Local

MIDDLETON–Dane County and the City of Middleton announced that the Pheasant Branch Conservancy Corridor Trail repairs are complete after severe flooding in 2018 demolished sections of trail and bridges. The city and county celebrated the reopening on Aug. 10.

"We're so excited to have the Corridor Creek Trail open again and more resilient to future storm events," said Middleton Mayor Emily Kuhn. "We appreciate everyone's patience while the trail was closed and look forward to welcoming everyone back to this outdoor attraction.”

The Pheasant Branch Creek Conservancy consists of more than 300 acres of upland oak savanna and lowland wetland prairie. It is known for its shady trails, wooden footbridges and river steppingstones. The conservancy and trail has about 30,000 visitors a year.

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–Eighteen months into its contract with Pellitteri Waste Systems, the Town Board last week approved a long-term extension with the locally-owned firm.

Under the approved contract extension to 2031, the town would pay $17.20 per household for weekly trash and recycling pickup, which is $1 per household more than specified in the current five-year contract it approved in 2021.

Based on a static 2,417 households, the number of households the company currently services, the contract would yield $156,573 in savings by 2031 in contrast to the charges included in the initial five-year contract, according to Pellitteri.

The extension continues the same services and conditions, including large item pickup, which requires residents to contact Pellitteri in advance and prepay for the service.

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton Plan Commission set a public hearing for Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. for an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan. The proposed amendment would be the second since the plan was overhauled in early 2021.

A city’s comprehensive plan establishes a long-term growth framework with broad policy recommendations and urban development strategies. The second amendment would include several changes that shift the city’s development strategies and reflect changing community goals. 

Changes to the plan include:

Create and adopt a University Avenue Corridor Plan to encourage increased densities, cross access and parking easements to bring the corridor to a more human scale, increase walkability and establish a less auto centric focus along the thoroughfare. The University Avenue Corridor Plan was adopted by the council on May 3, 2022.

The Middleton Police Department and EMS competed against the Middleton Fire District in the annual Battle of the Badges softball game and fundraiser at Firefighter’s Memorial Park. The morning of Aug. 12 started with a 5k run, followed by the game and silent auction. This year’s honoree is Jesus Carranza Saldana who was diagnosed with high-risk B-cell Leukemia. Carranza Saldana is currently recieveing treatment.

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton Plan Commission approved a rezoning request and general building plan for a seven-story, mixed-use building in Greenway Center. The plan commission also reviewed and provided feedback on a conceptual proposal for a 12-story residential building in Greenway and a six-story, mixed-use building on Allen Boulevard.

The rezoning request and general implementation plan recommended for approval by the common council calls for a demolition of the existing two office buildings (the Ponds Buildings) at 8309 and 8313 Greenway Blvd. and construction of a seven-story mixed-use building. The project would include five stories of residential units above two stories of parking and commercial space. There would be 249 total residential units, 4,800 square feet of commercial/retail space, and 353 parking spaces. All the parking would be covered and there will be no surface level parking stalls.

MIDDLETON–A ceremony for the Mill Apartments was held in Middleton on July 12, marking the construction of the 52-unit complex that will offer 80 percent of its units for affordable housing.

The Mill Apartments are under construction at 6908 Century Ave. which positions the units close to shopping, parks and schools, as well as being on the bus route. 

The Madison Development Corporation (MDC), a 45-year-old, non-profit organization, is heading up the project. The units will be available for working families and individuals. MDC says its mission is to “provide quality workforce housing in the region. “They currently own and manage 76 units on Allen Boulevard in Middleton. 

"This project has been a collaborative effort between MDC and the city to bring more workforce housing to Middleton. These 52 units are well-placed. They’re on a transit corridor, they’re next to a grocery store, and they’re in a great school system,” said Middleton Mayor Emily Kuhn.

MIDDLETON–Two people in Middleton’s were robbed while walking down the sidewalk last weekend. 

On July 15 at 10:09 p.m., the Middleton Police Department responded to a report of an armed robbery that had just occurred near the intersection of N. Gateway Street and Charing Cross Lane.  

An adult male and a 16-year-old female were on a walk when they were confronted by a male suspect who emerged from some bushes near the sidewalk. The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded the victim’s wallet. The victims were not injured, and the suspect fled in an unknown direction from the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect is described as a thin black male in his 30s, approximately 6 feet tall, with “cornrow” style hair and a short beard.  He was wearing long black pants and a plain black t-shirt.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council discussed firearm safety and secure storage and adopted a proclamation on working to reduce gun violence in the community. 

The council viewed a presentation from the local chapter of the gun safety advocacy group called BeSMART. Mara Terras, a mother and medical doctor who leads the local group, informed council members that firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the nation and Wisconsin.  

“Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children in the United States,” Terras said. “It surpasses motor vehicles, drowning, suffocation, cancer; and just as our society has chosen to take a comprehensive public health approach to reducing the harms from motor vehicles, we think that we need to take a similar approach to reducing the harms of firearms in our communities.”

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–By a 3-2 vote Monday, the town board denied a permit for a 100-dog kennel at Meadow Road near Valley View Road on the town’s southern boundary with the city of Madison.

Town Chair Cynthia Richson and Board Supervisors David Bryce and Ken Opin voted to deny Dan and Marlene La Fleur’s request to turn a 20,000-square-foot horse barn into a dog boarding kennel. Supervisors Tom Stemrich and Richard Oberle voted in favor of the facility.

The Conditional-Use Permit request now goes to the Dane County Board of Supervisors, which next meets at 7 p.m. on July 20, for a final decision.

The La Fleurs have operated a horse boarding facility on a 15-acre property for more than 20 years while subdivisions filled in open areas around it.

Homes in the town nearest the proposed kennel are approximately 385 feet to the north and 240 feet to the northeast.

MIDDLETON–A Middleton Public Works employee was terminated after an internal investigation by the city revealed that the employee had been running a business out of the city’s maintenance facility for more than a decade.

Ryan Madigan was accused not only of running his snowplow business from the Municipal Operations Center (MOC), but also of stealing fuel and snow shovels from the premises. A fellow employee brought the matter to the city’s attention through an email sent to Middleton City Administrator Bryan Gadow, mayor Gurdip Brar, common council president Kathy Olson and HR manager Brian Wolhaupter in February. The employee attached nine videos he had taken at the MOC, which showed Madigan moving gas cans and shop equipment in and out of his personal vehicles. The video was taken with a hidden trail camera the employee had placed in the building.