JAY ALLEN for Fitchburg

Police Department Food Drive

Jay Allen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:09:00 EST

The Fitchburg Police Department has begun its annual food drive. You may view the flyer here:

http://www.fitchburgjay.com/FoodDriveFlyer2009.pdf

If you are able to contribute anything, please do so. There are a lot of families in need right now. If you are not able to get to the Police Department to deliver your contributions, please let me know. I will be going around the City on November 27, and will happily stop by your house to pick up the items you have. You need not be home for me to pick them up. You can just leave them outside. Either email me, post a reply to my blog on my website, or post a reply to the food drive topic on my Facebook page, and I will come to your home on November 27.

Thanks to all of you who are able to contribute to this important event.

The Anderberg House

Jay Allen — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:23:00 EST

Good day. Last night, the Council approved a new ordinance regarding the issuance of demolition permits. They now require Plan Commission and Common Council approval, and the Plan Commission must review the historical significance of the structure to be demolished. In addition the applicant must provide a detailed plan for the re-use of the property. In addition, the Council passed a moratorium on the issuance of new demolition permits until the new ordinance takes effect on Saturday. The Alexander Company took out a demolition permit in January for the two houses on the Drumlin Farm site. Our ordinance requires that demolition must commence within six months or the permit lapses. That would have taken the permit into the middle of July. They did not commence any demolition, therefore, the permit they obtained in January is no longer valid. Today, upon recognizing this, the Alexander Company brought in applications for new demolition permits. Those applications will be returned with a note explaining that we are not accepting applications until the new ordinance takes effect.

The Demise of the Fitchburg Star

Jay Allen — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:12:00 EST

All good things must come to end, or so the saying goes.

After almost 35 years, the Fitchburg Star will be ceasing publication. I will tell you that I have mixed feelings about this.

Henry Schroeder ran the paper well. He was a local businessman, with local connections, and really cared about the local community. Eventually, it was time for him to retire, and he sold the group, which included the Verona Free Press, the Oregon Observer, and the Stoughton Courier Hub to Woodward Communications, and Iowa-based company. The Fitchburg office of the newspaper was closed, and all infrastructure was relocated to Oregon or Verona. Eventually, the decision was made to severely limit distribution of the free newspaper, to the point that it became largely irrelevant.

Despite whatever acumen the owners of Woodward Communications claim to have, they refused to exercise it in their operation of the Fitchburg Star. They operated it as a free newspaper, mailed to a minority of residential addresses in the City of Fitchburg. For a company like mine, advertising became a waste. They refused to invest in improving the newspaper, so it is really no surprise that it has become an economic liability.

The City will continue its efforts to make City information more accessible. We are now live-streaming Council and Plan Commission meetings, and they are archived online. We are looking at changes to our newsletter which will make more information available in a more timely manner. We will be making changes to our website.

I am also making changes to this site. In a few weeks, a discussion forum will be available, and I will be posting blog entries more often.

Times are changing, and newspapers are struggling all over the country. The Fitchburg Star, being the latest victim of corporate mismanagement, will be soon forgotten, I'm sure. But the City still goes on. Please take advantage of the sources of information available to you, and watch for more. There are many things happening, and you will want to know about them.

Goodbye Fitchburg Star. Your demise is not a reflection on the City of Fitchburg, but a repudiation of the bad management of your owners. The City goes on and will succeed where Woodward Communications proved to be an utter failure.

Library Public Input Meeting

Jay Allen — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:06:00 EST

Good day!

September 15 will be the first public input meeting on the Fitchburg Public Library. An advertisement can be downloaded here. This is a critical meeting, as it is the first opportunity to add your thoughts to the conceptual design phase. After this point, changes will be harder to make, as the intent is to have a working design by early December. If you have thoughts about the Library, please make every effort to attend this meeting.

Controversy

Jay Allen — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:51:00 EST

As I close in on my first 100 days in office, we have accomplished a lot of good things. We have begun to address some of the major capital projects which have been neglected by previous administrations. We now post draft minutes to the website within a few days of the meetings. We are making progress toward having our entire agenda packets available for download. We now stream Council, Plan Commission, and Committee of the Whole meetings on the internet. We held the first town hall meeting in over a decade.

However, a rather intense controversy is brewing. The City has been interviewing construction managers for the library project. It came down to two choices: Tri-North, from Fitchburg, and Mortenson Construction from Minneapolis.

At this juncture, I do not have all the details. I was not part of the selection committee. However, I do know that the committee, by a 3-2 vote, selected Mortenson. On Tuesday, July 14, Paul Woodard will have a memo to the Council explaining the process, and his perceptions of why the committee did what it did. I am looking forward to reading that letter.

Since this news went out, I have been contacted by two dozen people who are very unhappy that we are not going with the local company. At this juncture, I am really torn. Tri-North has done a lot here. They built a great green building, which has added to the tax base. They employ a lot of people who make good wages. There must have been something in the materials which caused the selection committee to lean toward Mortenson.

I will be looking more into this, and I hope to have information to report soon. In the meantime, I would appreciate hearing what your thoughts are regarding this situation. Please let me know.

It's been a while

Jay Allen — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:22:00 EST

Well, it's been a while since I have been able to post here. Things have been quite busy, but we have taken off running, and many improvements are happening.

I have two things to let you know about right now:

1. The 2010-2014 Capital Improvement Plan is now posted to our website. This is the first time in City history that this document has been made available in this manner. To download, please go here:
http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/index.php
Scroll down about 3/4 of the way. It is in six bite-sized pieces. Proposed amendments will be posted as soon as they are available, sometime around July 16.
2. The Council passed a resolution to form a Complete Count Committee for the US Census. I am looking for people to serve on this committee. The purpose of this committee is to do community outreach to ensure that all Fitchburg residents are counted in the census. This is absolutely critical, as we are near the point where we will be eligible for certain external funding sources which are based on population. The areas for which I need representatives are as follows:
Chairperson, Education, Faith-based Organizations, Media, Community-based Organizations, Business, Recruiting, Home Schooling, Multi-Cultural
For more information, please download this document:
http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/cccGuide.pdf
If you would like to join this committee, please email me.

The first week

Jay Allen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:45:00 EST

Well, the last 10 days have been very busy!

My official swearing in was on Monday, April 13. On Tuesday and Thursday, I started having short meetings with department heads to talk a bit about where I see the next two years heading. April 14 was my last meeting as a Fitchburg Common Council member. Looking back, I am really happy to see the things that I have been able to work on. Rent abatement, several neighborhood plans, the telecommunications ordinance, Chapter 1, etc. For most people, it is all kind of dry. But these things really are the things that energize me.

I have been able to meet with the mayors of Sun Prairie, Middleton, and Verona. More meetings like that are on the way. On Tuesday, I had several meetings during the day. In the evening, the new Council and I had our ceremonial swearing in, and I chaired my first Council meeting as Mayor. Andy Potts was again elected Council president, and we made a bunch of committee appointments. Then, I chaired my first Plan Commission meeting as Mayor. Today, we had a great meeting about Green-Tech Village, and I am looking forward to a number of public meetings regarding that process.

Next week will be the first regular meeting of the new Council. This is an exciting time. We have a number of big things all coming together at the same time. Green-Tech Village, a new library, the fire station siting study, the senior center/recreation study...and many other things. We have a lot of work to do, but we have an incredible group of people to do it. Look for this to be a very productive Council. As always, feel free to contact me anytime.

My calendar is now posted on the City's website. If you go to the home page, there is a button on the left that says, "Mayor's Calendar". You will be able to see who I am meeting with, when, and a brief description. If you would like to meet with me about a city issue, please contact Marcie Rekowski at 608-270-4213.

Election Wrapup

Jay Allen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:36:00 EST

Well, after four long months, almost $10,000, dozens of volunteers, over 100 yard signs, letters to the editor, and knocking on 1400 doors, the election is now over.

I want to thank all of you who worked on my campaign for Fitchburg Mayor. We won, and there is no way this victory would have happened without you. The real work now begins.

I have dozens of committee positions that will need to be filled. In the next few days, I hope to have a complete list available, and I would like to have them filled as quickly as possible.

Over the next two years, there are many things that need to be done. I will need your help then, as always.

One last note...Mark Vivian is a good man. He did and said some things in this campaign that he should not have. Regardless, he still deserves your respect, and I ask that my supporters treat him as you would anyone else. The City needs to be unified and must come together over the shared values that we have. Our success depends on it.

Thanks again, everyone!

Wow!

Jay Allen — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:05:00 EST

Whenever faced with an absurd allegation, there is an immediate desire to want to squash it in its tracks and shut it down. However, in this case, it seems better for it to be put out for all to see.

My opponent has sent out a letter accusing me of aiding and abetting some people with "terrorist ties." Of all the things I have been accused of over the years, this one has got to be near the apex of absurdity.

Bill Lueders of Isthmus has written a complete article about Mr. Vivian's allegations here.

I would like to address a few specific things in his letter:

Badger School

In the 2009-2013 Capital Improvement Plan, I had included a line item for the acquisition of the Badger School. This building is on a five-acre parcel, located within the City of Madison, adjacent to the Southdale Neighborhood that will be part of Fitchburg sometime before 2022. The purpose was to operate a neighborhood center for the area. During the discussions held, it appeared that the City of Madison would be willing to help fund the operation of the center.

This proposal was predicated on two things: A commitment by a local organization to operate the center, and a fundraising campaign to pay for it. I held several meetings last fall, and the result was that there was no organization that was willing to operate it. Without an operator, it is not possible to raise funds for a purchase, so the proposal has been dropped.

Drumlin Garden

The Drumlin Garden is in the City of Fitchburg. It happens to be the site of the Anderberg House. On January 14, the Historical Society sent a letter to The Alexander Company, expressing their desire to preserve the house. On January 16, The Alexander Company applied for a demolition permit for the house. While they have not demolished it, they could at any time. After hearing of this, I sent a letter to Randy Alexander. I have never received a response to that letter. To slow down what appeared to be an inevitable demolition, I introduced a resolution with its associated referral sheet to use eminent domain to protect the house and the ground that it sits on.

The purpose of this resolution was really two-fold. The first was to get an actual appraised value for the property. The current Mayor has been throwing a number around, but since the Alexander Company hasn’t stated a price, this number isn’t official. The City is working with the Madison Area Community Land Trust and with the Dane County Conservation Fund to put together a funding package. However, as of now, we are still waiting to get a real price. As of today, we have none, and thus, we have not been able to put together a funding package.

The second purpose was to have a real discussion about the sale of the property with Alexander Company. Those discussions have started, and seem to be progressing well. Alexander Company has a number of non-monetary concerns. The Madison Area Community Land Trust is currently trying to work through those. It is possible that satisfactory resolution of those issues will compel Alexander Company to come to a favorable agreement with the City of Fitchburg. But none of that happens without having the discussion. It should be noted that, because of the positive direction the discussions have taken, the eminent domain resolution has been tabled indefinitely.

Maybe the discussions succeed, maybe they fail. As a leader, I would prefer to have a discussion that fails than to not have the conversation at all.

An item of note...Since we are working with the Madison Area Community Land Trust, they will be the operator of the community garden, should an agreement be reached. In addition their intention would be to use the Anderberg House as an office and a community education facility. The current tenants would not be living there in the future, even if the property is acquired. The notion that the City is trying to protect these tenants from eviction is simply untrue. Neither the City nor me are involved in the landlord-tenant situation. I am not sure where that came from.

From what I understand, some organization called Food Not Bombs held some sort of protest at a building owned by Alexander Company. The protest was apparently in support of the Drumlin Garden. I had never heard of this group before. As for the terrorist connections, the voters can make their own judgment. I did ask our police chief, Tom Blatter, to check into this allegation. He ran this organization through the various crime reporting agencies that he has access to, and the worst thing he could find about Food Not Bombs is that they sometimes distribute food without a proper permit. Otherwise, they are not on any "watch list" that Chief Blatter can find.

Until yesterday, I considered Mark Vivian a friend. We did not agree on every issue, but he did endorse me for Mayor in 2005 and wrote this letter to his supporters. I cannot fathom how his campaign has taken this wrong turn. This is not the work of the Mark Vivian that I know. I hope that the one I know comes back soon.

The Forum that Almost Was

Jay Allen — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:10:00 EST

As some of you know, the Fitchburg Star was intending to sponsor a mayoral candidate forum on March 27 at 5:00. Kurt Gutknecht, the local reporter, had checked with the two candidates, and we were both able to attend. He also checked with City Hall, and was told that the Council Chambers was available for this event. So, in the March 19 issue of the Fitchburg Star, you will see a front page blurb advertising the forum.

The forum is officially cancelled.

Today (March 18), Kurt and the candidates received this email from City Hall:

"I have had to cancel the March 27th debate that you requested. I have not been through this process before and actually the Council Chamber use is only authorized for local organizations, not individuals or Businesses. The City wants FACTv to sponsor a forum on the open 5th Tuesday March 31, 2009.

You are welcome to submit questions via FACTv email."

This email was sent by the City's administrative assistant, but I want to make it clear that she is not responsible for this. This decision was made by someone else. She is just the messenger, so no one should hold her responsible for this.

This is a curious email. First of all, in nearly 16 years as an elected representative, I have never seen "the City" take a position on who should sponsor a candidate forum. I also have never seen the City "cancel" a candidate forum. There must be some person who made this decision. The Common Council was not consulted, and the City Administrator has been unavailable because of a family medical emergency. So I am curious to find out who it actually was that made this decision.

Second, it is of note that numerous candidate forums have been held in the Council Chambers. All the forums that I am aware of have been sponsored by other organizations, including the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, the Dane County Public Affairs Council, and the League of Women Voters. I suppose the local newspaper is a "business", but so is the Chamber of Commerce. Neither the LWV or Dane County Public Affairs Council are "local", so it is unclear to me how the distinction is made. As far as I know, the Council has never discussed or voted on any guidelines for Council Chamber usage.

Third, regardless of my participation, I think it is completely inappropriate for the taxpayers of the City of Fitchburg to "sponsor" a political debate. I cannot fathom how anyone would have thought this was a good idea.

Fourth, "the City" did not contact any of the candidates involved to inquire of their availability for the date that "the City" prefers. As many of you already know, I have a town hall meeting scheduled for March 31, and thus am unavailable.

Fifth, it is unclear to me who "the City's" choice for a moderator would be. If "the City" were to hire a moderator, that would have to go through the normal City process for hiring a contractor, and there is not nearly enough time. What criteria does "the City" use for running candidate forums? As far as I know, there are no guidelines that have ever been established for the conduct of a city sponsored forum, nor are there any standards for how a city sponsored moderator is selected.

The bottom line is that "the City" has made this decision, so the candidate forum publicized in the Fitchburg Star will not happen. However, I encourage you to attend my Town Hall meeting on March 31, from 6-8 pm at The Dry Bean on Verona Road.

Onward to the General Election

Jay Allen — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:16:00 EST

Today, the City Clerk conducted a recount of the primary ballots. In District 4, there was one absentee ballot which was not properly certified. This resulted in an absentee ballot being disqualified. It was a ballot cast for Marc Jones. This brought the vote to a tie.

In the result of a tie, names are drawn. Mark Vivian's name was drawn, and thus, will be my opponent in the general election. This is a change in strategy, but not a change in the goal. I am running for Mayor because I am best capable of dealing with the difficult budget times ahead and because I will ensure that Fitchburg grows in a sustainable manner.

This is what I will do, and I ask for your vote on April 7.

The Primary

Jay Allen — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:21:00 EST

Special thanks to all my supporters and all those who worked on my campaign. Thanks to you, I won all four districts in the City, and won the overall vote count. The totals are as follows:

619 - Jay Allen

394 - Marc Jones

393 - Mark Vivian

211 - Roger Tesch

It is expected that Marc Jones will be my opponent in the general election, which is April 7, however, because of the closeness of the vote there will likely be a recount.

Please email me if you would like a yard sign or if you would like to be listed as a supporter. I still need to raise about $4000 to complete the campaign, so please donate if you are able. You can send a contribution using the form on the How Can I Help page, or you can use the DONATE link on the home page to donate directly with a credit card or using your Paypal account. Thanks again for all the work you have done to help me. I really appreciate it.

Upcoming Town Hall Meetings

Jay Allen — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:50:00 EST

I will be hosting two Town Hall Meetings. These are great opportunities to meet your neighbors, learn more about me and the vision I have for the City, and talk about issues which are important to you. They will be as follows:

February 11, 6–8 pm at the Quality Inn and Suites, at the corner of Fish Hatchery Road and Cahill Main. We will be in the ballroom, which is on the lower level of the smaller building, right along Fish Hatchery Road.

February 12, 6–8 pm at the Dry Bean on Verona Road.

Please stop by during one or both of these meetings. I will have yard signs available, and, if you desire, you may contribute to my campaign as well. If you are unable to attend, you may call or email me anytime.

The Campaign...so far

Jay Allen — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:36:00 EST

The filing deadline has now passed, and I will have three opponents, which means there will be a primary on February 17.

Between now and then, I will be placing yard signs, knocking on doors, and sending out mail. A campaign like this will cost around $10,000, so I really need your help. You may contribute online with a credit card using the DONATE button on the "Home" or "How Can I Help" pages. We also need volunteers to distribute flyers and work a phone bank. Please, send me an email if you are able to volunteer.

There is so much to accomplish after the election, and I need your help to get to that point. Please help out if you can.

Mayor!

Jay Allen — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:23:00 EST

On Tuesday, December 9, Tom Clauder announced that he will not be running for another term as Mayor of Fitchburg.

On Tuesday, December 16, I announced that I am running for Mayor!

I have been involved in Fitchburg politics for a long time, and I am ready for the challenges facing us. I believe that it is time to move Fitchburg to the next level. I will work with the Council like no Mayor in our history has, and, as Mayor, I will work to accomplish things for the benefit of the whole community.

Among the things I intend to work on:

Reorganize City Hall. We have now had two studies that the taxpayers have paid for which have recommended essentially the same changes. Those changes have not been made. I will make the changes that will save taxpayers money.
Hold the line on property taxes. I have a history of carefully examining the budget and attempting to make the things we need more affordable for the taxpayers. With the tight budget times coming, the City needs someone who will go through the budget carefully. As Mayor, I will be requesting a zero-base budget for 2010. This will help us focus on the future without being bound to the past.
Develop a library solution. Many residents want a Fitchburg library. Many are concerned about the cost. This issue is screaming out for a leader that will work with the Council to come up with something that the Council and the Library Board can support. As Mayor, I will put as much time and energy into this issue as required to accomplish this.
Develop a facilities improvement plan. In addition to the library, the fire department, the senior center, and the community center have some serious space needs. In the case of the fire department, public safety is in jeopardy. The three previous administrations have simply avoided these issues, and now they are approaching crisis. I will put together a long-term facilities improvement plan which will solve these problems in an affordable manner.
Finish and implement the Comprehensive Plan. This document will be the Land Use Constitution for the City of Fitchburg well into the future. We are close to completion, and it is a good plan. Some new City policies will be needed to properly implement it. I will work with the Council, staff, and committees to make those changes, and we will move forward with a sustainable plan.
Ensure that all new development in the City pays for itself. Most studies have shown that new development costs more to provide services to than it provides in property tax revenue. Some new developments in Fitchburg have done this as well. I will work with the Council to establish guidelines which will require fiscal impact analyses for all new developments.
Develop policies beneficial to agriculture. Fitchburg has a large area of agricultural land, that will be agricultural for the foreseeable future. We, as a community, need to help the farmers in the City succeed. Farmers need to have options which will give them financial viability into the future. I have already helped to enact some policies, and I will continue to lead us in that direction.

There are several other issues I will be working on, but these are a start. Below are some documents regarding my campaign. I would like to thank all of you who have supported me in the past, and I hope that you will work with me as we move forward to create a sustainable future for Fitchburg. This is a critical time, and, with sound leadership, we will succeed.

Thanks again for your help!

p.s. My website is in the process of being redesigned, so look for the new changes soon!

p.p.s. Don't forget my campaign kickoff party at Lilliana's Restaurant, 2951 Triverton Pike, Fitchburg, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 30.

Press Release Announcement

Fundraising Letter

Fundraising Response Card

The Library

Jay Allen — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:14:00 EST

The Council was in session until 1:30 in the morning, primarily discussing the library. Unfortunately, this was the first full discussion of the library that the Council has had since the Library Committee was first appointed by the Mayor in 2004.

After an enormous amount of public input followed by a long Council discussion, the Council approved a resolution to move forward, however, we are not sure what we will be moving forward with at this time.

There is a lot of discomfort among the Council about the library. The split referendum result added to that discomfort. I have had my own issues with the proposed location. But the Council did vote 6-2 to continue work on it.

Of major concern to me is that several members of the Library Board have stated that, if the current proposal does not move forward, they will leave the board. I understand that emotion. I have been in several situations during my time in public service where I have worked very hard on things only to see them defeated.

I would like to encourage the current members of the Library Board to remain on the board.

This process is not yet complete. In a way, it is taking some steps back from where they are right now. Sometimes, you have to take steps back in order to move forward. I think there is reason to believe that we can move forward with a Fitchburg library system. I am not sure exactly what it will look like, but I do believe that it is a service that would benefit the citizens from both an economic and educational perspective. I do not want to see the discussion end.

Below is a link to the resolution that Council approved last night. Stay tuned for further developments.
Library Resolution

Town Hall Meeting

Jay Allen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:46:00 EST

I am hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Monday, November 17 from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Quality Inn at the corner of Fish Hatchery Road and Highway PD.

Some may notice that a number of my most recent blog entries are now gone. My site was attacked by some spammers, and seven or eight of my entries, plus several responses were corrupted. All the offending material has now been removed, but along with it went a number of my entries as well as (I think) about a dozen responses. If yours was deleted, I apologize...the hackers did a number on those things.

The link below will allow you to download my most recent newsletter. Please check it out and call or email me if you have any questions.

Thanks!
Jay's November 2008 newsletter

Fitchburg Tech Campus, The North McGaw Park Neighborhood, and Good Planning

Jay Allen — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST

Since its creation, the Fitchburg Tech Campus has been a bit of a controversy. I remember going to many, many meetings in the Senior Center with residents of the newly built Quarry Hill subdivision to talk about the impacts of this new development to the residents already there. It was the perfect example of bad planning. Back when Fitchburg became a city, in 1983, the new City of Fitchburg adopted the zoning that the County had previously adopted for the former township. Some land was added to the Urban Service Area at that time, simply because it was within the gravity flow sewer area. Today, things are a bit different. Urban Service Area adjustments are not simply a result of being near a gravity flow sewer. We now want comprehensive stormwater analysis, parkland planning, woodland preservation, and a whole host of other things in something called a Neighborhood Plan. Neighborhood plans are now required before all Urban Service Area adjustments. The situation we were left with was that a lot of property was in the Urban Service Area which had not ever been a part of a neighborhood plan. The Eby farm was located in this area. Eventually, Mr. Eby became ill, and his heirs wanted some money to assist with medical expenses. This property became the Quarry Hill subdivision. Shortly after that, the Gallagher farm was acquired by Scott Kelly, a cousin to the Gallaghers, who presented the City with the idea of Fitchburg Tech Campus. This property was also within the Urban Service Area. I remember going to many meetings about the Fitchburg Tech Campus with residents of Quarry Hill. Because no neighborhood plan had been done for this area, there were a lot of thoughts about how that area would develop. The "official" city plan was that it would medium to high density residential. Because of the proximity of of the former Gallagher farm to Promega, there was pressure to change the use of that land from residential to commercial. We made the change, and there have been numerous problems since then. The City has before it a Request for Proposal for some planning firm to create the North McGaw Park Neighborhood Plan. This will likely be approved by the Plan Commission on Tuesday night. Scott Kelly is proposing to fast track the Fitchburg Tech Campus Phase 2 ahead of the rest of the neighborhood plan. Bad planning for this area has created numerous problems. While I understand the that the Tech Campus needs more space, I do not think it is a good idea to follow up a bunch of bad planning with more bad planning. Moving the Tech Campus land ahead without the rest of the neighborhood plan simply sets up the dominoes for more problems. We need to have good neighborhood planning for this area, and the City should not settle for less than that. Below are three links. The first is a more detailed narrative of why I oppose planning Kelly's 60 acres separate from the rest of the neighborhood plan. The second is an aerial map of the area showing two of the problems that were created by not having a plan, and the third is the proposed timeline for the North McGaw Park Neighborhood Plan. I will continue to oppose separating out the 60 acre area that Kelly wants to fast-track. We need to have better planning that we have had, and fast-tracking anything is not a formula for good planning. At the same time, we need to fulfill economic development goals, so I will be suggesting that we do what we need to so that the aggressive approval schedule can be accomplished. Jay's commentary on the Kelly Proposal North McGaw Neighborhood Plan Schedule Aerial Map of Quarry Hill and Fitchburg Tech Campus

Christmas gifts for elected officials

Jay Allen — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:17:00 EST

I have decided to give virtual gifts to my fellow elected officials: To Andy, Council President - A ball-pein hammer - a gavel is just not the right tool for this group To Jason - A hair transplant - as I am likely responsible for much of your stress To Roger - Video taping and editing equipment plus a karoake machine - for producing even better youtube videos To Darren - Free internet access for all Fitchburg residents, paid for by AT&T To Tom - A snow plow complaint hotline designed to take all complaints and, by voice recognition, transcribe them and deliver them to Tom via email To Richard - an 8-year supply of dog food To Bill - A TIF District cost benefit projection calculator To Steve - A ped shed every 8 blocks throughout the City of Fitchburg Merry Christmas, everyone!

ATC-MGE Update Again

Jay Allen — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:29:00 EST

I have not been entering much here lately, as I have been consumed with the budget and this substation. It is really taking a enormous amount of time. Here is where we are today: After the hearing on October 2, the City Attorney began talking with the attorneys from ATC and MG&E. Apparently, they are feeling the need to find a compromise solution. Previously, I reported about the Mark Williamson proposal, to move the entire substation (ATC & MG&E) to the site I had identified in the Fitchburg Tech Campus. They would build it to the specifications I had provided and bury the lines, including the Verona line, to the Old City Hall site, at which point they would go above ground to Verona down the routes they have already chosen. As I reported before, I could not support that, as it was not the deal I had made with the neighborhoods. Apparently, on October 4th, ATC resurfaced this idea. The City Attorney felt it was a good compromise, so a resolution was drafted to recommend this site. I told him that I could not support it without meeting with the neighborhoods, which I have done. The result is that I will not be able to support it. I also understand that, early last week, ATC backed off of this solution anyway. Which leaves us with this resolution hanging out there. I am going to offer a substitute with the link below. I believe that this meets with a consensus of neighborhood opinion, and really does meet the needs of Fitchburg, as well as the needs of ATC and MG&E. My amendment to this resolution will be to recommend the solution I had proposed on July 20. There is still some concern about whether the PSC will actually pay attention to the land use issues in our community. I am not able to really analyze whether this is needed or not. I take the word of ATC and MG&E that it is. But they should take our word that the proposal they put forward will create some serious long-term planning issues for the City of Fitchburg. They should respect that. R-94-07 Amended

ATC-MG&E Substation Update

Jay Allen — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:41:00 EST

Earlier this week, I had a meeting with the Mayor, some City staff members, and several representatives from ATC and MG&E. The meeting was scheduled for 4:30, but, unbeknownst to me at the time, the Mayor actually had ATC and MG&E meet at 3:30, so he could have them there for an hour before I arrived. Several people who were in attendance before I arrived related to me that the Mayor took a lot of pleasure in what ATC and MG&E had to say. Essentially, they have rejected my proposal for two reasons. The first is cost. They are claiming that the cost of my proposal will be approximately $17.8 million more than their Irish Lane-Fish Hatchery Road proposal. They estimated based on going underground all the way down 18-151, as they would have to go underground near the airport anyway, and to them, it made little sense to go underground from the substation, above ground at the City limit, underground at the airport, and above ground again to the substation. It appears that underground all the way may actually be more cost effective than the up and down method. Their second reason for rejecting my proposal is actually a bigger problem. They are saying that, within the current application, they cannot use my proposal. In order to use my proposal, they would have to propose two routes out of the Fitchburg substation to the Verona substation, and they have done none of the outreach, routing, nor studied the environmental concerns in the area. They further claim that this cannot be done in the necessary time frame, as MG&E needs to have their substation up and running in 2009. Because of the cost of building the substation in FTC, it would require PSC approval even if ATC were not part of the equation, so they would actually have to submit two new applications to get this done. They are telling me that this process, from beginning to end, takes a minimum of two years, so they simply cannot do it within their required time frame. They have provided what they call a compromise alternative, which they would be willing to work on. That proposal is to use the FTC site that I proposed, but put the ATC substation in that same building, and put the 138kV line to Verona underground to the Irish Lane-Fish Hatchery Road site, and then go above ground down the Adams Road route to the Verona substation. This compromise is a non-starter for me. First of all, what I have promised the Quarry Hill neighborhood is that this site would not contain an ATC substation. Second, it really does not accomplish the more important thing, which is to put as many transmission lines underground as possible. While this would eliminate a small above ground section from the substation to just behind the Byrnewood subdivision, this is not really what I was hoping to accomplish. This "compromise" is about $10.5 million more than their current application. As part of this conversation, I asked what could be done to meet the need, if they were to reapply. They do have options. First of all, I do not believe that an MG&E application would take two years. I think that project could get done in about half that time, and that it is still possible to have their substation running in FTC by 2009. Even if that does not come about, they have the ability to run a circuit from the new Syene substation to the area as a temporary measure to meet the need until the FTC substation can be built. On the ATC side, they could place diesel generators (think Berbee-Team) at the Verona substation site temporarily until that connection could be made. They, of course, do not like this option, but it is something they could do. On a political note, the Mayor has been utterly unsupportive of doing anything different than what the ad-hoc committee recommended. He does not seem to grasp the fact that this group really did not have the capacity to examine all available options. I understand that, before I arrived at the meeting, he was taking great pleasure at how high the cost was, because now I would "have egg on my face". He was very argumentative in the meeting after I arrived, taking the ATC position, rather than taking the City of Fitchburg position. It seems to be more important to him for me to lose this battle than for the City to win. That is enormously frustrating. I find it really unfortunate that the Mayor is going above and beyond not being helpful, but is actually advocating for the ATC position. At this juncture, I think I will work up the best argument I can to simply ask the PSC to reject this application and have them start over, with two separate projects. Realistically, I think this is a losing position, as it seems to be very rare that the PSC simply rejects an application altogether. I will say that I do believe that ATC and MG&E did the best they could with my proposal. I think their concern about timing is real, and I do believe that they cannot modify the current application to accommodate my proposal. And I do think the idea of undergrounding the entire connection to Verona is a good answer. If that were to occur, this entire project would be built with NO above ground transmission lines. That is a good thing.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan

Jay Allen — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 09:37:00 EST

The following memo was sent to all Common Council Members: ======================================= The City has hired Jim Neidhart, for planning services, to complete the update to the 2000 Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plan. One of the goals for this update is to identify the issues and opportunities related to the existing bicycle and pedestrian transportation network. To do this, Mr. Neidhart has suggested creating an Audit Team to perform the walking and bicycling audits as well as be involved with the update process. The proposed audit team would consist of a range of 17 to 22 individuals. The minimum representation would consist of the following: 1 � Public Works Committee (or designee) 1 � Plan Commission (or designee) 1 � Transportation and Transit Commission (or designee) 1 � Parks Commission (or designee) 1 � CEDA/Chamber of Commerce 8 � Alderperson designees, (1 per alder from their district) 1 � Mayor designee 1 � School Representative 2 � City Staff: Ahnaray Bizjak with Public Works and Jason Schmidt with Planning With this memo, I am asking you to designate someone from your district to serve on the Audit Team. We would ask that you try to select someone who is familiar with the bicycle and pedestrian system in your district as well as having an interest in biking and walking. We would anticipate a total of 6 meetings; 5 specific to the Audit Team and 1 Public Information Meeting. We would like to have the designations identified by August 3 so we can get moving on scheduling the Audit Team meetings. The role of the Audit Team will be to assist the City in developing draft goals, policies and objectives for the plan. The 5 specific Audit Team meetings will consist of the following: 1) Kick-off/Preliminary Audit Team meeting 2) Walking Audit Meeting (Team members can choose to do the walking, biking, or both audits) 3) Biking Audit Meeting (Team members can choose to do the walking, biking, or both audits) 4) Audit Team meeting to develop Goals, Policies, and Objectives 5) Audit Team meeting to discuss Draft Bike/Pedestrian Plan and Maps Regarding meetings #2 and 3, Jim Neidhart, planning consultant doing the update, will determine a couple of routes ahead of time. The Audit team would meet prior to doing the audit to get the route maps and talk about the process. Smaller groups of 3 or so would then head out and walk or bike the routes noting issues, opportunities, and well designed facilities. After completing the audit (about an hour or so) the team will recap and discuss what they saw, etc. It is anticipated that these meetings would last ~ 4 hours - depending on the length of discussion afterwards. Dates and times for these audits have not been identified - that will be determined with the Audit Team. Jim's initial thoughts were to conduct the walking audit on a Tuesday and the biking audit on Thursday. p.s. The meetings would span between the months of August and October. Meetings #1-4 would be conducted prior to September 19 or so. ==================================== So, I am looking for someone in my district who would like to serve on this committee. If you believe that you are the right person, please contact me as soon as possible. I would like to submit my appointment by July 31. There is no formal application process...just let me know, briefly, why you wish to serve. Thanks much! Jay Allen

Northeast Neighborhood

Jay Allen — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:58:00 EST

I have submitted a number of comments regarding the Northeast Neighborhood Stormwater Analysis and the Neighborhood Plan. I am including the text in this entry: ============ Comments Regarding Northeast Neighborhood Plan and Stormwater Management Plan By Jay Allen Fitchburg Common Council/Fitchburg Plan Commission July 19, 2007 I have thoroughly reviewed the plans, and have a number of observations. Stormwater Management Plan The stormwater management plan is inadequate, as it does not include certain of crucial pieces of data. For one, there is very little mention in the plan about the impact of this development specifically to Lake Waubesa. That is likely because two necessary pieces of information are missing. The first is the amount of phosphorous necessary to eutrify Lake Waubesa. This could be calculated using the Vollenweider equation, among other models, however, this information is absolutely crucial to having a complete stormwater analysis. In addition, the current plan lacks any detailed analysis of current conditions. While it does make a comparison between post-development conditions with and without controls, that is essentially meaningless, as everyone knows that there will be no development without controls. However, what we need to know is what, exactly, is coming off this property in its current pre-development state. Once those pieces of information are known, then the plan should compare current pre-development conditions to the conditions of the development with appropriate controls in place. My expectation is that the goal should be a reduction of phosphorous runoff by a minimum of 25% when compared to current pre-development conditions. Without that being demonstrated, the plan is incomplete. There should also be a discussion of the current streambank condition of Swan Creek from the proposed site downstream which identifies degraded areas and what practices will be put in place to prevent further degradation. Land Use Plan While I think the land use plan is generally adequate, there are a few issues which need to be addressed. While I understand some of the planning aspects involved, one of the goals that Fitchburg has is to activate the rail line for passenger rail. This will only come about if we are able to provide adequate density in the area of the rail line. In general, the rule of thumb developed by Phil Lewis is that those who will most readily use a rail line are those located within a mile of the transit stop. In the case of this neighborhood plan, the vast majority of the residential component is located outside that one mile area. This should be re-evaluated. The development will be connected to the interchange by a road which crosses Highway MM. The intersection of this road and Highway MM will be a very high traffic volume intersection. Given all the residential development proposed for this area, it seems that it would be necessary to slow the traffic down considerably. This could be accomplished by installing a roundabout at this intersection, coupled with a lower speed limit. Before approving such a plan, I would need to have some assurance that the County would accept a solution such as that. The open space buffer between the development and the Town of Dunn does not appear to be large enough. There is a rather large area within this plan which is identified as "cluster residential". At the Open House of July 12, one of the presenters suggested that this may not even happen, as the area may not be developable because of steep topography and other impediments. If this is true, then the plan is inadequate. We do not contract with planners to speculate on what might happen if the land is of the right topography. We contract with them to actually study the area and develop specific recommendations which they know are workable, based on their study. In this case, either there was an inadequate study of the area done, or the planners simply do not know what type of development will work in different settings. This is a fundamental issue which will need clarification. The connections to Larson Road should probably be done with roundabouts as well, and thus, some discussion with the Town of Dunn and the affected property owners will need to be completed. Sincerely, Jay Allen

MG&E-ATC Substation - Proposed Alternative Site

Jay Allen — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:23:00 EST

After a lot of work, I am publicly proposing an alternative location for the MG&E substation and the ATC transmission line. I held two meetings with Quarry Hill residents, and have attempted to address all the concerns raised. I hope we can continue discussion here to be certain that resident concerns are properly addressed. I have tried to come up with something that will address the needs and concerns of the residents of four Fitchburg neighborhoods, as well as some broader goals that the City has. Some of the highlighs are as follows: 1. The first aspect is that the proposed Oakridge Substation project should be broken into two projects, an MG&E distribution substation to be located in the Fitchburg Tech Campus, phase II, and an ATC transmission line to Verona terminating in the Fitchburg Substation along McKee Road. 2. The MG&E substation be constructed to some fairly strict standards, which will be enforced as deed restrictions placed and enforced by the City of Fitchburg. 3. That all powerlines connected to this substation be placed underground. 4. That the ATC transmission line from the Fitchburg Substation be placed underground in Fitchburg, as well as the existing transmission lines from the Fitchburg Substation west to Verona Road. 5. That the City of Fitchburg utilize TIF funding from the existing TIF districts to contribute to the cost of burying power lines for both projects. There is a great deal of information in documents which you may download with the links below. If you are unable to download, please contact me via phone or email, and I will drop off a printed copy to you. Entire proposal in one file - 21 mb - From my website Entire proposal in one file - 21 mb - From the Public Service Commission website The above files are complete files of all the below documents. If you download one of the above, there is no need to download the below. The below are provided to offer smaller downloads for people with slower internet connections. Proposal Text - 112 kb Attachment A - Appendix H of the 1995 Land Use Plan - 4 mb Attachment B - Current Draft Map of new Urban Growth Boundary - 1.9 mb Attachment C - FTC Site - Overview - 7.8 mb Attachment D - FTC Site - Detail - 7.9 mb Attachment E - Proposed MG&E Substation Deed Restrictions - 55 kb Attachment F - McKee Road Corridor showing Fitchburg power line burial projects - 1.6 mb

Urban Growth Boundary Upcoming Meetings

Jay Allen — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:59:00 EST

Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 17, there will be a Plan Commission meeting, which will feature a presentation on the Urban Growth Boundary Process. August 7, there will be another public hearing on the amended map. Both of these meetings are at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers of City Hall. You may download the most recent version here: Amended Map If you have any questions ahead of time, I would be happy to answer them for you. Also, if you are unable to download the map, let me know and I can deliver a copy to you.