Seeking students to help with West Area Plan outreach; Highland and University closed 10/9-13; Friends of Hoyt Park Annual Meeting and Rocky Bluff summer picnic this week; Events, Announcements, & More!

Hello neighbors,

The Near West Area Plan process is kicking off in November. The City of Madison is seeking Student Outreach Assistants to help engage students in feedback during the planning process. If you are, or know of, a student who would be interested in spending a few hours per week engaging with the community, please check out the application!

Reminder that the Highland and Campus Drive ramp intersection will again be closed, this time for replacement of the pavement surrounding the railroad tracks, which has greatly deteriorated. The area will be closed for 5 days, tentatively planned for October 9-13, reopening on October 14. Notably, pedestrian traffic will also be detoured during this time frame, needing to use “Old" University Ave, Walnut St., and the bike path to get around that intersection.

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

• Public Information Meeting – Big Top Investments at Breese Stevens Field, Wednesday, September 16: Big Top Events, LLC, is proposing to make a sizable private investment at Breese Stevens Field. This privately funded investment would result in improvements that, upon completion, would be owned by the City.

Announcements and News Releases

• Celebrate National Voter Registration Day! The Clerk's Office is celebrating National Voter Registration Day, September 15, with a week of voter registration drives throughout Madison.
• Absentee Ballots Are in the Mail: If you plan to vote by mail, you can request your ballot through MyVote WI.
• Secure Drop Boxes Are Now Open: Madison's secure ballot drop boxes are now open for the November 3, 2026 election.
• Celebrate Madison's Parks at the 9th Annual Picnic in the Park: Madison Parks Foundation invites the community to its 9th Annual Picnic in the Park, a beloved fundraising tradition returning on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC).
• Roots Cause Sanitary Sewer Overflow, City Teamwork Leads to Fast Cleanup: An area on the east side of the City of Madison is clean after 500 gallons of sewage overflowed Thursday morning. A resident reported a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) at 7:57 a.m., Sept. 10, 2026, on the 600 block of Acewood Blvd.
• Community Feedback Invited for Odana Hills Clubhouse, Park and Transportation Improvements Design: Construction of privately funded improvements on the Odana Hills Golf Course is expected to start in October 2026.
• The Madison Common Council Appoints Devine Nzegwu to Alder District 1 Vacancy: At the Common Council meeting on Tuesday, September 8, the Council unanimously voted to appoint Devine Nzegwu (she/her) to fulfill the District 1 vacancy left by former Alder John Duncan, who announced his resignation, effective on July 31, 2026.
• Wisconsin Book Festival 25th Fall Celebration Event Highlights: More than 80 authors will take part in over 55 events at Central Library and other venues over four packed days of free author events that are open to the public. In addition to bestselling and award-winning authors, 54 authors have ties to Wisconsin. 
• Wisconsin Book Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary Fall Celebration, Featuring 55+ Free Events October 15-18, 2026: The Wisconsin Book Festival celebrates a milestone 25 years of bringing storytellers and story lovers together at the 25th Annual Fall Celebration October 15-18, 2026. 
• Metro Transit Public Hearing Scheduled: Give Feedback on the 2026 Title VI Program Updates.
• Mayor Rhodes-Conway Releases 2027 Executive Capital Budget: The 2027 Executive Capital Budget proposal reflects years of strategic planning that is firmly grounded in the values and aspirations of the people of Madison. 
• Council President Madison Announces Workgroup on Policing Policies: Common Council President Sabrina Madison has established a workgroup to review and address recommendations related to the Madison Police Department's use of deadly force, de-escalation, and body-worn camera policies. 

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

• Learn to Nordic Walk | Turville Point, Tuesday, September 15 (Registration for this event is full, but you can join the waitlist): Turn your walk into a full-body workout with Nordic walking!  We've partnered with Madison Nordic Ski Club (MadNorSki) for a free class. Participants of all ages are welcome and will explore the park and learn how to use walking poles for a cardio and strength-building workout.  
• Disability & Deaf Community Conversation: Emergency Planning, Tuesday, September 15: You can make a difference in the City of Madison's emergency planning! Share your experiences, and ideas as Deaf and/or Disabled person.
• Friends of Hoyt Park Annual Meeting, September 16: The FoHP annual membership meeting will take place from 6-8:15pm at the Midtown Police station, featuring Badger Talks presenter David Drake of the UW Urban Canid Project. This talk is open to the public and will be followed by the FoHP membership business meeting.
• PCOB Community Forum, Thursday, September 17: The Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB), in partnership with the Community Response Team, Freedom, Inc., and the Social Justice Center, will co-host a community forum focused on police accountability, public safety, and systemic reform following the Madison Police Department (MPD) officer killing of Corey Ruiz.
• Friends of Hoyt Park Third Thursday Walk, September 17: The topic for the September guided evening walk will be fungi. Fall is a great time to view all the interesting fungi in the park and the Madison Mycological Society experts know where to find them!
• Warner Family Fun Night, Friday, September 18: Join us at WPCRC for Warner Family Fun Night! Families can create art projects, play in the gym, watch a movie or win some prizes playing bingo! 
• Wag & Walk dog walk will start and end near lot 60 on Saturday, September 19. The event begins at 9:30am, and ends at 1:30pm. If you don't like dogs, you may wish to avoid lakeshore path on this date!
• Trucks & Treasures, Saturday, September 19: Kids and adults are invited to climb aboard and explore public service vehicles and equipment and meet the amazing City employees who operate them!
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, September 19: Creek Paddle ~ Join Friends of Starkweather Creek for a free fun family friendly canoe outing along Starkweather Creek!  Some canoes will be provided, bring your own canoe or kayak and vest and paddles if you have them.
• Women's Net Stableford, Saturday, September 19: In this women's only event, forget everything you know about traditional stroke play—it's time to go hunting for points! We're kicking off the action with a high-stakes Individual Net Stableford tournament. In this format, you aren't just playing against the course; you're building a masterpiece one point at a time.
• Rocky Bluff annual summer party, Saturday, September 19: Join this annual summer gathering of neighbors at 2922 Stevens Street from 3-6pm! (Rain date: same time and place, Sunday, September 20.)
• Speed Golf Event at The Glen, Sunday, September 20: Madison's first ever Speed Golf event. What is Speed Golf? Speed golf combines running and golf into one fast-paced challenge, with a player's score based on their strokes and time. Play fast, run hard and see how quickly you can finish the course!
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park, Sunday, September 20: Rot & Decay is Cool ~ Bring family and friends on this fun nature adventure at Warner Park with Naturalist Kathlean Wolf. Yukky stuff is fascinating!  What's going on underneath the surface when you see a mushroom growing on a dead log or the side of a tree?
• Movie at The Glen | Secret Life of Pets, Sunday, September 20: School is back in session, but the weather is still lovely!  Bring your kids out for an evening of fun at The Glen Golf Park. We will be showing Secret Life of Pets and to help with bedtime, we have adjusted the movie start time back an hour to begin at 5pm.
• The7th Annual Regent Neighborhood Art Walk will be on Saturday, September 26th from 10:00am-4:00pm (rain date is 9/27).
• Save the date: The Bicycle Film Festival will be at the Barrymore on Thursday, October 1, starting at 6:30pm.
• Save the date: On Sunday, October 4th, the Ride for Your Life event will honor the life of Sasha Rosen. This bike ride and walk will start at Brittingham Park, and end at the State Capitol, with bikes riding through Madison's neighborhoods.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

• Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, September 14, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include 2027 Executive Capital Budget briefings.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 15, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include 2027 Executive Capital Budget briefings.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Watch Online
• Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 16, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include adopting the City of Madison Pedestrian Plan.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

If you would like more information about becoming a member of the City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Be well,

Regina Vidaver