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Saturday, May 03, 2008
Get Random Again
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Monona,
Random Question,
Random Stuff
It's been a couple of weeks, so here you go. Get random. Post a question, an idea, a suggestion. Be nice, please.
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Hi Monona Doug! As a newer Monona resident (<2 years), I'd like you to know that I enjoy your blog. It's one way that I get to learn more about Monona. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Missoula and thanks for the kind words. Did you used to live in Missoula?
ReplyDeletesuggestion.
ReplyDelete1. We still have the chicken issue-pls take care
2. A summer concert at the paviollion on HOT summer night.
NO Chicks!
Nope; never lived in Montana. Only visited. Beautiful place though. If the family ever gets bored of Wisconsin...
ReplyDeleteA couple of random notes:
1) I did live in Chicago. You may know that Chicago has undergone tremendous gentrification over the past 10 years or so. One of the things credited to helping Chicago out is Mayor Daley's campaign to put flower beds in street medians. Maybe you have to see it in person to appreciate it, but I can tell you firsthand that it does the neighborhood good. I'm not sure what the plans are for the Monona Drive project in 2009, but...
2) Another great thing Chicago did (which they learned from New York city) was to take care of graffiti immediately. It's disturbing when some knuckleheads tag something (really disturbing when they do it on some of the nice artwork on the bike trail over by Atwood). It's also bothersome when their ugly markings stay there for months. In Chicago, all you had to do was call 311 and it was gone within 24 hours. While this same thing may not be viable for Monona, I think that the city should be a little more responsive. I'm on my bicycle often, so I probably tend to notice more than the average person.
Q:We still have the chicken issue-pls take care
ReplyDelete2. A summer concert at the paviollion on HOT summer night.
NO Chicks!
Huh? urban chicken farming: Are you fer or agin it?
The new parks director has some experience with movies and park concerts. There has been some talk about doing it. Great idea.
Missoula, great points. Monona Drive will have some plantings, but not flowers; the maintenance is a killer.
ReplyDeleteTagging. I agree. I will pass thing along to Chief Ostrenga. I also suggest that you let the Monona PD know any time you tagging (specific location really helps).
So, what brought you here? And why Monona? If I may ask...
Well, my girlfriend and I stumbled upon Madison by accident about 7 years ago. We discovered the farmers market and all the great things the city had to offer. We also noticed how great the people are. In 2002, we got married at Olbrich. Ever since then, we had been looking for a way to move up here. When my current employer decided that it would be OK for me to telecommute, we made the move. We were looking for a lakefront "fixer upper" and Monona had just what we were looking for (the project continues to this day, but the recent nice weather is not helpful when there are indoor projects I need to finish!).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, we do like Monona a lot. The parks are great (recently emailed Lisa VonAllmen about volunteering). It's not as developed as other areas (Middleton). I do see a lot of change in the next 10 years though, particularly for the Monona Drive corridor. Hopefully it will be managed thoughtfully.
That's good to hear there will be plantings on Monona Drive. Some of the buildings on the street look destitute (lots of vacancies resulting from failed businesses). Hopefully a "new" Monona Drive will provide the spark that this area needs.
ReplyDeleteOn tagging. Here is Monona PD practice per Chief Ostrenga:
ReplyDelete"When we get complaints, officers take pictures and do a general report. The property owner is then advised to get it cleaned up. This is done in person, phone or by sending a letter. We try to give them a reasonable amount of time, but if they don’t get it done we contact DPW and bill the property owner. Is it cleaned up within 24hours…sometimes, but not always."
The committee on a smoking ban should be renamed to...
ReplyDeleteNot until Monona Drive is finished ban...
Not until a State ban is adopted...
not by referendum ...
not until bars and taverns recoup some profits...
not until Monona pols believe health is more important than profits...
not until the tavern league is satisfied...
how about the committee until,until ,until?
Give a property tax break for households who add an additional minor.
ReplyDelete:)
On a serious note:
Create a scholarship that would say something like the following:
Any student who graduates from MG and resides in Monona will be awarded a scholarship to any public university. A foundation would need to be established
A city in Michigan is doing it. Why not here?
Doug,
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about a consolidation of our dispatch services in light of recent issues at Dane County?
I've had experience with our dispatchers on more than one occasion, and found them to be extremely competent. Scares me to think about what it would be like to call in to some Dane County call center to a person who likely isn't very well trained, is potentially overworked, and knowing that they have NO clue where my street is.
Even if you can save $20,000 would it be worth it?
Q: "How do you feel about a consolidation of our dispatch services in light of recent issues at Dane County?"
ReplyDeleteShort answer is I don't know until I get more facts.
The word 'feel' is apt because mostly what informs all of our views on this issue, so far, are emotions and anecdotal evidence. We need facts.
The Monona 911 dispatch basically duplicates the Dane County dispatch. It costs quite a bit of money (although not much in personnel - we would probably need to keep the dispatchers for all their other duties since Monona only receives about three 911 calls per day). We need to spend significant amounts to upgrade our 911 equipment in the next couple years if we are going to keep doing it.
Is the service worth the money? That is the question that we need facts to answer and we won't get the facts without a study. Dane County is also looking at some big changes and it may not make sense to do a study until they make those changes (or decide not to).
I would note that the recent 911 problems in the Zimmerman murder occurred on a cell phone call. That call would have gone to Dane County whether it originated in Monona or not.
In Oak Park IL where I lived in a past life, if someone made improvements to their home, the city wouldn't increase property taxes for 15 years or until the home was sold. I thought this was a great way to encourage improving the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, I seem to remember that there was a study done recently about how to attract people to Monona. Doug, can you post the results of this somewhere or direct me to your blog entry if it's already there? Thanks.
State law requires that property be assessed at the fair market value, so we would not be able to do what Oak Park did.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably thinking about the strategic housing plan, which you can find on the city's web page under the Planning department.
http://www.monona.wi.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={50190092-D9E0-4510-A277-3A3EE6275DB5}&DE={207A73DE-A871-4519-9102-312ACFE8D0E3}
"Any student who graduates from MG and resides in Monona will be awarded a scholarship to any public university. A foundation would need to be established
ReplyDeleteA city in Michigan is doing it. Why not here?"
Interesting idea. I found this program in Kalamazoo:
"A group of citizens interested in economic strength and quality of life in the City of Kalamazoo have made a tremendous contribution on behalf of KPS students. All students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools, are residing in the district, and have been students four years or more will be given funding for college tuition and mandatory fees. The amount of available dollars depends on years of residency and the number of grades attended in KPS, up to 100% of tuition and mandatory fees. The funds will be available to use at any public university or community college in the State of Michigan.
For more information, visit the KPS website or visit the Kalamazoo Promise page at Mlive."
https://www.kalamazoopromise.com/
I say scrape the brochure and commission a study to see how we can do this.
ReplyDeletemy two cents.
sorry, to post twice in a row.
ReplyDeleteI have found a way to fund the project.
Request the legislature to permit Monona to asses .005 of cent sales tax for this purpose.
We could all vote on it.
Monona's citizens would not pay the brunt of the tax
"I have found a way to fund the project.
ReplyDeleteRequest the legislature to permit Monona to asses .005 of cent sales tax for this purpose.
We could all vote on it.
Monona's citizens would not pay the brunt of the tax."
Are you talking about the scholarship program? The one in Kalamazoo is funded by private donors. (It is also run through or in association with the schools, not the city.)
Do you really think the legislature would let Monona have an added sales tax?
If we can add tax to pay for a football field in Green Bay, we ought to be able to do it to fund education!
ReplyDeleteAnd, i agree. A brochure will get us nowhere. what a waste of money.
"Do you really think the legislature would let Monona have an added sales tax?"
ReplyDeleteWe would vote on it. It would only be the option. I bet we could make it .0025. Yes, Green Bay did it, brewers do it.
Heck, we all know the chair of JFC, right?
Hey, I'm late to the party, but I have one minor (major) concern:
ReplyDeleteThe "bike route" that has to detour around Monona Drive is horrible. The streets aren't great, and it takes you far away from the lake that you're riding around. Furthermore, Monona Drive is worse from a cyclist's perspective, no shoulder, potholes, and a very poor patching job done this spring. I've been advised by more than one person to just "ride on the sidewalk, it's better than getting killed".
Is there any possibility to routing the bike path over to Monona Drive (south of Olbrich Gardens at the light), and then widening that sidewalk so that it becomes a bike path between there and Winnequah? This is a common route for runners and walkers as it is the shortest distance around the lake, but is there any way this could be adapted for bikes?
At the very least, could this be kept in mind when the repaving of Monona Drive is being discussed, so that maybe a shoulder/bike lane could be added? It just seems that the "lake loop" is about 95% done, and the Monona Drive Bypass was thrown together as a band-aid.
Help?
Travis,
ReplyDeleteThis problem has been around for many years. About 15 years ago, Madison laid out the off-lake portion of the Lake Loop. Basically, the sidewalk is too narrow and has too many blind driveways to consider making an official bike route. Riding in the road on the Drive is not a good option either.
Phase 2 of Monona Drive is the north end from CG Road to Winnequah Road (2011 - maybe). I think that includes bike lanes and slightly widened sidewalk. That will still leave a gap from CG Road to Walter Street.