Local

MIDDLETON–School board members and district administrators got a first look Monday at the three-phase upgrade in progress to Otto Breitenbach Stadium at Middleton High School (MHS).

Phase I which will add locker rooms, coaches and training offices, restrooms, and expand concessions and the ticketing office should be completed by mid-June, said Brian Hornung, chief operating officer of Findorff Construction, the project’s prime contractor.

The L-shaped structure has been under construction along part of the south side and west sides of the football field for nearly a year and it promises to be a major upgrade for athletes and fans.

Football players won’t have to dress in MHS locker rooms and walk to the stadium but will dress in new, larger facilities. Also, training facilities will be closer to athletes needing medical attention during games, Hornung said.

MADISON–Pleasant View Road is closed at the Quarry Road Intersection and will remain until noon on May 26. There will be no access to Quarry Road from Pleasant View Road during this time. However, temporary access will be provided to local businesses.

Installation of deep sanitary sewer, water and storm water mains require the closure during the Pleasant View Road widening project.

The work operations requiring the closure is to install deep sanitary sewer, water main, and storm sewer lines.

Timber Wolf Trail's entrance at Pleasant View Road was closed beginning May12 through late August as the project begins Stage 2 construction from Timber Wolf Trail to Blackhawk Road along the west side of the street.

Pleasant View Road will remain open to Greenway Boulevard. Stage 1 construction continues on Pleasant View Road from Blackhawk Road to the Pleasant View Golf Course driveway.

MIDDLETON–After more than 40 years, Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) is getting a new name–WayForward Resources.

“We have been talking about this for 10 years,” stated WayForward Resources Executive Director Ellen Carlson, who said the name is intended to remove barriers in supporting residents who need assistance.

She said the name sometimes confused people in West Madison and Cross Plains because it has Middleton in the title.

“When we would say our name to new clients it was very confusing to them and our referral services. We also had people asking us about church services because ministry was in our name,” said Carlson. 

The organization felt it was a good time to pursue the change and began the process months ago by hiring a consultant. The consultant surveyed and interviewed both clients of the facility as well as stakeholders.

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–A proposed 50-dog daycare facility went to the Dane County Board of Supervisors Monday without a town recommendation on a 2-2 vote by the Town Board.

Dan and Marlene La Fleur’s Four Paws Pet Services, LLC currently boards about a dozen horses on 15 acres on the town’s southwest side near Meadow and Valley View roads.

Initially, they wanted to convert the 20,000-square-foot horse stable at 3440 Meadow Rd. to a 400-dog daycare and offer overnight boarding, grooming, training, and veterinarian services.

The La Fleur’s request for a Conditional-Use Permit went before the county’s Zoning & Land Regulation Committee last month with county zoning staff recommending that the proposed operation be limited to 50 dogs on site at a time.

However, on April 25, the ZLR postponed a decision because the town hadn’t acted on it yet.

On April 18, the town’s Plan Commission recommended a 100-dog or small animal limit.

City Council Approves $3.7 Million in Two TIF Agreements 

By Cameron Bren

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council approved two developer agreements to provide tax incremental financing (TIF) assistance totaling more than $3.7 million. If the proposals go forward most of the assistance would go to a mixed-use development in Greenway Center and a smaller portion to an office building on N. High Point Road.

The mixed-use development in Greenway Center would replace the existing two-story office buildings with a single, five-story mixed-use building, including structured parking. It would include 180-200 residential units and 7,000-10,000 square feet of commercial space built in a horseshoe shape wrapped around a courtyard.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Mayor Emily Kuhn and the Common Council will be tasked with appointing a new alder to District 4 at its next meeting on May 16. The seat was left vacant when Kuhn was elected mayor in April. Kuhn will make the appointment, which then must be approved by the majority of the council.

The seat has generated interest from four citizens who want to serve as city alder: Jenifer Cole, Todd Kalish, Kathleen (Kate) Schneider-Braus and Tom Yost.

Jenifer Cole works for the Wisconsin Department of Administration and has Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Gender Studies and a Master of Public Affairs degrees.

She lists her personal interests as: Public affairs, public policy, community and organizational leadership, walking my dogs in Lakeview Park and enjoying Middleton’s many great restaurants and businesses.

MADISON–A Dane County judge Monday dismissed a challenge to the construction of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek (CHC) powerline brought by municipalities, counties and environmental organizations opposed to the Dubuque-to-Town of Middleton transmission line.

In upholding the Public Service Commission’s 2019 decision, Circuit Judge Jacob Frost, in a 30-page order wrote:

“This Court understands and respects the massive impacts a major project of this nature holds for the State and the serious concerns its opponents raise. However, applying the legal standards, the PSC properly conducted itself in granting the CPCN (Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity) at issue. For all these reasons, I affirm.”

The 102-mile-long powerline was the most contested project the PSC had considered and after issuing its October 2019 decision, it was challenged in state and federal court.

Town Defers In-Person Meetings Decision Until May

By Kevin Murphy

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–A decision to return to in-person meetings was deferred Monday by the Town of Middleton Board until late May.

With the exception of the Board of Review, the town board, committees and commission meetings have been held virtually since March 2020, after a public emergency declared in response to the Covid pandemic.

While some municipalities have returned to in-person meetings while continuing the Zoom or virtual option, the town doesn’t have the staff or technology to conduct such hybrid meetings, said Town Chair Cynthia Richson.

Town Attorney Eileen Brownlee has advised Richson that with the federal public health emergency ending on May 11, elected officials should probably return to in-person meetings.

Board Supervisor David Bryce, M.D., a pain medicine specialist, wants to continue the virtual meetings for now.

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton Plan Commission reviewed a concept proposal that would turn a residential lot at 6706 Century Ave. into a beer garden. The plan commission provided feedback to the applicant but did not take any other action.

Sven Krause presented his concept proposal for the Good Neighbor Garden to the plan commission. 

Krause explained the site would be a destination for pedestrians in the area. There would be no on-site park and there is limited street parking along Old Creek Rd. Krause said the site would serve the residential housing in the area and ongoing development.

MIDDLETON–On April 24, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) plans to begin changing traffic patterns on Allen Blvd. near Marshall Park. The traffic shift is needed to create a safe work zone for repairs to a major sewer line. While MMSD does not anticipate interruption of sanitary sewer service to customers, the work zone will affect traffic until about July 24.

From May 3-June 30, both southbound lanes of Allen Boulevard will be closed, and southbound traffic will be shifted east of the median islands for two-way traffic on the east half of Allen Boulevard. The Lakeview Blvd. intersection will be closed to all traffic except for limited access to nearby apartments. Bus traffic will be maintained but stop locations will be moved a little. Please allow some extra time when traveling through this work zone this summer.