Local

MIDDLETON–Middleton Hills residents have always had to pick up letters at a nearby rented mailroom but they’re unhappy with the post office’s recent decision requiring them to pick up their parcels there, too.

For years, residents could count on the US Postal Service to deliver packages to their doorstep but last month, were informed that service is being discontinued due to staffing shortages, said Don Knorr, president of the Middleton Hills Neighborhood Association (MHNA).

Letter carriers are working 14-hour days, six days a week and some changes needed to be made to that unsustainable schedule, local postal officials said, according to Knorr.

Now, packages are piled on shelving in the mailbox the association rents from Erdman and Associates, developers of the 430-home residential subdivision.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council approved an amended and restated development agreement with T5 Real Estate for a planned four story, 65-unit apartment building at 6100 Lake Street, formerly Captain Bill’s restaurant. The amended agreement increases the amount of tax incremental financing (TIF) by nearly 25 percent. 

The original development agreement with T5 Real Estate was approved by the council in April 2022. The building is currently under construction. The developer requested additional TIF funds in light of higher costs than anticipated for TIF eligible components of the project.

DANE COUNTY–Dane County experienced a much higher number of motor vehicle crashes related to alcohol use during the first six months of this year, according to a new report from the Dane County Traffic Safety Commission (TSC). In total, 80 crashes from January to June involved alcohol use, compared to the previous five-year average of 57, a 41 percent increase. These include crashes resulting in injury or death.

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton Plan Commission approved a proposal to install sidewalks connecting to bus stops in the new Madison Metro bus route. The plan commission also approved the first in a series of new murals planned at Greenway Station.

The new bus route in Middleton, scheduled to begin operating in mid 2023, will entail four buses traveling north along Eagle Drive, east onto Murphy Drive, and south down Deming Way.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Mark Opitz explained that the city's comprehensive plan calls for bus stops that are accessible, safe, comfortable, and well-maintained. There are currently no sidewalks where the new bus stops will be located.

Opitz pointed out that there is a need to extend sidewalks throughout the business park, but staff recommend limiting sidewalk installation to the immediate bus route, and filling in the remaining gaps during road reconstruction projects.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council approved a 2022-24 sustainable city plan developed by the city’s sustainability committee. The new plan replaces the previous one adopted in 2010 setting new and updated goals.

Sustainability committee chair Kristie Pulvermacher presented the new plan highlighting some of the changes from the 2010 plan.

MIDDLETON–Decisions about applying certain COVID-19 mitigation protocols have shifted from school officials to families for the coming academic year, Middleton Cross Plains Area School District board members heard Monday.

Students and staff who have a fever, chills, loss of taste or smell, symptoms associated with COVID-19, are still urged to stay home or go home, said Kendra Deja, the district’s health services coordinator.

Many things will stay the same to keep students safe including, sanitizers in classrooms, health education courses will continue to stress COVID-19 prevention measures, HEPA filters will function in lunchrooms where people are unmasked, and special cleaning measures taken in classrooms where there’s been an outbreak.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Police Department told residents it is aware of information on social media reporting an attempted abduction near the Middleton High School on Aug. 22. The department is investigating an incident that occurred yesterday in the 2200 block of Parmenter Street; however, the information provided in the course of the investigation does not support that report.

MIDDLETON–If you travel down Elmwood Avenue, you may have noticed temporary structures to slow traffic in downtown Middleton. The structures are accompanied by signs, explaining the traffic calming experiment.

The first is a traffic circle at Middleton Street. Much like a roundabout, the street feature slows traffic while keeping traffic flow moving. Further east barricades, known as curb bubbles, on each side of the street narrow the roadway, slowing traffic.

City of Middleton Planning Intern Abdullahi Bihi has been leading up the project as part of his graduate course work in Urban and Regional Planning, and said the measures are known as “tactical urbanism.”

“’Tactical urbanism’ promotes low-cost, temporary changes intended to calm traffic and improve the safety of pedestrian and bicycles. The process is a response to Elmwood Avenue residents' concern about the way drivers are using the street,” Bihi explained.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council voted to approve a dollar amount of $770,000 for the upcoming referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot. The city is asking residents to support the referendum to primarily increase staffing in public safety and other departments and make wages more competitive to retain current staff. 

City Administrator Bryan Gadow presented three possible options for the council to consider at varying cost levels of $500,000, $770,000, and $1 million to meet the city’s needs and match the market salary levels for employee retention.

“Our recommendation to council would be to use the majority of funding of any of these three options to do an ECI [employment cost increase] of four percent to at least be semi-competitive with the market,” Gadow said. “Then any remaining funding would be available for new positions that have a strategic need.”

MIDDLETON–Prompted by continuing aircraft noise and overflight complaints, the Airport Commission last week recommended that the Middleton Common Council explore a land use ordinance for the Middleton Municipal Airport-Morey Field.

“We need to stop people moving next to the airport, if we can,” Commission Chair John Hallick said to open the discussion.

Whether the city does it in conjunction with the neighboring towns of Middleton and Springfield, “That’s up to the city…but this is something that the city can do,” Hallick said.

In the past several years, at least 40 homes have been built west of the airport under the flight pattern used on takeoff from the main runway, said Rich Morey, airport manager.

Development is expected to continue in the Town of Middleton between the end of the runway and the high-voltage transmission line to the west.