First of all I want to thank all of those who voted in the April 7, 1998 election, especially those of you who voted to keep me as the Second District representative on the County Board. It looks as though it will be another exciting two years. Although the margin between conservatives and progressives has been reduced, we have maintained the majority on the board. I believe this will be critical during the next couple of years. Land use will be the primary issue facing the Board and the County Executive and it is imperative that we have a strong voice in directing where development will occur.

In May, County Executive Kathleen Falk will be presenting her recommendations on future land use in Dane County. These recommendations have been formulated through an extensive process of eliciting input from any and all interested parties. The Land Use Workshops that drew over a thousand persons from all parts of the Dane County community; the Vision 2020 process, a policy framework that was developed through an extensive planning process and is supported by the County Board; the County Planning Department; and the Regional Planning Commission have all played an important role in the development of the recommendations.

Although the past two years have seen substantial growth in the population outside the City of Madison, a concerted effort has been made to contain that growth within the urban service areas identified in city, village and township land use plans. While it might not seem important to the folks in the Tenney/Lapham neighborhood, it is. Lack of strategic planning can result in more traffic through our neighborhoods and higher taxes for all of us.

I was very pleased to hear of the great turnout on the Yahara River Parkway Planning meeting. I would encourage Tenney/Lapham decision-makers to investigate the possible use of the BUILD program to help fund proposed activities in the Yahara Parkway. The BUILD program is available to local governments to assist in completing projects that include proposals to:

- Redevelop, rehabilitate, and preserve historic structures in a downtown;

- Redevelop part of a business district or commercial corridor to accommodate alternative forms of transportation and enhance nearby residential neighborhoods;

- Infill an area with pedestrian-friendly, mixed use development;

- Restore and provide for limited compatible development within an existing historical hamlet;

- Redevelop an obsolete, underutilized, and/or environmentally contaminated area.

This would require the Tenney/Lapham Neighborhood Association to work together with the city to develop a proposal for the Yahara Parkway.

The timetable for the BUILD program began in February of 1998 with the organization of the BUILD Committee. Requests for Proposals (RFP) will be developed and distributed to local governments in April with responses due in May. If there is interest in participating in the BUILD program, members of the Yahara River Parkway Committee or of the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association can contact Jeanne Sieling, Director of the Dane County Planning Department at 267-4122 for additional information.

Again thank you for your support and please share your concerns or questions with me. I can be reached at 255-8913.

- Supervisor Judy Wilcox


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