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June 5 , 2015
The DMN e-News and an occasional hard copy DMN News are published by the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association (DMNA) on an “as-needed” schedule. The Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association, Inc. has been working to unite neighbors to solve mutual problems and promote fellowship among neighbors since 1973. Our neighborhood is in Madison & Fitchburg.
President & News contact: Mary Mullen, mmullen4337@charter.net 298-0843
Website: http://www.dunnsmarsh.org <http://www.dunnsmarsh.org>
On Facebook: Type Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association into the search box.
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ARTICLES
ACTIVITIES, IN ORDER
1 - Mosaic Action Figures Are Being Installed This Week (Attachments: “1 roundabout mosaics.jpg” & “2 pics kid mosaics recap.jpg”)
2 - Dawley Bike Hub Grand Opening and Celebration of Better Biking in Fitchburg, June 6
3 - Guided Ride on June 6th Highlights Fitchburg Bike Paths and Stormwater Features
(Attachment: “3 map - bike tour.jpg”)
3a - Enjoy SummerTrails Festival at Lake Farm Co. Park on the Cap City Trail, June 6
4 - Ride the Drive, Sunday, June 7
5 - Fitchburg Hosts Bike Week Commuter Station at Bike Roundabout on June 9th
(Attachment: “3 map - bike tour.jpg”)
6 - DMNA Council Meeting, June 11
7 - Save Our Children, Especially Sons, Fundraiser, June 13
8 - Fit2Go Van Coming to Marlborough Park Every Tuesday, June 16-August 18
9 - Verona Road Action Figure Mosaics Dedication To Be Held June 20
10 - All Day Music at Prairie Society, Sunday, June 21
11 - Neighborhood Book Club Discusses Life of Pi June 25
12 - Mad City Vegan Fest - Free and Open to the Public, June 27
OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
13 - Neighbor Dick Robinson Passes (Attachment: “4 ltr Dick Robinson.jpg”)
14 - Take A Giant Step Back in Time, by Dick Robinson
15 - Saga of the Neighborhood Sign Ends Well (Attachment: “5 pics neighborhood sign.jpg”)
16 - Marlborough Park Gets 10 New Trees (Attachment: “6 pics trees.jpg”)
16a - Want Your Own Free Tree?
17- Forest Arises Along Verona Road (Attachment: “6 pics trees.jpg”)
18 - Busy Beltline Statements - Do They Conflict?
19 - Habitat Homes To Populate Renaissance Subdivision
20 - Allied Community Co-Op To Start Buying Club
21- Neighbor Writes Article for Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
MISCELLANEOUS
22- Ticks and Mosquitoes – They´re Back! Time to Pay Attention to Protecting Yourself.
23 - Don’t Move Your Emerald Ash-Borer Wood until October
24 - Watch This Burglary Prevention Video
25 - Low Income Families Can Use FoodShare Benefits at Farmer’s Markets
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ARTICLES (All articles are written by Mary Mullen unless noted otherwise.)
ACTIVITIES, IN ORDER
1 - Mosaic Action Figures Are Being Installed This Week
(Attachments: “1 roundabout mosaics.jpg” & “2 pics kid mosaics recap.jpg”)
The long-awaited action figures that have been turned into mosaics are this very week being installed near the roundabout near MacDonald’s.
It’s been a long haul from initial presentation of the idea in the spring of 2013 to the realization of the mosaics and now their placing on the panels near the roundabout.
The artist, Elizabeth Doyle, was chosen in 2013. A year later, in February of 2014, she held workshops in the neighborhood. Was your child one who got traced at Prairie UU Society, at Second Baptist Church, or the Boys and Girls Club?
Next, in March 2014, kids and adults had a chance to draw and color what they wanted to see inside the action figures.
The artist made a final selection of figures and designs and then set up more workshops where kids and adults could actually place the glass pieces on the tracings. That happened in June and July of 2014. Some were done at Prairie UU Society. Others were fashioned at the Boys and Girls Club.
The original schedule called for installation in the fall of 2014, but you know how construction goes. The installation site wasn’t completed until just this May.
You might want to stop by near MacDonalds to see these fabulous action figures being mortared to the panels facing the roundabout. It looks like the mosaics will all be attached this week, but there’s another step, grouting the spaces between the tiny pieces of glass.
If you want to see what’s going on, drive the Verona frontage road over to MacDonalds to see how the work is progressing.
For photos of the installation work, look at the attachment “1 roundabout mosaics.jpg” For a recap of the whole project, look at the attachment “2 pics kid mosaics recap.jpg.” For larger photos of the project in progress from start to finish, one good place to look is the Facebook page “Verona Road Mosaic Project” https://www.facebook.com/veronaroadmosaic <file://localhost/veronaroadmosaic> . The March 12, 2014 issue of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood e-News also has additional photos in a photo collage. Go to http://dunnsmarsh.blogspot.com/ and find that issue.
A dedication event is scheduled for June 20 at 1:00 p.m.
2 - Dawley Bike Hub Grand Opening and Celebration of Better Biking in Fitchburg, June 6
from Fitchburg
Please join Mayor Steve Arnold on June 6th from 9-10 a.m. for a Ribbon- Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening of the Dawley Bike Hub, 3040 S. Seminole Hwy. This grand opening will include a celebration of the new hub and numerous bicycle improvements that were completed in 2014 as a collaboration of multiple agencies, including:
· Dawley Bike Hub, funding by Fitchburg and PARC
· Cannonall Path and Military Ridge Path, funding by Fitchburg and WisDOT
· Apache Pond Boardwalk connection to Belmar neighborhood, funding by Fitchburg and PARC
· Military Ridge Path Overpass of McKee Road and tunnel under Sprocket Drive, funding by WisDOT and Fitchburg
· Dane County Seminole Mountain Bike Trails, funding by Dane County Parks and CORP
Biking just got better in Fitchburg thanks to the contributions from the City of Fitchburg, Dane County Partners for Area Recreation (PARC), Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), Capitol Off Road Pathfinders (CORP), and Dane County Parks!
There is limited parking available at the Dawley Bike Hub. It’s not too hard to bike over from our neighborhood, but if you want to drive, overflow parking is available on-street in the Pine Ridge neighborhood located to the south on Croix and Arapaho Drive. Walk along the paved path on the west side of Seminole Highway to reach the Hub.
3 - Guided Ride on June 6th Highlights Fitchburg Bike Paths and Stormwater Features
(Attachment: “3 map - bike tour.jpg”)
from Fitchburg
Bring your bikes to the Dawley Bike Hub and join a guided ride from 10:30 a.m.-noon following the Dawley Bike Hub ribbon- cutting celebration. Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area (FCSRA) is sponsoring the guided bike ride from the Dawley Bike Hub to the Summer Trails Festival near Lussier Family Heritage Center, 3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison. Fitchburg’s Environmental Engineer, Rick Eilertson, will guide the biking tour of the Lewis Nine Springs E-Way, highlighting recent bicycle and stormwater improvements and their positive impacts on the Capital Springs State Recreation Area. Visit www.fitchburgwi.gov/stormwater for a map and tour schedule.
3a - Enjoy SummerTrails Festival at Lake Farm Co. Park on the Cap City Trail, June 6
from Madison Audubon
Don’t miss this family friendly, special event to celebrate National Trails Day.
When: June 6, 2015 at 11:00am to 4:00pm
Location: Across from the Lussier Family Heritage Center at Lake Farm County Park (along the Capital City Bike Trail)
Address: 3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison, WI 53711
Led by: Madison Audubon Society, Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area, and Dane County Parks
Cost: $5 per person, $15 per family; Kids 3 and under = FREE!
Kick off your summer along the beautiful Capital City Trail at Summer Trails Festival! This event celebrates National Trails Day (a fee-free day for all Dane County trails) and is a great way to start your summer outdoor adventures!
- Hit the trail and explore one of Dane County's most beautiful parks on a naturalist-guided hike
- Get up-close and personal with a variety of LIVE birds and wildlife, including a peregrine falcon, a turkey vulture, and a variety of reptiles and amphibians
- Enjoy fresh eats from local food carts and wash it down with a craft beer from The Great Dane or a refreshing cold-brewed coffee from Just Coffee Cooperative <http://justcoffee.coop/> (food and beverages sold separate from event cost)
- Find out more about the natural areas in your own backyard by chatting with Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area volunteers and Dane County Parks Service staff
- Create your own birdfeeder from recycled materials and take it home to attract backyard birds
- Younger participants can enjoy our nature-themed story tent, face painting, or get their photo taken with Madison Mallard's mascot, Maynard!
Come and go as you please - and enjoy all that Summer Trails Fest has to offer! Your $5 entry donation directly benefits Madison Audubon Society and Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area <http://www.friendsofcapitalsprings.org/> .
Summer Trails Festival is sponsored by several non-profits and area businesses who work to actively promote outdoor activity and nature education and enjoyment. Beyond the event partners of Madison Audubon <http://madisonaudubon.org/> and Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area <http://www.friendsofcapitalsprings.org/> , Summer Trails Festival is sponsored by Dane County Parks <file://localhost/lwrd/parks> , Wheels for Winners <http://www.wheelsforwinners.org/> , Just Coffee Cooperative <http://justcoffee.coop/> , Fontana Sports Specialties <http://www.fontanasports.com> , the Madison Mallards <http://northwoodsleague.com/madison-mallards/> , the Madison Area Herpetological Society <http://madisonherps.org/> , The Great Dane Pub & Brewery, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District <http://www.madsewer.org/> , Wegner CPAs, Baer Insurance <http://www.baerinsurance.com/wisconsin-illinois/> , Pots-n-Tots Food Cart <http://www.pots-n-tots.com/> , Ich Leibe Dich Gourmet Mac-n-Cheese <http://www.ildmacncheese.com/> , Jay Handy, and Home Savings Bank.
4 - Ride the Drive, Sunday, June 7
from City of Madison
Madison Parks is pleased to bring Ride the Drive, presented by Trek, back for its seventh year! The event on city streets downtown will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Ride the Drive is a community event that turns Madison's signature streets into a public promenade that is open to cyclists, walkers, rollerbladers, and residents out to enjoy car-free streets. Ride the Drive is more than just a bike ride - with music, activities, and fun stopping points along the way - there is something for everyone.
The Ride is 5 miles long and includes John Nolen Drive, Blair Street, East Washington Avenue, two sides of the Square, State Street, West Gilman, North Francis Stree, West Dayton, North Bedford, and Proudfit. All these streets will be car-free. There are activities, entertainment, music and vendors in “villages” on the route. Ride the Drive villages are stopping points along the route that include all kinds of family friendly activities, food, information booths, merchandise tents, art displays, and bouncy houses.
The “villages” are on the Square, in Brittingham Park, Olin Park, and on John Nolen Drive just east of Monona Terrace.
Much more information is available on the City of Madison website at http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/ridethedrive/ <http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/ridethedrive/>
5 - Fitchburg Hosts Bike Week Commuter Station at Bike Roundabout on June 9th
(Attachment: “3 map - bike tour.jpg”)
from Fitchburg
Bike commuters are invited to stop for coffee, food, and a bike tune-up on Tuesday, June 9th from 7-9 a.m. at Fitchburg’s bike commuter station. The commuter station is part of Wisconsin Bike Week events and will be located at the bike path roundabout near the convergence of Capitol City and Badger State Trails and Military Ridge, Cannonball and Southwest bike paths.
There are 2 easy routes from the neighborhood. Take the Cannonball Path to the west past Dunn’s Marsh. Get onto the Cannonball from Seminole Highway or via the bike/ped bridge at Apache Pond. Those on the west side the the neighborhood can ride down the Southwest Commuter Path that parallels Allied Drive, then turn off just before the high bridge. Or go over the high bridge and turn left at the first opportunity to go downhill to the convergence of all the paths.
Mayor Steve Arnold will greet riders before joining the Wisconsin Bike Federation’s Community Ride at 7:15 a.m. to the Capitol Square location of Colectivo Coffee Roasters. In addition to Mayor Arnold, join local community leaders Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and Peter Gray, board chair of the Wisconsin Bike Fed.
This event is sponsored by the City of Fitchburg, Fitchburg Bicycling Advocates, Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, Barriques and Fitchburg Cycles. Many thanks to all of our community sponsors!
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The map shows the June 6 bike tour. The bike roundabout is Stop 2 on that map.]
6 - DMNA Council Meeting, June 11
As usual, the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Council will meet on the second Thursday of the month. This month that’s June 11. Meeting time is 7 pm. Location is Prairie UU Society, 2010 Whenona Drive. Enter the building from the Crawford Drive side.
If you want the Council to discuss an issue, it’s best to let the president know ahead of time, so the agenda can list the topic. Contact President Mary Mullen, (608)298-0843 or mmullen4337@charter.net
The Council welcomes any and all neighborhood residents to our meetings.
7 - Save Our Children, Especially Sons, Fundraiser, June 13
This information is from a poster distributed by the Allied-Dunn’s Marsh Nelighborhood Association (ADMNA), our sister neighborhood association which concentrates most of its efforts on the Allied area, the western part of the neighborhood.
A gala event with a purpose is being held on Saturday, June 13, from 3:00-5:00 pm at the Boys & Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Road. It will include dinner, speakers, and entertainment. The purpose is to raise funds, in the words of the poster: to “SAVE OUR CHILDREN, especially our SONS.”
Tickets are $25 each or $100 for a table of 6. Checks should be made payable to the ADMNA, 2225 Allied Drive, Madison, WI 53711.
For more information, contact Selena Pettigrew at (608) 217-3639 or selenapettigrew@gmail.com
8 - Fit2Go Van Coming to Marlborough Park Every Tuesday, June 16-August 18
Madison School & Community Recreation’s Fit2Go Van will be coming to Marlborough Park every Tuesday from 5:00-7:00 pm starting June 16. Yeah! The van comes with essential fitness equipment and staff to run all the activities.
Kailey Pesik is the young woman in charge of the Fit2Go van which comes with hula hoops, jump ropes, equipment for obstacle races and disc golf. This would be a great chance for teens, younger kids, and adults to learn disc golf, one of the fastest growing sports in recent years. Two MSCR employees come with the Fit2Go Van, Kailey and one of the other two helpers, Cheryl or Audie.
It’s best if families come together so that parents can sign the liability waiver. If parents can’t come, a caretaker age 18 or older may sign the waiver.
If you have a young family, bring your kids for a good time every Tuesday, starting June 16. The Tuesday early evening activities will continue through August 18.
Look for the van in Marlborough Park. It will on the west side soccer field if it gets there before soccer players do. Otherwise, it might go to the softball field below the community gardens and west of the shelter. For updates in case of rain, check the Facebook pages of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association and Marlborough Community Garden.
For questions and more information, contact Kailey Pesik, (608) 204-3031 or kmpesik@madison.k12.wi.us
By the way, if you are become interested in disc golf, there are chanllenging disc golf courses in Elver Park, 1250 McKenna Blvd and Hiestand Park, 4302 Milwaukee Street. For kids 15 and younger these courses are free. For older kids and adults a daily pass is $5.00 or an annual pass is $40. More information is available at http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/discgolf/ .
9 - Verona Road Action Figure Mosaics Dedication To Be Held June 20
Come to the dedication of the the action figure mosaics on Saturday, June 20, starting at 1:00 pm. The mosaics are located at 4687 Verona Road near MacDonald’s facing the roundabout under Verona Road.
If you want to sign up to attend, go to the Facebook page of Verona Road Mosaic Dedication:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1626487184275549/ <file://localhost/events/1626487184275549>
10 - All Day Music at Prairie Society, Sunday, June 21
Like music? Then Sunday, June 21, will be your day on the grounds of Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society in the neighborhood (corner of Whenona and Crawford). Continuing the tradition of participating in Make Music Madison, for the third year in a row the DMNA and Prairie UU Society are sponsoring hours of music on the summer solstice, outdoors and free.
The “show” will kick-off at 9:50 a.m. with an all-music program put on by Prairie UU musicians. Then other musicians will appear throughout the day, ending at 7:15 pm. That’s about 9 hours of music. If it’s rainy, the show must go on, but everyone will just move inside.
In addition, Prairie will be hosting an open house at “the Annex,” the house next door at 2006 Whenona Drive. The church purchased this house over a year ago and has totally remodeled it. Like the church, it will be available for rentals. Check it out.
If you plan to be on the grounds around noon or supper time, bring a picnic lunch so you don’t get hungry. Bottled water will be available for purchase. “Just Bakery” will also be selling their baked goods from 11 a.m. until they run out. The bakery, employing people who were formerly encarcerated, makes scrumptious cookies and sweet rolls among other things.
For your own comfort, you might also want to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Knitters will have plenty of time to carry on their favorite hobby while listening.
Here’s the tentative schedule.
9:50 - Prairie UU musicians present an all-music program that will include a French horn group to make a loud and joyful noise, the Prairie choir, several vocalists, an accordion player, and a singalong of rounds and hymns. Nobody will be put on the spot religious-wise. Come to enjoy the music.
11:00 - Marilyn Duguid plays bagpipes.
11:15 - Mad Town Spoken Word is a group of young men performing their original poems.
11:30 - Helen Avakian (international fingerstyle champion, singer, & songwriter) & Dave Irwin (guitarist) will perform some jazz, Brazilian, Celtic, and contemporary folk music.
12:00 - Dan Proud, guitar and vocals, will be doing Welsh, 60s folk & original material.
12:15 - Guitarists Few & Proud - A vets’ guitar group does singalong standards.
12:30 - Guitars for Vets play guitar and sing rock/pop/country/folk standards for singing along. This group has been very popular the past 2 years.
1:00 - Dark of the Moon Contra-Band - Mary Mullen’s women’s folk band plays traditional music from Europe & America. You can dance waltzes, polkas, and schottisches if you like.
1:45 - Just Duet - Cindy Harrington (from the neighborhood) and Angela Smith sing with the goal of making a more peaceful world.
2:15 - Dave (singer & guitarist) & Mitch (violin) play songs from folk/rock history mixed with a bit of Country/Bluegrass/Swing for good measure.
2:45 - TBA - Donna Sarafin is hoping to get a drumming group going. Bring your hand drum if you have one.
3:15 - Rex Loker & Kevin Royalty sing contemporary songs to make you think, delivered in harmony, backed with guitar & banjo.
4:00 - Ballet Folklorica will bring 3 young girls in colorful costumes to perform Mexican dances. These girls live right in our neighborhood.
4:30 - The Raging Grannies sing original protest songs to familiar melodies.
5:00 - The Oaknut Duet is two women playing classical violin duets.
5:30 - Dave Schindele performs originals and a selection of covers with keyboard and voice.
6:00 - Traditional Frequency is two performers playing traditional Irish and other world folk music.
6:30 - 7:15 - Steve Erbs plays original slack key delta blues-inspired instrumentals in open tuning.
11 - Neighborhood Book Club Discusses Life of Pi June 25
Call up Thea Bach, hike on over to the library, or let your fingers do the walking to get your copy of The Life of Pi. This is the neighborhood book club’s first selection.
The discussion will be held on Thursday, June 25, at 6 pm, on Thea and John Bach’s back porch, 1905 Danbury Street. Bring food, too, as the readers will be having a potluck meal as well.
Since this is a Madison Public Library Book Club kit, and Thea got the kit, she has extra books for lending - 2 in fact.
For more information, or to get a copy of the book, contact Thea at 274-7730.
12 - Mad City Vegan Fest - Free and Open to the Public, June 27
from Alliance for Animals
Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street, Madison
www.veganfest.org <http://www.veganfest.org>
Where anyone and everyone - from curious omnivores to longtime vegans - can enjoy delicious vegan food and find helpful information on protecting animals, the environment, and your health. Inspiring speakers, a vegan food court, awesome raffle prizes, and vegan-minded exhibitors. Plus, lots of free samples.
Mad City Vegan Fest is a project of Alliance for Animals and the Environment <http://allanimals.org/> , Wisconsin's voice for animals since 1983.
OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
13 - Neighbor Dick Robinson Passes (Attachment: “4 ltr Dick Robinson.jpg”)
A well-beloved neighbor who had been active in the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association (DMNA) and in Marlborough Community Garden died earlier this week, Dick Robinson of Crawford Drive. Dick was 88.
An open house was held at his home last Friday. It was well attended by relatives from near and far as well as neighbors.
Back in February when I was delivering newsletters door to door, I stopped in to see the Robinsons. Dick was out, but his wife Barbara shared a scrapbook filled with letters and pictures from their 50th wedding anniversary which they celebrated in 2006. To a person, the friends commented on how friendly, neighborly, and hospitable the Robinsons were. They’ve lived at the same house on Crawford Drive since the late 1950s.
One letter in that scrapbook is a from a co-worker who describes Dick as “A fine man indeed!” and then goes on to mention Dick’s work as a Soils Engineer for the Wisconsin Highway Department. Read that letter which is attached to this e-mail. Among other things, you’ll find out that Dick wrote the Wisconsin Soils Manual.
Dick was not only a good neighbor, but he was civic-minded. From 1978-1983 he served on the DMNA Neighborhood Council.
Dick was an avid gardener, and for many years kept a neat garden in the Marlborough Community Garden. Not a man to shirk responsibility, from 1988-1991 he also managed the Marlborough Community Garden when it that was a responsibility of the DMNA. Before the hydrants were installed in the garden, the Robinsons also supplied the garden with water in the spring. It was kept in garbage cans on the north edge of the long garden.
In memory of Dick, below is printed an article that he wrote about the geology of the Dunn’s Marsh area. “Take a Giant Step Back in Time” was originally printed in the August 28,1978, issue of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood News. Back then, the Neighborhood News was a hardcopy 4-page newsletter delivered door-to-door every month to about 900 hourseholds. The article is also included in the neighborhood history book, In Our Own Words: The Best of the Dunn’s Marsh News.
To learn more about Dick’s life, read his obituary online at
http://www.cressfuneralservice.com/obituary/137508/Richard-Robinson/
14 - Take A Giant Step Back in Time, by Dick Robinson
reprinted from the book In Our Own Words: The Best of the Dunn’s Marsh News
The Dunn's Marsh area, as we know it today, is a landform resulting from complex geologic actions that have taken place over millions of years. If you can visualize a narrow valley about 300 feet deep carved in limestone and sandstone, trending northeastward from Verona to Lake Wingra and under Dunn's Marsh, you have an idea of the "Basement" beneath the area. If you can further visualize huge ice sheets advancing and covering this area, scouring hilltops and filling the valley, you have an idea of the geologic forces that formed the basic landscape scene that we view today.
Valleys similar to the buried one beneath the area can be seen today in southwest Wisconsin as, for instance, in parts of the Kickapoo Valley. However, this buried valley was a tributary to an ancestral Yahara River Valley that underlies the Madison Lakes chain and extends to Janesville roughly coincident with the present Yahara River Valley. Rock depths in the area reach a maximum of about 140 feet beneath Dunn's Marsh. Short distances to the east and west, rock outcrops are found at ground levels. These rocks are of Cambrian and Ordovician ages and are found in the upper limestone bedrock capping the hills in the quarries on either side of Verona Road.
Evidence of glaciation can be seen also in the limestone exposures in the form of glacial striations, which are scratches on the rock surface formed by stones lodged in the base of the ice as it moved over the rock. Particularly interesting examples of striations and gouging can be found at the top of the quarry on CTH "PD" west of Verona Road. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Target occupies one side of the one road now.]
Dunn's Marsh itself was most likely formed by an ice block buried in glacial debris. As the ice block melted, a depression was left forming a somewhat broad, shallow kettle. A more perfect but much smaller kettle can be seen in the southeast comer of the junction of CTH "PD" and Seminole Highway. [EDITOR’s NOTE: This kettle in the southeast quadrant of the intersection was destroyed between 1988-1990 by the developers of Seminole Forest commercial area. New manmade ponds were created in the northeast and southwest quadrants.] The broad upland immediately surrounding the marsh is called a "moraine". This is an ancient French word used to describe ridges formed by glaciers in the French Alps, and in this case, describes the hills left adjacent to the front of a temporary re-advance of the ice front from the Lake Wingra basin.
Material filling the valley southwest of the marsh towards Verona is called "outwash", or material washed out from the melting ice mass. This material is usually well sorted, and obviously a good source of aggregate for construction purposes.
The final act to finish the landscape came after the glaciers melted away approximately 30,000 years ago, and thick deposits of loess, or windblown silt, settled over the bare glacial deposits. Today, loess deposits range from 4 to 8 feet thick over much of Dane County and some form the better soils in the garden area of Marlborough Park.
Gradually, grasses, trees and plants came into the area, eventually establishing a cover of mixed hardwoods with underlying grasses on the uplands to provide the finished, but still geologically temporary, landscape as we see it today.
- by Dick Robinson Aug., 1978
15 - Saga of the Neighborhood Sign Ends Well (Attachment: “5 pics neighborhood sign.jpg”)
It seemed like a year, but it really took just 2 months to complete the relocation of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood sign from the Beltline frontage road to its new location at 2400 Seminole Highway where Daisy Drive comes out. Well, more than 2 months if you consider the time we got our first inkling that it had to be removed.
That notice came on February 27 in the form of a phone call from neighbor Glen Yoerger who learned of the requirement to move the sign because he works for the City of Madison. The sign was removed on March 31. The plantings were taken out on April 1. The sign was installed at its new spot on May 23. And, finally, the plants were replanted on May 31. Sounds easy told that way in the passive voice, but there’s more to the story.
It’s a story about the volunteers. Without them, perhaps we would have no sign because the sidewalk from Whenona to Seminole had to go in, and the sign had to go. Here are the steps and the volunteers. Be sure to look at the picture collage for the visuals.
Step 1: Get the sign out. Thanks to Glen Yoerger, Kim Zinski, their girls Sage and Olivia, and Mary Mullen. It helped to have Glen’s battery-operated screwdriver, many hands to carry the sign and its heavy posts, and a nice big van to haul it all away to Glen’s garage.
Step 2: Save the native plantings that were just 2 ½ years old. Thanks to Kim Zinski, her girls Sage and Olivia, and Mary Mullen who dug them out and put them in buckets and bags, mostly on April 1. Sometimes it was hard to tell if we got all the plants. Many had not sprouted from their winter sleep. Most were stored on Kim’s north-facing back porch. The rest were parked on Mary’s north-facing front stoop.
Step 3: Search for new locations. That job fell to Glen Yoerger, Fitchburg Alder Dorothy Krause, and Mary Mullen. Thank goodness it was a sunny, though cool, morning on March 17. They chose 4 locations and prioritized them.
Step 4: Contact the owners of the first location, an empty mowed space near apartments on Seminole Highway not to far from the Cannonball Path. After several calls to find out the owners and sending an e-mail with pictures of the sign, Mary Mullen got a negative answer. Phooey! Contact the second owner. Glen Yoerger hit the jackpot when owner Craig Kimball at 2400 Seminole Highway graciously agreed to letting us place the sign at the narrow end of his property.
Step 5: Meet with Craig Kimball several times to talk more specifically about location. Glen did that, too, since he had made the initial contact. Craig agreed to cut down several shrubs to allow for the sign. He was so much more accommodating than those apartment owners who would have had to do absolutely nothing except give permission.
Step 6: Get all the necessary City of Madison permissions for specific location of the sign. Fortuitously, Glen Yoerger works in the City of Madison Engineering Department, so he knew just how to do this, and he carried the ball with the City through April and May.
Step 7: Authorize expenditures for topsoil and shredded bark for the plantings around the sign. Thanks to the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association for approving up to $200 at its April 9 meeting.
Step 8: Dig in the sign at 2400 Seminole Highway. Kudos to Glen Yoerger, Kim Zinski, their girls Sage and Olivia, Ford Stabe, and DMNA Council member Rachel Potter for their work on May 23.
Step 9: Obtain the blended topsoil and shredded bark. Fortunately, Rachel Potter has friends with a truck, and she took care of getting these materials from Midwest Decorative Stone on that very rainy Saturday, May 30. That saved about $70. With some help from Mary Mullen, she unloaded the pick-up at the sign site.
Step 10: Plant the plants. This took place on May 31. Many thanks to Kim Zinski and daughters Sage and Olivia for bringing the plants from their back porch and to Glen Yoerger for marking where they could be planted. Katherine Vanderbilt, Elvice McAlpine, Mary Mullen dug out the sod, spread the topsoil, put the plants in and mulched them. It took 5 hours. Several people stopped to watch, and some of them thanked us for our work. Homeowner Craig Kimball rolled out his hose to give the planting a good soaking in their new home.
Katherine, who has one of the greenest thumbs in the neighborhood, will continue to look after the plants.
As you enjoy the sign and its plantings next time you drive north up Seminole Highway from Daisy, Clover, Sentinel Pass, or further south, we hope you think of how much work it took to put it there. Since it is a
1-sided sign, only northbound traffic can see it, but you can also check it out by going south to the end of Danbury and turning the corner onto Daisy and Seminole.
16 - Marlborough Park Gets 10 New Trees (Attachment: “6 pics trees.jpg”)
Marlborough Park gained 10 new free trees on May 9 when the Urban Tree Alliance sponsored a tree-planting event. One Kentucky Coffeetree, 1 Redmond Linden, 2 Turkish Filberts, 2 White Oaks, 2 Chinquapin Oaks, and 2 Ironwoods were planted.
The project was undertaken after consultation with Madison Parks, individuals, and the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association. Patricia Lindquist, Associate Director of the Urban Tree Alliance, came to the December 2014 DMNA Council meeting to explain the project. It was required that individuals adopt each park tree and agree to care for it for 2 entire growing seasons. Care means watering the tree every week during the 2015 growing season and every other week during the the 2016 growing season.
The people who stepped up to mother the trees are Susan Tesarik, Rachel Potter, and Mary Mullen from the neighborhood and Jess & Rich Bernstein from Verona. Since there are 10 trees, most adoptive parents took several.
Previously, the UTA had offered free trees to individuals for their yards. 28 trees had been planted in the neighborhood last fall. People in the Belmar part of the neighborhood were the most interested in that with 20 of the trees planted those who asked for them. People in the Marlborough area requested most of the rest.
16a - Want Your Own Free Tree?
Individuals may still be able to get trees free from the Urban Tree Alliance to plant in their own yards in the neighborhood. Contact Patricia at (608) 556-5331 or e-mail her at patricia@urbantreealliance.org
17 - Forest Arises Along Verona Road (Attachment: “6 pics trees.jpg”)
I don’t know about you, but I started feeling a lot better about the Verona Road Project when it finally entered the landscaping stage. Since spring arrived, muddy areas have been replaced with a carpet of new green sod, and a forest is arising along Verona Road and the other locations that have been so torn up for 2 years. Literally, scores of trees of different varieties have been planted.
Here are the names of some of them.
· Pear - Cleveland Select (The fruits are less than ½ in but the tree flowers nicely.)
· Autum Gold Gingko
· Kentucky Coffeetree
· Marmo Maple
· Lilac “Ivory Silk,” a flowering tree
· Hybrid Swamp x Bur Oak
· Hackberry
· Hawthorn, also a nice flowering tree
You’ll notice that none of them are ash trees, and with a reason: the emerald ash borer that is killing trees around here.
18 - Busy Beltline Statements - Do They Conflict?
This tidbit about the busy Beltline somehow came to my attention. It was in an opinion article in the Wisconsin State Journal last November 14.
“The DOT found that 45 percent of the traffic on Highway 18-151 heading from Verona to the Madison Beltline doesn’t drive into the city but instead is destined for the I-39-90 intersection.“
Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/editorial/busy-beltline-needs-relief-improvement/article_9a7c5b00-316b-595c-a6b0-36441781c4f7.html#ixzz3VQiipA2V <http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/editorial/busy-beltline-needs-relief-improvement/article_9a7c5b00-316b-595c-a6b0-36441781c4f7.html#ixzz3VQiipA2V>
This seems to conflict with what DOT officials say at official open house information sessions. There they tell the audience that most traffic that gets onto the Beltline and then gets off 2 or 3 intersections later. Maybe “most” means 55%?
Just a thought.
19 - Habitat Homes To Populate Renaissance Subdivision
Habitat for Humanity will be building homes on all the rest of the empty lots in the Renaissance subdivision. Work has started on the first that will be located on Equity Lane.
Habitat Homes are built by volunteers which include the new owners who must contribute sweat equity in order to qualify for a home.
Photos above . Left, the family that is putting sweat equity into the house. Center: A volunteer crew works on a 2/4 panel that will become a wall. Right: The location on Equity Lane that is being prepared for the house.
20 - Allied Community Co-Op To Start Buying Club
The Allied Community Co-op held an open house on Saturday, May 30, to celebrate the partnership that it is developing with Divine Orders Catering and to launch a buying club for the neighborhood.
The event was held at Divine Orders Catering new Deli and Event Hall, 1338 S. Midvale Blvd. That’s in the lower level of the Dorn Hardware strip mall. Bet you never even knew this location existed unless you were a fishing and camping aficionado looking for outdoor equipment in Dorn’s lower level.
People who attended and joined the Co-op for just $1 got a nice t-shirt as well as a chance to mark what products they would like to have the grocery buying club carry. It is anticipated that the Allied Community Co-op Buying Club will offer about 100 items at first. It will be housed at Divine Orders Catering. The Allied Community Co-op is being advised by the Willy Street Co-op.
A few months ago the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association became a member of the Co-op, donating $20 to the cause.
For more information about the buying club, call Janie at (608) 515-7528
21- Neighbor Writes Article for Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
“Rubble flew. Dust filled the air. Everything settled in a sudden calm. After the routine blast, an unexpected opening in the rock appeared along the limestone quarry wall on Brigham Farm in Blue Mounds. Light had entered the hollow for the first time in an era, revealing a cavern hundreds of feet long. The workers knew that small southwestern Wisconsin town would never be the same.”
This is the second paragraph of neighbor Kim Anderson’s article about Cave of the Mounds. It’s in the June issue of the Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. The title of the article is “Where history and nature meet” with the subtitle “Cave of the Mounds: The Story of a Wisconsin Treasure.”
Read the whole article yourself online at http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2015/06/history.htm
Kimberly Anderson is the operations manager at Cave of the Mounds. She lives in the Marlborough part of the neighborhood.
MISCELLANEOUS
Ticks and Mosquitoes – They´re Back!
Time to Pay Attention to Protecting Yourself from these Unhealthful Pests
from City of Madison
MADISON WI – May 18, 2015 – With the weather warming up, we can finally start spending more time outside. While enjoying this outdoor time, it´s important to remember to protect yourself from the seasonal health risks provided by mosquitoes and ticks. Each of these pests presents us with different potential threats to our health.
MOSQUITOES
Mosquitoes get very active at dawn and dusk and we can usually see them and hear them buzzing around our ears. One variety of mosquito found here is capable of carrying West Nile Virus (WNV). Although your chances of getting bitten by an infected mosquito are small, it still is worthwhile to take appropriate precautions to avoid getting bitten.
Most people infected with WNV will not display symptoms. Those who do show symptoms may develop a fever, headache, rash, muscle and joint aches, nausea, vomiting and fatigue that can last a few days. In rare cases, WNV can cause severe disease including encephalitis and meningitis. There is no specific treatment for WNV infection other than to treat symptoms. If you think you have WNV infection, contact your healthcare provider.
To help track the presence of WNV in Dane County report any sick or dead blue jays and crows you see by calling the Dead Bird Hotline at 1-800-433-1610.
While we can´t predict whether this will be a particularly bad summer for mosquitoes, we can be sure that these annoying and sometimes threatening little bugs will be around. So do your best to avoid getting bitten.
To prevent mosquito bites, wear insect repellant and long sleeves and pants when outside, especially early in the morning and at night. For more detailed information regarding West Nile virus and how to protect yourself against mosquito bites, visit:
www.cdc.gov/westnile/index.html. For information on insect repellents: http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/.
For more information regarding West Nile virus in Wisconsin, visit: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/communicable/ArboviralDiseases/WestNileVirus/Index
For information on WNV and PHMDC´s mosquito monitoring efforts, see
http://www.publichealthmdc.com/disease/westNile/index.cfm
You can also call PHMDC at (608) 266-4821 with questions about WNV.
TICKS
Ticks (usually deer or blacklegged ticks) present a different set of issues and threats. First, they are sneaky, hiding themselves in wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter and slyly attaching themselves to any exposed skin, often without you feeling anything. These ticks can carry bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause human disease, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Powassan. Lyme disease is the most common illness that we have seen in Dane County but ticks infected with these other organisms have been found in other counties in Wisconsin.
The risk of catching a tick borne illness is highest from spring through summer when the ticks are most active.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease may occur 3 days to 30 days after the bite from an infected tick and can include a rash that looks like a bulls-eye, fever and chills, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. The disease can be treated with antibiotics when detected early. If left untreated, Lyme disease can result in debilitating arthritis, and serious heart and nervous system complications.
To prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of getting tick borne diseases be sure to use insect repellant and wear long pants and long sleeves. Check yourself, your children and pets for ticks after being in wooded or tall grass areas. See the websites listed below for more detailed information on preventing and managing tick bites.
If you are bitten by a blacklegged tick, call your healthcare provider to discuss whether you should take preventive antibiotics.
For more information on tick borne diseases:
www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/
For details on now to help prevent Lyme disease through actions you can take in your yard, see www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/in_the_yard.html
23 - Don’t Move Your Emerald Ash-Borer Wood until October - from City of Madison
Did you know EAB - Emerald Ash Borer - infested wood may not be moved into or within Madison city limits from April through September? This is a City ordinance and subject to a fine up to $500 per day. Time outside of these six months (October through March) movement of infested wood is permitted.
Simply, if you currently have infested wood leave it until October.
Many of the ash trees in the city are infected by this insect that bores beneath the bark and eventually kills the tree. If you have cut an ash tree, just leave the wood in your yard until fall
24 - Watch This Burglary Prevention Video
from West Police District
West District officers Tom Grosse and Scott Favour put together this short video with some helpful burglary prevention tips : http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/west/blotter.cfm?Id=6486
If you have an attached garage with a door that opens into the garage, you’ll learn how to make that door nearly impossible to break into.
By the way, the burglars who were responsible for rash of break-ins in the Marlborough section of the neighborhood last summer and fall were caught. Still, it pays to be alert and notice strangers who might be casing the neighborhood.
25 - Low Income Families Can Use FoodShare Benefits at Farmer’s Markets
from Dane Co. Exec. Joe Parisi, City of Madison, and Community Action Coalition
Dane County has a national reputation for its robust local foods economy – local food sales contribute nearly $3 million to our local economy, and the City of Madison is home to the largest farmer’s market in the county on the Capitol Square.
To expand access and affordability of the fresh, healthy produce our county is known for, Dane County and the City of Madison are partnering with Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin (CAC) to enable more low-income families in Dane County to use their FoodShare benefits at participating farmer’s markets across the county.
Markets that accept FoodShare through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) allow people to easily exchange their benefits for market vouchers. The customer can then buy fruits, vegetables, honey, cheese, eggs, meat and more, directly from a local grower.
Participating markets include Madison’s Dane County Farmer’s Market on the Capitol Square, the Westside, Northside, Eastside and South Madison Farmers’ Markets, as well as the Monona Farmer’s Market. CAC is working with community partners and other farmer’s markets in Dane County to raise awareness of the program and expand EBT use in the future.
The initiative also includes the “Double Dollars” program. Double Dollars provides Farmers’ Market EBT program participants with matching dollars for that day’s market purchase, up to $25.00, to help maximize the FoodShare dollars they’re spending and ensure they can afford the produce they need. Double Dollars is available at Madison’s Northside, Westside, and Eastside Farmer’s markets, and at the Monona Farmer’s Market.
For many families, their local farmer’s market is the closest grocery store, or their only grocery store. By allowing more low-income families to use their FoodShare benefit, fresh local produce is no longer a luxury, but a healthy alternative that more people can afford.
To join the partnership, please contact Nahrissa Rush at Community Acton Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc. via phone at 608-246-4730 ext. 208 or send an e-mail to: nahrissar@cacscw.org.
To sign up for FoodShare and/or to determine your eligibility, please visit https://access.wisconsin.gov/ <https://access.wisconsin.gov/> .
from Dane Co. Exec. Joe Parisi, City of Madison, and Community Action Coalition
---- End of the June 5 issue of The Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood e-News ----
Thanks for reading.
April 2, 2015
The DMN e-News and an occasional hard copy DMN News are published by the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association (DMNA) on an “as-needed” schedule. The Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association, Inc. has been working to unite neighbors to solve mutual problems and promote fellowship among neighbors since 1973. Our neighborhood is in Madison & Fitchburg.
President & News contact: Mary Mullen, mmullen4337@charter.net 298-0843
Website: http://www.dunnsmarsh.org <http://www.dunnsmarsh.org>
On Facebook: Type Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association into the search box.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s been nearly 2 months since the last e-News. Follow the Dunn’s Marsh Facebook page for almost daily news in the neighborhood and loads of photos. April 7 is ELECTION DAY. Unfortunately, the polling place has moved AGAIN for Madison voters in the neighborhood. L With the arrival of spring, things are popping in the neighborhood, including a marsh cleanup on April 18. Learn about lots more from the 30 articles in this issue. All articles without attribution were written by Mary Mullen. HAPPY SPRING, & HAPPY READING.
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CALENDAR
KEY Red = DMNA-sponsored events # = article #
Tue., April 7, 7 am-8 pm - Election, #11, #12
Thur., April 9, 7 pm - DMNA Council meeting, 2010 Whenona Dr. (Prairie UU Society)
Sat., April 11, 4-7 pm - South Madison Visioning, 2317 Applegate Road, #14b
Wed., April 15, 6-7:30 pm - UW Diversity Session, B&G Club, #10
April - Sign up to perform at Make Music Madison in the Neighborhood, #4
Sat., April 18, 9-11 am - Dunn’s Marsh waterway cleanup, #24
April 19=25 - Discount Pet Chipping, Dane Co. Humane Society, #27
Sat., May 9, 8-11 a.m - Fitchburg Spring Cleanup Events including recycling, #24
Tue., June 16 (& for 10 weeks) - 5-7 pm - Family fun with Fit2Go van, in Marlborough Park, #16
Sun., June 21, 10 am-8 pm - Make Music Madison free outdoor music, Prairie UU Society), #15
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ARTICLES
ADVERTISEMENT
0 - Got a Hankering For Fresh Organic Food? Join a CSA Farm.
(Attachment: “1 CSA farm advertisement.jpg”)
NEIGHBORHOOD NOW
1 - Madison Provides $300,000 to Attract Grocery Store to Neighborhood
2 - Want To Adopt a Tree in Marlborough Park?
3 - Want Your Own Free Tree?
4 - Neighborhood Musicians, Sign Up for Make Music Madison Now
5 - Dawley Park Prairie Burn Coming Up
6 - Neighborhood Sign Taken Down Down (Attachment: “2 pics sign, construction.jpg”)
7 - Good Progess Made on Mosaic Murals (Attachment: “3 pics mosaic murals.jpg”)
8 - Marlborough Garden Gets Help From Master Gardeners
9 - Marlborough Garden Offers Summer Apprenticeship Position
10 - UW Invites Neighborhood to Hear About Its Diversity Framework Implementation April 15
(Attachment: “4 Diversity Sessions.jpg”)
ELECTION APRIL 7
11 - Polls Relocate AGAIN (Attachment: “5 New voting location.jpg”)
12 - What’s On the Ballot, Tuesday, April 7?
CULTURE
13 - Neighborhood Book Club Forming: Pick Your Books Now
14 - Bookstore Offers Neighborhood History Book as a “Scarce Book”
14b - South Madison Visioning Event April 11 (Attachment: “6 South Madison Visioning.jpg”)
15 - Hear Music From Morning to Night in Neighborhood on June 21
16 - MSCR’s Fit2Go Van Will Offer Fun For Families All Summer
VERONA ROAD PROJECT
17 - Verona Road Project Revs Up: We Suffer & Complain
18 - Safe Walk Route Established at North End of Ped/Bike Bridge
(Attachment: “7 pic north ped overpass route.jpg”)
19 - Traffic Changes Due to Verona Road Project (Attachment: “2 pics sign, construction.jpg”)
20 - Verona Road Open House Meetings Scheduled Quarterly
21 - Madison Metro Transit Offers Onboard Bus Survey
22 - Bus Route #18 Britta Parkway Detour in Effect
23 - Sidewalk Work Scheduled for Summer (routine, not related to Verona Rd.)
EVERYTHING ELSE
24 - Fitchburg Green Blast #66 Offers Numerous Ways to Be Green
25 - Emerald Ash Borer Infestation Just Across Beltline
26 - Tylenol and Motrin Recall: Infant and Children’s Liquid Products
27 - Chipping Can Prevent Pet Loss and Speed Recovery: Discount Chipping, April 19-25
28 - County Executive Joe Parisi Launches Access to Opportunity
29 - Former County Supervisor Dick Ginnold Dies
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ARTICLES
ADVERTISEMENT
0 - Got a Hankering For Fresh Organic Food? Join a CSA Farm.
(Attachment: “1 CSA farm advertisement.jpg”)
Please note that we have an advertisement this issue. It encourages readers to join a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) Farm. It’s a great way to get fresh organic vegetables, and in some cases eggs and meat too. 53 farms to choose from. Fresh organic food is delivered weekly to the neighborhood. Easier than growing a garden.
Click on the attachment for more information and URLs of links for detailed information.
NEIGHBORHOOD NOW
1 - Madison Provides $300,000 to Attract Grocery Store to Neighborhood
from Mayor Soglin’s Press Release
On March 25, Mayor Soglin announced in a press release that the City of Madison had released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to attract a grocery store to our neighborhood. The announcemnt noted that “Madison is providing $300,000 for financial assistance to incentivize the establishment of a full-service, affordable grocery store.”
“The City is seeking proposals from developers, property owners, and/or grocery store operators that will seek the funding in the form of a low-interest and/or partially forgivable loan.”
“The letter of intent to apply is due on May 15, 2015 and final proposals are due June 15, 2015.”
2 - Want To Adopt a Tree in Marlborough Park?
by Patricia (Lindquist) Chakravorty, Urban Tree Alliance
Dear Allied Dunn's Marsh residents (and all those interested in planting trees in Marlborough Park):
The Urban Tree Alliance was granted permission by the Parks Department to plant trees in Marlborough Park this spring! Some of you have expressed interest in helping us plant and water trees in this park (thank you!) and I'd like to know how many of you would like to 'adopt' one or more of these trees.
Here's the deal:
1) We're allowed to plant as many trees as we're able to care for. The Parks Department is unfortunately unable to help us water trees. Each tree must be 'adopted' by one or more volunteers. All adopted trees must be watered for 2 years (once per week for the first six months, once every two weeks for the next eighteen months, April-November). There is a water source within the park.
2) The trees will be quite large (1.5-2" caliper, which is typically about 7-12' tall depending on species).
3) We can recommend planting locations and species but Parks Department staff will make the final decision. For those of you who wish to have a tree planted near your home, I'll see what I can do :) Species options are listed below (please note that some species may be unavailable by the time I place the order.)
Please respond to Patricia Lindquist Chakravorty - contact information below - if you would like to 'adopt' (water) one or more trees in Marlborough Park! I will need a final count by Monday, March 30th. In your email please let me know how many trees you would like to adopt, if you have a preferred planting location, and if you have a preferred species.
Species availaable include bur oak, white oak, chinquapin oak, swamp white oak, Kentucky coffee tree, hackberry, ironwood, planetree (Exclamation), Redmond linden, elm (Triumph and Princeton), and Turkish filbert
Planting will take place in late April or early May.
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to email or call me (556-5331), and please let me know if it would be helpful to schedule an in-person meeting at the park.
Thank you very much for your support of tree planting in Madison! I hope to hear from you.
Best,
Patricia (Lindquist) Chakravorty, Urban Tree Alliance, Associate Director, 608-556-5331
patricia@urbantreealliance.org <mailto:evan@urbantreealliance.org <mailto:evan@urbantreealliance.org> >
www.urbantreealliance.org <http://www.urbantreealliance.org/ <http://www.urbantreealliance.org/> >
3 - Want Your Own Free Tree?
Individuals can also get trees free from the Urban Tree Alliance to plant in their own yards in the neighborhood. Contact Patricia at (608) 556-5331 or e-mail her at patricia@urbantreealliance.org
4 - Neighborhood Musicians, Sign Up for Make Music Madison Now
re you a musician who lives in the neighborhood, or do you know any neighborhood musicians? Now is the time to sign up to perform as part of Make Music Madison to play at Prairie UU Society, 2010 Whenona Drive, on June 21.
It doesn’t matter if you just started taking lessons, never took lessons, or are actually a professional musician. Musicians of any age or ability are wanted and needed.
If you have played at Prairie as part of MMM in a previous year or have never done so but think you might possiby want to, contact organizer Mary Mullen immediately: mmullen4337@charter.net <mailto:mmullen4337@charter.net> or (608) 298-0843. A mutually acceptable time can be worked out. This outdoor event will run from 10 am until 8 pm at Prairie.
There’s a process to sign up so your name gets put on the schedule that goes into Isthmus. Mary can help you learn how to use the MMM website or can actually sign you up with your permission.
Don’t wait! Do it now.
5 -Dawley Park Prairie Burn Coming Up
from Ed Bartell, Urban Forester and Naturalist, Fitchburg
This month and next (March & April), weather permitting, the City will be conducting prescribed burns at the park and natural areas listed below.
The purpose of the burns is to promote native prairie vegetation and oak regeneration. Prescribed burns are an essential tool for restoring and maintaining prairie, oak savanna and oak woodland habitats. These habitat types have declined dramatically throughout Wisconsin since initial European settlement in the mid 1800s. Despite the rarity of these habitats, healthy prairies, oak savannas and woodlands support a disproportionate amount of biodiversity and harbor many regionally rare and declining species. The burns will be conducted by Good Oak Ecological Services, the company the City has hired to care for its prairies and conservancy areas.
Good Oak will try to provide up to 24 hours advance notice of the burn, and they will notify all appropriate authorities prior to the burn. Their burn crew consists of trained firefighters with all the equipment necessary to keep the fire under control. In preparation for the burn, Good Oak will be mowing or cutting vegetation around the areas to be burned as necessary. These temporary paths will be used to contain the fire within the park. On the day of the burn, we ask that you avoid visiting the park until the burn is complete, so the burn crew may do their work safely and efficiently. The burn will be conducted on a day when weather conditions allow for a safe burn with minimal smoke impact on your neighborhood and local roads. However, we recommend keeping windows and doors closed to keep smoke or the smell of smoke out of your home.
For more information, please contact Urban Forester & Naturalist, Ed Bartell at 608-270-4289 or Athena Salzer, Restoration Ecologist with Good Oak Ecological Services at 920-292-0485.
6 - Neighborhood Sign Taken Down (Attachment: “2 pics sign, construction.jpg”
The Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood sign that was installed in the fall of 2012 has had to be removed because of sidewalk construction along the Beltline Frontage Road between Whenona Drive and Seminole Highway.
The Yoerger/Zinski family did the lion’s share of the work of unscrewing the sign from the posts and digging out the posts on Tuesday, March 31. Some of the plants were dug the same night, but the rest taken out on April 1. Thanks, Glen, Kim, Sage, and Olivia. Mary Mullen also helped and also took photos of the process. Fortunately, both days were very pleasant and sunny.
We think we have a new location for the sign in the neighborhood about halfway down Seminole Highway, but details have to be worked out.
The requirement to move the sign was an unwelcome necessity. Although the contract with the City of Madison said we would have 60 days notice if the sign ever had to be moved, in reality the letter ordering removal gave much less time. It was dated February 26, and removal was required by April 1.
7 - Good Progess Made on Mosaic Murals (Attachment: “3 pics mosaic murals.jpg”)
As mosaic mural artist Marcia Yapp takes a break from leading open mosaic mural workshops so that she can catch up on other duties to ready the murals for installation, it’s time to take stock of the amazing work that has been accomplished since the first workshop on November 18, 2014.
Two murals have been completely finished. The second one is shown below. The third - and largest - is well underway. The fourth, and perhaps most complicated because it contains people’s faces, will be the last to be started and finished.
The workshops have had many benefits beyond simply creating large works of art that will beautify the community for years to come. Participants - quite a few from the neighborhood or immediately surrounding area - have learned how to cut and shape mosaic pieces, how to blend colors, and how to work with different tiling patterns. The core group of individuals, who have come many times and become friends, have enjoyed meeting up at the workshop on a regular basis. Over 50 people have participated at least once. The 15 from the neighborhood are pictured below this article. Another beneficial aspect is that this is a multigenerational project, attracting people of a wide variety of ages 9 through 75.
For a sense of the size of the project, Facebook subscribers can view a number of photo albums on the Facebook page of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association. Don’t miss the compilation of images that are part of this newsletter as the attachment “3 pics mosaic murals.jpg”
The murals will be installed this summer on two semi-circular walls that will be visible from the Britta Parkway/Axel Avenue area, the Beltline Frontage Raod, and the ped/bike bridge that will replace the current one at Whenona Drive.
8 - Marlborough Garden Gets Help From Master Gardeners
Last year the Community Action Coallition cut ties with Marlborough Park’s Community Garden and most other community gardens in the area. It was a blow, since our garden had come to depend on CAC’s help.
But, not to worry, Madison Master Gardeners have come to the rescue. The Madison Area Master Gardener Association (MAMGA) decided this year to encourage all their members to adopt a community garden and donate volunteer time to the gardens.
Our garden courted the gardeners by sending a representative to speak on a panel of community garden leaders at a meeting of the Master Gardeners. Three master gardeners signed up to work with the Marlborough Garden at the meeting. Later on, a matchup event was held, and through that process the community garden picked up 2 more master gardeners.
The Master Gardeners who will be helping out at Marlborough Garden are: Barbara Park, Carol Blemker, Percy Mather, Jonathan Davis, and Barb Klasinski. They will be assisting with a variety of tasks.
The garden management committee hopes their work will make a visible difference as they help overwhelmed gardeners weed their plots, and in general keep the area around the garden tidy.
9 - Marlborough Garden Offers Summer Apprenticeship Position
Marlborough Community Garden, in partnership with Community Groundworks, is offering an garden apprenticeship position over the summer.
The position will require 6-8 hours a week with a total of 75 hours between June 15 and August 28. Total pay is $675, to be paid in equal installments each week of the employment period.
The garden is looking for an enthusiastic individual, preferably bilingual in Spanish or Hmong. Applicants can be as young as 14 years old! Besides providing a resume, the applicant will be asked to answer the following questions:
1. How do you feel about being outside, working with/in nature?
2. Have you ever had the opportunity to teach someone something?
Please describe the process (what you did and how it went).
3. What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
For a complete description of the job and details of how to apply, look on the Facebook page of “Marlborough Community Garden.” Those without a Facebook acount may contact the editor of the e-News for a copy of the job description and application details.
Application deadline is April 18.
10 - UW Invites Neighborhood to Hear About Its Diversity Framework Implementation: April 15 (Attachment: “4 Diversity Sessions.jpg”)
from the University of Wisconsin
The UW-Madison will be holding a series of very important community informational sessions concerning its long-term diversity plan.
The University is a pivotal educational entity and employer for both our state and Greater Madison region, so we encourage everyone to come and hear about this plan – it’s much bigger than targeted minority goals and groups – it concerns everyone.
This is our collective future.
There are 8 sessions, one in our neighborhood, on Wednesday, April 15, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Road. This presentation will be in English. Spanish language presentations will be at 3 other sessions, one at Centro Hispano on April 21 and others on the UW Campus on April 9, and April 16
For the full listing of sessions, look at the attachment. Some of these sessions include presentations in Hmong, Tibetan, Mandarin/Chinese, and American Sign Language.
ELECTION APRIL 7
11 - Polls Relocate AGAIN (Attachment: “5 New voting location.jpg”)
It seems that just yesterday the Madison polling place moved, and now it has moved again. Due to the fact that the Dane County Parents’ Council no longer wanted to provide space in the old Pizza Hut, Madison voters in the neighborhood will now cast their ballots in the Revival Ridge community room. The address is 2313 Allied Drive.
Where’s that, you might ask. Well, the address is on Allied Drive near Jenewein Road, but confusingly, you can’t park on Allied Drive, nor can you enter the building from Allied.
The trick is to park on Jenewein close to Allied Drive and walk into the plaza where the hands sculpture reaches to the sky. Enter the doors next to the Madison Police shield. They actually face out to Jenewein.
If there’s not space to park on Jenewein, parking in the Boys & Girls Club lot is OK. In that case, just walk up Jenewein to the plaza entrance. Or go the back way by walking to the left on Revival Ridge, then right on Frida Kahlo Crest and into the plaza that way.
Remember that the police shield on the building is the signal that you are in the right spot. You will not see the number 2313 there, but it’s the correct entrance.
Consult the attachment “New voting loction.jpg” for a map.
12 - What’s On the Ballot, Tuesday, April 7?
There’s probably more on the April 7 ballot than most people realize. While some candidates face no opposition, there are several highly contested seats plus a statewide referendum and school district referenda for both the Madison and Verona School districts. (The Fitchburg part of the neighborhood is in the Verona School District.)
The Supreme Court race and the mayoral races have received the most attention
Below are the choices voters will face on April 7 at the polls. To find out more about the candidates and referendum items, consult the League of Women Voters’ Candidates’ Answers online at http://www.lwvdanecounty.org/candidates-answers-spring-election-2015 <http://www.lwvdanecounty.org/candidates-answers-spring-election-2015> Candidates’ Answers was also an insert in the March 19 issue of Isthmus.
STATEWIDE
Justice of the Supreme Court (non-partisan election)
· Ann W. Bradley (incumbent)
· James P. Daley
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Amendment, Question 1
· Question 1: "Election of chief justice. Shall section 4 (2) of article VII of the constitution be amended to direct that a chief justice of the supreme court shall be elected for a two-year term by a majority of the justices then serving on the court?"
[For a thorough discussion of this referendum item and facts about who supports it and who opposes it, go to http://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_Supreme_Court_Chief_Justice_Amendment,_Question_1_%28April_2015%29 <http://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_Supreme_Court_Chief_Justice_Amendment,_Question_1_%28April_2015%29> ]
ALL DANE COUNTY BALLOTS
Dane Co. Circuit Court Judge, Branch 2 (non-partisan election)
· Josann M. Reynolds (incumbent)
Dane Co. Circuit Court Judge, Branch 6 (non-partisan election)
· Shelley J. Gaylord (incumbent)
Dane Co. Circuit Court Judge, Branch 10 (non-partisan election)
· Juan B. Colás (incombent)
Dane Co. Circuit Court Judge, Branch 13 (non-partisan election)
· Julie Genovese (incombent)
MADISON BALLOTS ONLY (in our neighborhood)
Madison Mayor
· Paul Soglin (incumbent)
· Scott Resnick
Madison District 10 Alder (our Madison district)
· Maurice Cheeks (incumbent)
Madison Metropolitan School Board
Seat 1
· Anna Moffit
Seat 2
· Mary Burke (incumbent)
Madison Metropollitan School District Referendum
Shall the Madison Metropolitan School District, Dane County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $41,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of constructing school additions and improving learning environments, making our schools more accessible to students, families and community members, renovating school buildings and upgrading technology infrastructure?
____ Yes ____ No
FITCHBURG BALLOTS ONLY (for our neighborhood)
Fitchburg Mayor
· Shawn Pfaff (incumbent)
· Steve Arnold
Fitchburg Alder, District 1, Seat 1 (our Fitchburg district)
· Dorothy Krause (incumbent)
Fitchburg Alder, Distrcit 1, Seat 2 (also our Fitchburg district)
· Carol W. Poole (incumbent)
· Michael Childers
Verona School Board (Fitchburg voters elect Verona School Board members.)
At large (two seats)
· Renee Zook (incumbent)
· Thomas Duerst
Portion 1 (one seat)
· Joanne Gauthier (incumbent)
School District Referendum
Shall the Verona Area School District, Dane County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed$8,350,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of acquiring, by purchase or by eminent domain pursuant to Chapter 32 of the Wisconsin Statutes, parcels of real estate for school sites consisting of: (a) the "West End" parcel, consisting of approximately 45 acres of vacant land situated south of West Verona Avenue, east of US Hwy 18-151 and north of the Wisconsin DNR bike trail in the City of Verona; (b) the "Erbach" parcel, consisting of approximately 63 acres of vacant land situated adjacent to, and east and south of, the "West End" parcel in the City of Verona; and (c) the "Herfel" parcel, consisting of approximately 18 acres of vacant land situated in the Town of Verona and bordered on the West by Locust Drive and on the North by the Cathedral Point subdivision?
____ Yes ____ No
CULTURE
13 - Neighborhood Book Club Forming: Pick Your Books Now
information from Thea Bach, Social Committee Chair
Is reading your thing? Would you like to discuss the books you are reading with people who live nearby rather than going out of the neighborhood to do so?
Then the DMNA Social Committee will fit the bill.
Here’s how it will work. First, let Thea Bach know you want to join up by calling her at 274-7730 or e-mailing her at bachtown2@live.com <mailto:bachtown2@live.com> Then she or Sharon Grant will keep you informed of book selections and meeting times that will be established once a few people show interest.
The first selection will probably be The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
Other books can be considered. Thea suggests using the list of Book Club Kits held by the Madison Public Library: http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/print/book-club-kits/author?items_per_page=All <http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/print/book-club-kits/author?items_per_page=All> The kits have at least 8 copies of each book plus a discussion guide.
You could also simply suggest a book you would like to discuss regardless of whether it is part of a book kit. Usually the library has several copies.
Thea, the Social Committee Chair, favors the idea of reading books where there are different media sources, for example, a book, an audio book, and a movie. Then at the meeting of the club there can be some options. “We can all listen together before discussion, as well as read on our own and afterwards watch a movie or movies, based on the book.”
Some possible books with different media sources mentioned by Thea are Maltese Falcon, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, Erik Larson books such as Devil in White City, Khaleed Hussein books such The Kite Runner, The World Around Us (recommended by Thea’s sister), Life of Pi, Time Traveler's Wife, Seabiscuit, and Water for Elephants.
OK, Dear Readers, now it’s up to you. Let Thea know you are interested. Then choose one of the books Thea has mentioned or something in the list of Book Club Kits on the library site.
Good reading to all.
14 - Bookstore Offers Neighborhood History Book as a “Scarce Book”
Yikes! When checking whether the neighborhoood history book In Our Own Words: The Best of the Dunn’s Marsh News might have been scanned and put online by Fitchburg, I learned that it is available from a Tennessee book store that deals in new, used, and rare books.
Burke’s Book Store calls it a “scarce book” and offers a used copy with “minor thumbing, tight and clean” for $10.
We can do better than that. Get a totally new copy directly from the DMNA for just $3.00. It’s a bargain, and you will learn a lot about the neighborhood including its geologic history going back to Ice Age times and some human history continuing up to 1990, the publishing date of the book. It’s crammed with pictures and illustrations as well as articles by people in the neighborhood.
A large share of the authors still live in the neighborhood, among them Barbara Robinson, Dick Robinson, David Martin, Ron Johnson, Ron Melvin, and Mary Mullen.
Others have moved to different Madison neighborhoods or Wisconsin cities and beyond where some have carried on their civic work. For example, David Wallner moved to the east side and became an alder there and is now president of the Madison Park Commission. Lucy Ebisch has been active in her south Madison neighborhood. John Welter became a lawyer, settled in in Eau Claire, was appointed by Governor Doyle to the Natural Resources Board in 2003, and in retirement works for Trout Unlimited. Brad Matthiessen moved just across the Beltline into the Midvale Heights neighborhood. Cynthia Haq became a medical doctor and besides teaching at the UW Medical School has taken her skills to countries around the world. Fredericka Schilling now lives out in the country near Mazomanie. Sally McCollough, now Sally Konnak, lives in Spring Green and has been active in environmental causes there.
We have lost track of some of the other authors.
In Our Own Words was put together and edited by Mary Mullen, first president of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association in 1973, and the current president, since October 2013. The backbone of the book came from Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood newsletters which came out monthly in hard copy and were taken door-to-door for well over 25 years.
The book was funded by the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission and matching donations from individuals and businesses.
14b - South Madison Visioning Event April 11 (Attachment: “6 South Madison Visioning.jpg”)
based on poster and quoted article from MMSD
“Art for the Community/By the Community. Transform public spaces: Transform individual lives.”
So begins the poster announcing a South Madison visioning event, a chance to “Share your story: Share your vision” and “Create the FUTURE COMMUNITY you want.” AND it includes performances and free food.
Sounds like something to check out.
The event is Saturday, April 11, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Zion City Outreach Center, 1317 Applegate Road. Applegate Road is accessible from Greenway Cross at Fish Hatchery Road, a hop, skip and a jump from the Dunn’s Marsh neighborhood. The public is invited.
A Madison School District online article addressed particularly to youth artists and MMSD arts instructors describes the project more fully, as follows.
The purpose of this first conversation is to bring the neighborhood and creatively minded youth together to develop a collective vision for a healthy and vibrant future. These ideals will then act as a springboard for a second conversation that will develop themes and images that will be incorporated in two participatory community art projects, one at the Dane County Transportation site and the other at Zion City Community Outreach Center. The intentions of the conversations and art are to strengthen the social fabric and sustainability of our neighborhoods.
During large community conversations, residents come together over food and new friends to develop this collective vision. Then, in partnership with Dane Arts, a lead artist(s) will transform this collective vision into quality public art. Simultaneously, Sustain Dane will co-lead a workshop series to increase leadership skills of neighborhoods and to implement neighborhood level projects.
This cross-institutional community art project is a collaboration between Sustain Dane and Dane Arts DAMA (Dane Arts Mural Arts), Zion City Community Outreach Center and other neighborhood organizations to bring together hundreds of south Madison Neighbors to envision healthy, happy and vibrant futures, and capture these visions in large public art.
The DAMA project is being led by Sharon Kilfoy and other local artists who will be facilitating guest artists from Chicago and Arizona. This is a pilot to a large mural arts project that could lead to summer jobs for youth and additional training in the arts as well as develop local muralists.
Sharon Kilfoy is the artist who produced the magnificent mural in the hall of the Boys and Girls Club on Jenewein Drive in collaboration with B&G Club participants.
15 - Hear Music From Morning to Night in Neighborhood on June 21
Put it on your calendar now - a full day of live, free, outdoor music on the grounds of Prairie UU Society on Sunday, June 21, from 10 am until 8:00 pm. This all-day concert will be part of the city-wide celebration Make Music Madison.
It’s the third year Madison has held this event. More than 700 cities around the world participate in similar events on the summer solstice.
This year the concert on the Prairie grounds at 2010 Whenona (corner of Crawford) will start at 10 a.m. with musicians associated with Prairie UU participating in an all-music program. Some of that first hour or so will be a singalong.
Consider bringing a picnic if you come at the beginning, and spend the “noon hour” eating and listening. A series of individuals and groups will perform.
Some food may be available on the grounds. The organizing committee is thinking of asking “Just Bakery” to bring some of its delicious wares to sell: cookies, cinnamon rolls, and breads.
Madison-area Urban Ministry’s “Just Bakery” is a vocational and employment training program specifically designed to meet the needs of men and women returning to the community after incarceration. Prairie hosts the bakery once a month. I can personally vouch for the mouth-watering cookies and cinnamon rolls.
Learn more about the “Just Bakery” at http://www.emum.org/justbakery.html <http://www.emum.org/justbakery.html>
16 - MSCR’s Fit2Go Van Will Offer Fun For Families All Summer
Get ready for fitness fun every week this summer at Marlborough Park. In March the DMNA Council learned that the Madison School Community Recreation program will bring its FIT2GO van to the park every Tuesday from 5-7 pm.
The van will make its first appearance on Tuesday, June 16, and will come every Tuesday for 10 weeks.
Parents should come with their children to sign a waiver form.
The van brings jump ropes, hula hoops, and equipment to set up obstacle courses. MSCR personnel will lead the activities. At the Council meeting we met Kalie Pesik who travels with the van. Last summer, she and another young woman accompanying the van made one of the garden stepping stones.
VERONA ROAD PROJECT
17 - Verona Road Project Revs Up: We Suffer & Complain
Verona Road construction projects have ramped up with the coming of spring and the neighborhood is noticing and suffering. Suffering? Well, yes. And not necessarily taking it quietly.
Fortunately, we might add, sometimes something can be done about it since construction supervisors and contractors will respond to e-mails and sometimes have taken action in our favor because of them. Read about one success story in the next article.
If you haven’t noticed, here’s what’s going on.
Noise at night. Noise in the daytime. Closed streets. Changed bus routes. Construction machinery on the streets. (Keep your eyes open, and don’t drive like a maniac.) Constantly changing detours. Sometimes being “on our own” to find a way in and out of the neighborhood. Dust everywhere - impossible to keep your car or windows clean. Fear for kids who walk to school. Need to take down the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood sign and find a new place for it.
The disturbances will go on throughout the summer and into the early winter before they calm down again. By fall, the worst of it should be done.
Want to keep informed about what’s coming up? Sign up to receive weekly updates by e-mail at <http://lists.wi.gov/t/1022900/2644525/6365/0/ <http://lists.wi.gov/t/1022900/2644525/6365/0/> >
18 - Safe Walk Route Established at North End of Ped/Bike Bridge
(Attachment: “7 pics north ped overpass route.jpg”)
Give neighbor Connie Roderick a high five for her work to ensure that her kids and others have a safe walking route to Cherokee Middle School. Because of her, as of March 25, the contractors have created a fenced-off walking corridor on the north side of the ped/bike bridge that spans the Beltline at Whenona Drive. The attachment is a set of pictures from Jim Grender, overall supervisor of the Verona Road project.
Although this article is lengthy, it can be read as a textbook case of how one individual can effect needed change.
Connie Roderick, resident on Crawford Drive, has been concerned about the Verona Road project for years. I have copies of her e-mail correspondence since early 2010. She has concentrated on the ped/bike overpass since early 2014. She wrote this letter to the Department of Transportation on 1/29/14.
My daughter is 12 and walks with several other young people from our Dunn's Marsh Neighborhood to and from school. She has expressed safety concerns walking around moving trucks, workers and having to walk on private property and around construction obstacles at the ends of the walk bridge.
What are they doing?
How long will it take to complete?
Are you working with the school (Cherokee) to provide transportation for the children of our neighborhood so they can be safe and avoid these hazardous areas in their need to get to and from school?
What is the timeline plans for the walk bridge replacement?
As you proceed to replace it, what are the safe pedestrian routes, especially for the school children? Next year there will be a significant more number of children using the bridge to Cherokee School.
DOT’s Steve Theisen responded with the construction schedule related to the ped/bike bridge and sidewalk along the Belltline frontage road. He added that the construction updates would be shared with Cherokee School in the spring of 2015.
Connie took up the issue again this March (2015) with a flurry of letters, copying them to DMNA President Mary Mullen as well as several people at DOT and school officials. Mary Mullen also started her own inquires and advocacy.
At first Connie just asked for an update after her girls and the neighbor girl walking home from Cherokee Middle School “were forced to used the car bridge [on Seminole Highway] as work was being done at the bottom of the north side pedestrian bridge on Whenona.”
Connie remarked in her first letter on 3/15/15 about the Seminole Highway walk detour too.
I walked this [Seminole Highway route] myself yesterday and found out there is no sidewalk available on the south side as you indicated would happen prior to construction in you last email 2/4/14)….
I do not feel this is a safe route for the middle school kids as cars were whizzing fast and very close by me as I walked along the road facing traffic on the bike path and several motorists were on their cell phones and did not pay attention to the pedestrian. Also, I know at least 2 neighbors who have had cars collide into their cars when traveling through the intersection at the Beltline Frontage Road and Seminole Highway bridge, which also indicates to me this is not a safe intersection for pedestrians.
… Please reply with an update on the timeline of the walk bridge construction and plans to make this a safer route for our kids and pedestrians.
Notice all those specific details she included and how she requested not only an update but plans to make safety measures.
Mr. Thiesen’s response again referred to the construction schedule and he mentioned that “A temporary barrier will be added along Warwick Way (on the north side of the Beltline) to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.”
But as of March 19 when Connie specifically wrote of her frustrations to Mary Mullen, no safety barriers were in evidence anywhere for pedestrians. On that date, she said, “The other thing I noticed when I walked the route was you had to go UNDER a huge piece of equipment (the arm that had a big bucket on the other end) to get to or get off of the walk bridge on the north side. That seemed a bit odd they would park their equipment like that.”
Early in the afternoon of the 24th, Mary Mullen checked out the north end of the bike bridge when she noticed a large crane with a ball and chain hanging from it in the vicinity of that end of the bridge. She messaged Alder Maurice Cheeks on Facebook, sending him a photo at the same time.
A parent has contacted me about the issue of the ped/bike crossing of the Beltline at Whenona Drive and the fact that with all the machinery and work going on at Warwick and Whenona, it has seemed too dangerous for kids to use. This parent's additional concern is that even though a sidewalk will be built from Whenona to Seminole Highway on the Frontage Road, crossing the Frontage Road at Seminole will be exceedingly dangerous. I'm wondering if having flags like they do on Monroe Street or even a crossing guard there morning and evening would be something you could support and help to initiate. Here's a picture showing the cluster of machines & workers at the north end of the bridge. With the crane hanging over the area and trucks everywhere, it's intimidating.
Mary also wrote an e-mail and sent pictures of the north end of the bridge to Jim Grender, the overall supervisor of the Verona Road project.
That same afternoon Connie wrote again to DOT. Her annoyance was starting to show.
I am writing because I do not know if you realize that your comment "Overpass access remains open to pedestrians and bicyclists throughout this work" is apparently incorrect. I again received a call and picked up 3 kids walking home from Cherokee today that informed me they could not access the walk bridge due to the moving machinery.
I have attached a PDF of photos that I took today about 3:30 pm when I went to go pick them up from the north side of the beltline. There was indeed a lot of machinery movement and vehicles at the foot of the bridge, including trucks blocking the access. I did not include all photos I took. There was also a big truck that was in the way backing up into oncoming traffic on Danbury as I took that route to access Whenona north of the beltline.
I feel this is a real safety problem as there still are no sidewalks constructed on the south frontage road and access to the foot bridge is being blocked even though it is not supposed to be. There was no one watching or directing the truck driver when I watched the very large truck come through the base of the pedestrian access point. The other moving equipment that is very close to the access area is very intimidating and it is not certain they are looking out for pedestrians. In addition, the intersection at Seminole and Beltline Frontage road is also not very safe for pedestrians.
Connie’s photos explain the view she is showing and point to “moving machinery parts” at the north end of the ped/bike bridge.
That same evening (March 24) Mary Mullen attended the Verona Road Open House at the Boys & Girls Club where she talked to DOT’s Chris Frederick about the issue of dangerous north end of the bridge. Mr. Frederick assured Mary that Mr. Grender was aware of the issue.
Mr. Grender, in an e-mail early on the evening of the next day, March 25, indicated that remedial action was being taken:
I have addressed your concerns about access at the north end of the pedestrian bridge with the Contractors. Pedestrian safety fence along with a clear path and where to walk is being addressed this morning. The sidewalk on the west side of the road on Whenona will be closed and require everyone to walk on the east side of the road. A street crossing to the north entrance of the pedestrian bridge will then be delineated with safety fence (at the location of the original street crossing at the corner of Warwick and Whenona). This will keep kids and all others away from the equipment (crane) and construction that will be happening on the west side of the roadway for the new ped bridge.
We will continue to make any adjustments needed to ensure safety at this location.
In all honesty, Jim Grender has been very friendly and forthcoming with information since he took on his supervisory job. Mary, as DMNA president, meets with him on a pretty regular basis to check out construction plans and express concerns. One topic she has brought up is lack of plans for a sidewalk between the MDA subsidized housing on Brittta Parkway and the bus stop on the corner where Einstein’s used to be. Another is the suggestion to have a big curved mirror before the entrance to the tunnel under Verona Road so that users can see around curve into the tunnel. She has also voiced these concerns and others to Department of Transportation and City of Madison staff.
Steve Thiesen of DOT also responded to Connie about the ped/bike bridge access with copies to numerous people including the District 10 Alder Maurice Cheeks, Cherokeee School authorities, Mary Mullen, and various DOT correspondents. A nice photo sheet showing the pedestrian accommodations was attached. That photo sheet is also attached to this e-News.
Connie and Mary have both expressed thanks to the Verona Road project people who have responded to our concerns.
19 - Traffic Changes Due to Verona Road Project
(Attachment: “2 pics sign, construction.jpg”
Get ready for a summer of traffic route changes due to the Verona Road reconstruction project.
Currently, a block of Britta Parkway is closed for water main and sanitary sewer work there. Bus #18 and its stops are rerouted to the Beltline frontage road. Neighborhood drivers can either take the frontage road or detour along Helene and Crawford.
Soon the Beltline frontage road between Whenona Drive and Seminole Highway will close while the western portion of the frontage road will be realigned and a sidewalk is built on the south (business) side between Whenona and Seminole. No detour will be marked, but traffic will undoubtedly detour either onto Lumley or the English-named streets that parallel the frontage road. This work should be finished by May 1 when the current bike/ped bridge will be removed. The deadline for the replacement bridge to be ready is September 1.
On the north side of the Beltline, traffic on Warwick will be limited to local traffic because of work that has already commenced on that end of the north end of the ped/bike bridge. Right now many pilings are being driven to support the foundations of that new bridge.
The so-called Freeport Connection - the route under Verona Road near Allied Drive - is now permanently closed as the Southwest Trail is returned to is previous location and the Verona Frontage Road will be extended past Allied to Carling Drive. There will be periodic detours for the Southwest Trail.
This is not to speak of the nightly lane and sometimes ramp closures that will occur along the Beltline on a regular bases.
To keep up with the changes in advance, sign up to receive weekly updates by e-mail at <http://lists.wi.gov/t/1022900/2644525/6365/0/ <http://lists.wi.gov/t/1022900/2644525/6365/0/> See the current weekly update at <http://lists.wi.gov/t/1022900/2644525/6368/0/ <http://lists.wi.gov/t/1022900/2644525/6368/0/> >
For more information, contact: Steven Theisen, Verona Road Project Communications Manager steven.theisen@dot.wi.gov <mailto:steven.theisen@dot.wi.gov?subject=Weekly%20Construction%20Update%20-%20March%2023-27 <mailto:steven.theisen@dot.wi.gov?subject=Weekly%20Construction%20Update%20-%20March%2023-27> > | (608) 884-1230
20 - Verona Road Open House Meetings Scheduled Quarterly
from Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation
Quarterly open house meetings are scheduled for 2015 to discuss design and construction activities for the Verona Road (US 18/151) reconstruction project, from the Beltline to County PD (McKee Road) and the Beltline, between Whitney Way and Seminole Highway.
The first of these quarterly meetings was held in March.
Additional meetings have been scheduled at 3 month intervals. from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the following dates at City of Fitchburg Fire Station No. 2 (5415 King James Way, Fitchburg)
- Thursday, June 25, 2015
- Thursday, September 24, 2015
- Thursday, December 17, 2015
Maps and exhibits of the Verona Road improvements will be on display. Wisconsin Department of Transportation representatives will be available to discuss the project on an individual basis.
*No formal presentations are scheduled; stop by at your convenience.
21 - Madison Metro Transit Offers Onboard Bus Survey
from Madison Metro Transit
Metro, in partnership with the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board (an MPO), has been conducting an onboard passenger survey.
The purpose of the survey is to better understand Metro’s passengers and their daily riding habits.
The survey includes questions on frequency of rides, times of travel, stop locations used, transfer details, final destinations, routes utilized and types of fare used.
Survey results will be used to help identify passenger needs and opportunities to improve Metro’s service.
While Metro planned to finish the survey in March, contingency plans called for surveying to continue into April if more surveys were needed. Look for surveyors on your trip wearing Metro identification tags and bright yellow vests.
22 - Bus Route #18 Britta Parkway Detour in Effect
information from Madison Metro
If you are a frequent rider of Bus #18 in the northern part of the neighborhood, the detour caused by utility work on Britta Parkway is old hat. But infrequent riders should know that the #18 bus is temporarily routed along the Belline and Verona Frontage Roads.
For detailed information on where the stops are on the detour, consult http://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/detours/18.cfm <http://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/detours/18.cfm> A map is provided, and you can print the detour flyer.
The detour is expected to last through mid-April.
23 - Sidewalk Work Scheduled for Summer (routine, not related to Verona Rd.)
from a City of Madison bidding document
Sidewalks will be repaired in the 10th Aldermanic district this summer according to a City of Madison bidding document. Much of the neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, but those streets that do will have tilted or cracked sidewalk blocks removed and replaced.
Allied Drive seems to have the most work scheduled, but most other streets with sidewalks in the Madison part of the neighborhood will have some work done.
EVERYTHING ELSE
24 - Fitchburg Green Blast #66 Offers Numerous Ways to Be Green
from Fitchburg Pulbic Works Department
Click on http://www.fitchburgwi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10231 <http://www.fitchburgwi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10231> and treat yourself to many ways to be Green this spring including Spring Cleanups on Saturday April 18 and Satuday May 9.
In This Issue
1. Save Water and Money During Fix A Leak Week March 16-22
2.World Water Day Activities March 22
3.Drop Off Recyclablesfor Craft Projectsat Fitchburg Library
4.Fitchburg Green and Complete Streets Forum Set for April 9th
5.Spring Waterway Cleanup Set for April 18th ( Printed below)
6.Fitchburg Spring Cleanup Events Set for May 9th (Printed below)
7.Volunteer Today to Monitor a Fitchburg Stream
8.Fitchburg Launches New Mobile Apps for Androids and iPhones
9.Sauk County Sponsors Rain Barrel & Backyard Composter Sale
5. Spring Waterway Cleanup Set for April 18th
Fitchburg’s Spring Waterway Cleanups for 2015 are tentatively planned for Saturday, April 18th from 9am–11am, rain or shine.*
A cleanup will be held on the north side of Dunn’s Marsh along Crescent Road. Meet at the Apache Pond.
There may be additional cleanup groups forming in your area coordinated by your neighborhood association. Anyone interested in being a group leader may contact Rick Eilertson, Fitchburg Environmental Engineer, at rick.eilertson@fitchburgwi.gov <mailto:rick.eilertson@fitchburgwi.gov> or (608) 270-4264 to coordinate a cleanup in your neighborhood. Fitchburg will provide refreshments and giveaways to allparticipants. Volunteers are encouraged to wear boots and bring work gloves. Restroom facilities are often not convenient to the planned cleanup locations, so plan accordingly.
*Check www.fitchburgwi.gov/stormwater <http://www.fitchburgwi.gov/stormwater> for additionaldetails on the Waterway Cleanups closer to the events.
25 - Emerald Ash Borer Infestation Just Across Beltline
from City of Madison
The City of Madison Forestry Section has confirmed an Emerald Ash Borer infestation on Madison’s south side at Doncaster Park, 4341 Doncaster Drive, Madison. This infestation site is the first on Madison’s south side and adds to previous finds on the City’s north side at Warner Park, multiple finds thru the east side following closely along I-90 and on the City’s west side along the border with the City of Middleton.
"While it's disappointing to have found EAB in a new location within the city it is not surprising, given the ease with which this pest can hitchhike with the help of humans," said Eric Knepp, superintendent of Parks Division.
The Parks Division recommends that property owners who have ash trees in their own yards:
· Keep a close watch on ash trees for signs of possible EAB infestation: Thinning in the canopy, D-shaped holes in the bark, new branches sprouting low on the trunk, cracked bark, and woodpeckers pulling at the bark to get to insect larvae beneath it.
· Consider preventive treatments if your property is within 15 miles of a known infestation. Visit our homeowners toolkit <http://http/www.cityofmadison.com/parks/services/forestry/pests/EAB/toolkit.cfm <http://http/www.cityofmadison.com/parks/services/forestry/pests/EAB/toolkit.cfm> > which includes a helpful decision making guide on whether to chemically treat your ash trees. Treatment costs vary depending on size of the tree and whether you do the treatments yourself or hire a professional.
· When replanting, consider planting a variety of tree species that are not susceptible to EAB.
· Call a professional arborist for expert advice, and visit emeraldashborer.wi.gov <http://emeraldashborer.wi.gov/ <http://emeraldashborer.wi.gov/> > for detailed information.
Madison Parks Forestry staff made the find by keying in on heightened woodpecker activity in the ash trees within the park. Woodpeckers will eat emerald ash borer larvae that are under the bark this time of year. This usually happens higher in the tree where the emerald ash borer prefers to attack first. If there are large numbers of larvae under the bark the woodpecker damage can make it look like strips of bark have been pulled off of the tree. This is called "flecking."
Emerald ash borer is native to China and probably entered the United States on packing material, showing up first in Michigan about 10 years ago. It was first found in Madison in 2013 in Warner Park. EAB adults lay eggs on the bark of ash trees in mid to late summer. When the eggs hatch a week or two later, the larvae burrow under the bark for the winter and eat the wood, forming the characteristic S-shaped tunnels and destroying the tree's ability to take up nutrients and water. In summer, the adults emerge through D-shaped holes in the bark.
Contact:
Ann Shea, Parks Public Information Officer, 608-266-5949, ashea@cityofmadison.com
26 - Tylenol and Motrin Recall: Infant and Children’s Liquid Products
Working in consultation with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), McNeil Consumer Healthcare is implementing a voluntary recall of infant and children’s liquid products due to manufacturing deficiencies which may affect quality, purity or potency. Following McNeil’s recall announcement, the FDA is providing additional advice to consumers.
For more information go to
http://fda.org/index.php?article=tylenol-and-motrin-recall
27 - Chipping Can Prevent Pet Loss and Speed Recovery: Discount Chipping, April 19-25
Libby, pictured with family, went for a run recently after being let out to relieve herself. She was found in a park by some kind people and quickly brought to Dane County Humane Society where she was scanned and, thanks to a microchip, was identified and returned to her owners within hours of her going missing. A sad fact is that 90 percent of lost pets without proper identification never make it home again.
Last year Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) received 922 dogs and 1,903 cats brought to the shelter as strays. Most of us never expect our beloved pets to be lost or stolen. The two biggest reasons for pet loss are children and workmen inadvertently letting them out of the house or yard.
Many more pets could be reunited with their owners if they were microchipped and/or tagged. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reports a return-to owner rate of 52 percent for dogs who are microchipped, versus a rate of just 22 percent for dogs who enter a shelter not microchipped. That means microchipping your dog more than doubles your chances of finding her, if she’s ever lost! Cats have aneven more dramatic increase in successful returns home. Only 2 percent of unchipped cats are returned to their owners, compared to more than 38 percent of microchipped cats. The combination of a tag and microchip gives the best of both worlds by providing a visual and an implanted ID.
In conjunction with National Pet ID Week, DCHS will be hosting a steeply discounted ID tag ($5) and microchip ($15) event during normal hours of operation April 19-25 at the shelter for both dogs and cats. Microchipping services will be offered on a walk-in basis during this event as well as throughout the year at the regular price. It’s also understandable, especially in tough economic times, that some owners can no longer afford to care for their pets. NEVER release your pet into the wild. Doing so will likely result in a slow, stressful, and painful death of your animal. Please surrender a pet you can no longer care for to DCHS so someone else can provide it a safe home. If you find a stray or injured animal, bring it to the shelter at 5132 Voges Road or call Animal Services (608-255-2345). If after hours, take the animal to Madison Veterinary Specialists at 229 W. Beltline Hwy (phone: 608-274-7772). Please go to the DCHS website (giveshelter.org) for more information or call 608-838-0413.
28 - County Executive Joe Parisi Launches Access to Opportunity
by Joe Parisi
Dane County is repeatedly ranked as one of the best places to live in America - with practically limitless opportunity. However, not all of our residents have access to all our community has to offer. My top priority as County Executive is to work with our entire community to ensure that every single resident has access to opportunity which is why I recently launched my Access to Opportunity initiative.
We know the most reliable vehicle out of poverty and toward upward mobility is accessing and maintaining family sustaining employment. All of my efforts will support our residents in accomplishing that goal by addressing barriers that they may face along the way.
Some of the most urgent challenges include: access to a valid drivers license, successful reentry to the community after incarceration, employment training and placement, and mental health services. My Access to Opportunity initiative will work with the community, businesses, and other levels of government, including the state, to tackle some of these challenges in a practical way.
We are embarking on challenging, yet exciting, work in our efforts to make Dane County a better place to work, play and live for all its residents. I am optimistic that Access for Opportunity will take a large step forward towards addressing some of the longstanding issues of inequity and racial disparities we face in this community. We no longer have the luxury of discussing the problems without taking bold and meaningful action steps towards addressing them. That’s what my plan attempts to do.
For more details on this initiative go to: https://opportunity.countyofdane.com/
Joe Parisi
Dane County Executive
29 - Former County Supervisor Dick Ginnold Dies
Former County Supervisor Dick Ginnold, one of the people who is responsible for the establishment of the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association back in 1973, died in May 2014. I just came across his obituary on the Internet.
Dick and the then-City of Madison alder encouraged us to start a neighborhood homeowners’ association. The 4 women who thought it was a good idea to have a neighborhood organization rejected the idea that only homeowners should be included but instead called a meeting to which all residents were invited. In February 1973, the DMNA was formed. The rest is history.
Dick Ginnold was a friend to the neighborhood and the environment. He stopped by a few years ago on a trip to Wisconsin to renew our acquaintance.
To read his obituary, go to http://dickginnold.com/RichardGinnoldObituary.pdf Dick wrote an autobiography which may be found on his blog. The portion of it detailing his time representing our neighborhood and the rest of his County Supervisor district can be found at http://dickginnold.com/mylife/danecounty.htm Both the obituary and his life story are well worth reading.
--------- End of the April 2, 2015, DUNN’S MARSH NEIGHBORHOOD e-NEWS ---------
THANKS FOR READING.
