police radar screen.
The goal is to offer support and educate on services available. The police are working hard to direct appropriately when working with individuals experiencing mental health challenges.
The police, community development staff and city officials are coming together to provide support services. It’s a multi-disciplinary approach.
If this woman knocks on your door, a safe place to point her to is the Salvation Army Women’s Shelter https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/danecounty/shelter/
In general, there’s a pattern to where individuals will panhandle. If you see a situation where support could be provided, please reach out to the non-emergency police line at (608) 255-2345. It’s a great time for the police to dovetail with other services.
Sarah shared that she had tires dumped behind her garage recently. She called the non-emergency line and the situation was handled very well.
Progress on Annie C. Stewart Fountain: There’s an RFP to survey the community and fine-tune options available so there can be some quality decision making taking place. The long term goal is to figure out what to do: How much to restore? Should we move indoors? Keep it where it is? Move to somewhere in Vilas Park? (https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/annie-c-stewart-fountain-conservation-preservation-plan)
Alder Evers is actively working with city staff to come up with an aggressive strategy to figure out bottlenecks to get more affordable housing in the city.
There’s been a series of meetings with city staff and he’s hopeful that they will be able to influence budget making to provide more affordable housing in the city.
The lighting ordinance in the city would require that any light bulb that is 60W or more be shielded or cut off so there’s no spill over or glare.
This is a common complaint that Alder Evers gets from homeowners.
He noted that replacing the bulbs would be the easiest strategy.
Lake Wingra Heritage Plan Task Force: This continues to move forward and has three main focuses: water quality, view shed and heritage trail. The task force is focused on preserving the cultural and ecological heritage of the lake.
Transit Network Redesign: There was a recent editorial outlining the city was moving more towards frequency and increased routes. There is frustration for people who have to walk a bit further. The staff are aware and making adjustments at Olin Avenue in Bay Creek which is an issue because of the tenants who live nearby. The goal is to provide equitable transit for individuals.
Tag also noted that the bus route to the zoo has not yet been determined. There have been proposed amendments and some would include routing to the zoo.
More information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/routes-schedules/transit-network-redesign
There is a twelve story project on E. Olin Avenue. Presentation to Bay Creek community. People are generally receptive to this concept. Some individuals have concerns with aesthetics. This project is important because the location is a gateway to Madison.
Concept of a grocery store moving into a mixed-use location along with affordable housing is moving forward but still confidential. More information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/planning/1402-s-park-street/3526/
Alder Evers’ blog/more information can be found here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/council/district13
Social Report: Bethany shared that the book club will meet on March 24. They will discuss The Glass Castle. Sarah will be taking over book club reminders going forward until Bethany is able to return. Rachel will help to monitor the email.
Save the Date: Summer block party will take place on Saturday, June 11th, from 4:00 - 9:30 p.m. on the 1900 block of Jefferson Street.
Neighbors are encouraged to bring a dish to pass (salad or dessert) and any meat they would want to grill. We now get a small keg.
Encouraging neighbors to sign up for Earth Day litter clean up. More information can be found here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/events/earthdaychallenge.cfm
There will be a more informal litter clean up around Lake Wingra in the future shared between the VNA and Friends of Lake Wingra. More information to come soon.
Treasurer’s Report: Rachel shared that we are starting to get membership dues coming in via PayPal or check. Notably, five people have donated in the last week.
Reminder you can find the links here: https://www.vilasneighborhood.com/take-action or https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KFMV52ACUNCBC
Vilas Ink: The next round of articles will be due by the end of May, not be printed/published shortly thereafter.
Roz talked about how Don Stafford did various write ups on homes in the neighborhood previously, and how there’s renewed interest in the history of homes in the area. Roz will encourage neighbors to talk directly to Pat.
The current issue of Vilas Ink, and previous issues can be found here: https://www.vilasneighborhood.com/vilasink
Zoning: Wendy shared that the city is still planning to do the 13 district plans. The district plans will cover smaller areas than the citywide comprehensive plan and incorporate or replace neighborhood plans. There are gaps in the city's current plans and the Plan Commission would like to get the whole city covered in the planning process. The Plan Commission discussed the proposed planning framework in September 2020, July 2021, and December 2021, and will take it up again tomorrow, March 24, 2022.
There’s some question as to how the plan may duplicate existing comprehensive plans- will it have enough information and direction to maintain neighborhood character?
D-13 Alliance Update: Save the date for the Good Neighbor Gathering on September 11, 2022. They are always looking for donations that can be made here: https://dmna.org/GNG2022
JCAC: Recommended approval for the 700 block on Regent Street.
More information can be found here: https://madison.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5350468&GUID=64EF6DC9-3517-4D01-B436-33CE715862D6&Options=&Search=
Zoo Liaison Committee: At the next meeting, Bonnie will encourage bus accessibility and inclusivity.
Meeting adjourned at 7:57.
The next meeting of the VNA will take place on April 27.