Local

MIDDLETON–The once continuous whirl of sump pumps at some homes in the Hidden Oaks subdivision has been largely silenced credited by drier weather and efforts by the city of Middleton.

Sump pumps ran continuously after the August 2018 flood in many damp basements in the 120 homes in this far west subdivision. Hidden Oaks residents could see Glacial Lake Middleton swell just to the south, as the flood knocked out the pump that once lifted water over a berm before it flowed into a culvert under USH 14.

That prompted Ald. Luke Fuszard, a Hidden Oaks resident, to petition in 2019 to reactivate the long dormant Drainage District 19, formed 100-plus years prior, to improve agriculture production in lands bordering Black Earth Creek.

Hidden Oaks homeowners hoped the district would lower the level of Glacial Lake Middleton and reduce the time their sump pumps operated.

MIDDLETON–Property owners in the City of Middleton will soon receive letters from the City Assessor concerning the citywide revaluation process for 2022. All properties will be assessed.

The letters will include a survey of rental income and expenses for leased commercial property. The income and expense information will be kept confidential and be used solely by the assessor for establishing property values using the income approach. Residential properties are generally assessed using a comparable sales approach.

“All property owners will be receiving notices of changes in assessment this year. As a whole, the city’s assessments were at about 85 percent of market in 2021. The goal for the revaluation is to bring the average assessment level to 100 percent of market,” said city finance director Bill Burns. 

The last property revaluation was for the 2018 assessment and tax year.

Residential Property Valuation

DANE COUNTY–Voters in the Spring Election offered up little surprise Tuesday when they went to the polls.

An upset came in Middleton when longtime city councilwoman Susan West was beat out by newcomer Lisa Janairo in the District 6 race. Janairo brought in 65.1 percent of the vote, with West taking 34.6 percent.

In a statement, Janairo said, “It’s an incredible honor to have the voters of District 6 select me to be their new representative on Middleton’s Common Council. I owe my election to a number of highly engaged volunteers and supporters who believed in me and who agreed that it was time for a change. I commend Alder Susan West for running a competitive race. She deserves our appreciation for devoting so many years to public service for the benefit of our city.

MIDDLETON–Five years after it purchased a lot at Hubbard Avenue and Aurora Street, the City of Middleton held a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday for the Stone Horse Green project, a downtown, outdoor entertainment and gathering venue.

On hand were a host of contributors, contractors, Friends of Stone Horse Green, city staff and Mayor Gurdip Brar who said the location will become a destination for “downtown and the city.”

“There will be music, dancing and a place to socialize that will make downtown a vibrant place,” he said on the bright, chilly morning.

The lot, which was once occupied by four buildings, was purchased from the T. Wall Enterprises for approximately $1.2 million, leveled and fund raising began which amassed $1.6 million, according to the stonehousegreen.org website.

Brar called finding private funds for the project one of the “biggest challenges” but some of the community’s largest companies came through with contributions.

MIDDLETON–Safe Communities Madison-Dane County presented results of a traffic safety study in Area 3A–the City of Middleton and Town of Middleton–conducted by the organization, which also polled other Dane County Communities.

Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne led the two-hour presentation and discussion with community members, most of whom had not taken the survey. She said 79 city residents and eight town residents completed the survey.

Data collected from accidents reports was presented in addition to survey results and participates were asked to add other traffic issues or locations they felt were safety concerns.

MIDDLEBURY, VT–Former Middleton resident Cecile Druzba was killed by a driver under the influence of drugs in Vermont on March 22, 2019, as she and her brother, Jacques Marton, were on their way to a celebration of life for their mother in New York. On March 22, three years to the day after her death, the driver who caused the crash, which occurred just 30 minutes from the Druzba’s home, Ian Labounty, was sentenced to two years, 10 months in prison and 10 years probation.

The police report outlined that he had passed out at the wheel, crossing the center line on Route 22A near South Burlington, VT, hitting Cecile’s car head. Cecile was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Labounty and Jacques were not seriously injured in the collision. 

IRON COUNTY–A 30-year-old Middleton woman was reported missing on March 30 after she went on a hiking trip in Iron County in northern Wisconsin and did not return.

According to a press release by the Iron County Sheriff’s Office dated April 1, the agency was contacted by the Middleton Police Department (MIPD) stating the woman had not returned from the hiking trip. The last contact with the woman was on March 26 when she was at Potato River Falls near Gurney.

Deputies in Iron County found the vehicle that was described by the MIPD in a parking area at Potato River Falls. They provided this information to MIPD, and a search began for the woman.

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton will ask voters to approve a referendum on the fall ballot to support raising property taxes up to $500,000 annually to support hiring additional police officers and potentially other city staff. The levy would be indefinite and depend upon funding needs from year to year. 

Municipalities holding referendums for staffing and maintaining services have become increasingly common in Wisconsin over the last decade as the state has imposed limitations on tax levies while other revenue sources have not kept pace with inflation or growth.

Finance Director and Assistant City Administrator Bill Burns explains how Middleton has been impacted by levy limits and how that has led the city to rely on referendums for additional revenue. 

MIDDLETON–Increased density, more diverse transportation modes and improved aesthetics are envisioned in a long-term plan for the University Avenue Corridor finalized Monday.

Bordered by Parmenter Street, Allen Boulevard, Franklin Avenue and Elmwood Avenue and Old Middleton Road, the University Avenue Corridor Branch is 1.5 miles long, encompasses 142 acres and is a key gateway to the city.

The corridor also has 19 business vacancies and traffic congestion from about 20,000 vehicle trips a day, west of Allen Boulevard, and 10,000 more vehicles by 2040.

SFP Consulting Group, of Middleton, began in July to develop a plan that would make the corridor less “auto-centric” and more pedestrian friendly.

Ideas for the plan were generated from a citizen survey, an open house and an ad hoc committee. Four main themes emerged from the process:

• Improve pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle safety

• Encourage diverse redevelopment

MIDDLETON-On March 17 at 12:03 p.m. Middleton Police officers responded to a rollover crash on University Avenue at the West Beltline overpass. During the investigation, officers learned the crash was the result of a road rage incident involving two cars. The driver of the vehicle on scene suffered minor injuries. The other vehicle, described as a silver Honda, fled the scene. The Middleton Police Department is looking for witnesses to the crash. 

If you have any information or were witness to this incident, please contact the Middleton Police Department at 608-824-7300, Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014, or on the web at p3tips.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can remain anonymous.