Monthly Archives: August 2013

City Officials to Inaugurate Central Park Construction

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Soglin, Rummel, and Park Director to conduct kickoff ceremony today

Bulldozers have been at the site of Central Park all week as construction finally begins on Phase I of the project

Bulldozers have been at the site of Central Park all week as construction finally begins on Phase I of the project

Earth moving crews were at the corner of East Wilson and Ingersoll Streets this week prepping for the installation of the restroom building which is part of Phase I of the Central Park project. The long term goal of building a community park and greenway along the East Isthmus Rail Corridor stagnated recently due to funding; but the project is moving forward again.

City of Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, District 6 Alder Marsha Rummel, Madison Parks Department Director Kevin Briski, and other city officials will host a kickoff event at 2 p.m today at the site to celebrate the project finally getting underway.  Continue reading →

Rail Corridor Street Closings Sent Back for ‘Do Over’

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Dane County Judge says OCR did not fully explain decision

A Judge has asked the Office of the Commissioner of Rail Roads to reexamine his ruling to close crossings at Livingston and Brearly Streets.

A Judge has asked the Office of the Commissioner of Rail Roads to reexamine his ruling to close crossings at Livingston and Brearly Streets.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi has remanded the City of Madison’s appeal of the closing of two rail road crossings at Livingston and Brearly Streets. State Commissioner of Railroads Jeff Plale had ruled last year that the two crossings should close to address safety concerns. The City contended that there hadn’t been an accident in 40 years and the closures would substantially inhibit traffic flow on the Near East Side

In an email to various City officials City Attorney Steven Brist wrote that Judge Sumi asked the commissioner to re-examine his decision, and added some instructions. The commissioner is to fully explain his reasoning to increase the number of street closures to two, from the one recommended by a hearing examiner in February 2012.

Continue reading →

Help Your Friends In The Heat

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Madison issues guidance for public to protect against heat-related illness

The Mayor’s Office distributed the following information to Alders today to share with residents regarding options for those with inadequate cooling options or none at all.

The letter form Katie Crawley of the Mayor’s Office outlined which community agencies and public spaces would be open to heat refugees:

Although temperatures are certainly giving us a break today, I wanted to keep you in the loop on heat issues.  As you know there are releases and reminders that went out yesterday.  With the heat forecast to extend into the weekend, I know Fire, Public Health and others will continue to stress the importance of getting into cooler locations during the day to lower core  body temperatures.  The temperatures will be low enough throughout the night to be safe.

There are many public buildings that serve as cooling centers without a formal designation.  Those would include of course the City County Building and MMB, but also all public libraries and Senior Centers.  There are also shopping malls, movie theaters, churches and other facilities that are open for use.  Continue reading →

Cycropia’s Enchanting Evening

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Circus Quercus amazes and delights Family Night at Orton Park

Luv Joy Seamon (center) and two other Cycropia performers during the opening act of Circus Quercus on Family Night at the Orton Park Festival, August, 22, 2013.

Luv Joy Seamon (center) and two other Cycropia performers during the opening act of Circus Quercus on Family Night at the Orton Park Festival, August, 22, 2013.

Several thousand people, most of them families, gathered under the grand oak next to the Orton Park gazebo to watch Cycropia’s salute to the trees of the park and the modern circus movement with their performance of Circus Quercus.

Crycropia uses various rings, trapezes, and custom-made metal apparatuses adorned with colorful silks and suspended from trees in their performances. Thursday (August 22) was a veritable mid-summer night’s dream as theater-style lighting allowed the performers to fade in and out of the darkness like one had happened upon playful forest creatures in a clearing on a glorious summer evening.

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Paul Howard Poberezny, EAA Founder Dies

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Poberezny perfected crowdsourcing for aircraft homebuilders before it was cool

The man who built a whole movement around aircraft homebuilding and recreational flying as the founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Paul Poberezny, died this morning (August 22) in Oshkosh.

For Aviation, Poberezny came along at just the right time. It was January 1953 and the post-war boom was in full swing as the United States was in the final months of its hot war with North Korea. There was a glut of World War Two pilots and more would be coming home soon from Asia.

Aircraft makers like Piper and Cessna were doing a brisk business, putting pilots in small aircraft, but not everyone could afford the equivalent of a luxury car. Poberezny saw this and found a way for the tinkerer generation to discover flying in a most accessible and affordable way; build the airplane yourself.

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The Festival Among The Quercus

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Orton Park Fest organizers fine-tune event but neighbor concerns linger

Anders Osborn during last year's Orton Park Festival.

Anders Osborne during last year’s Orton Park Festival.

For the forty-eighth time the Marquette Neighborhood and all their friends from beyond will gather under the stately oaks of Orton Park for the festival that bears its name and is emblematic of the people who live here. The Festival, which is put on by the Marquette Neighborhood Association, runs from Thursday through Sunday (August 22-25) featuring an aerial dance troupe, cake walk, auction, and three days of live music from local, regional and touring bands.

From the outside the festival will not be much different from past years, however behind the scenes there has been a reshuffling of responsibilities as longtime director Bob Queen retired last year from his leadership role. Taking over the helm is MNA Vice President Ralph Kuehn who cut his teeth in event organizing through his membership in the Madison Home Brewers and Tasters Guild and their annual event The Great Taste of the Midwest.

Continue reading →