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October 6, 2008
   

Hello MPNA neighbors,

As we move into fall and the leaves are changing, I have some changes and updates to report for MPNA.

NEW ALDERPERSON

As many of you know, our prior alderperson, Zach Brandon, resigned in August after he was appointed to the position of Executive Assistant of the WI Department of Commerce by Governor Doyle. The city council solicited nominations to appoint an interim aldperson for District 7 to serve out Brandon's term until the April 2009 election. On September 10, the city appointed Libby Monson. She lives at 7130 Maple Point Drive, which is in the Country Grove neighborhood south of Hwy PD. Her home phone number is 845-7130. She has lived in the city for 36 years and was an alderperson in 1981-82. As is common practice with interim appointments, Ms. Monson will not be a candidate for permanent alderperson in the spring 2009 election.

COPPER LEAF ON MAPLE GROVE SIGN REPAIRED & LANDSCAPING

A big thank you goes to David Stamm for remounting the copper leaf on the Maple Grove sign at the corner of Maple View and Putnam Rd. The wood backing for the copper had become brittle and rotten, and the leaf was in danger of falling off the sign. David removed the leaf and rotted backing from the larger sign, carefully removed the copper and then remounted it to a new treated wood backing. So, thank you, David for helping to keep our neighborhood sign looking great!

Also, a thank you to Barb Stamm, Julie Bormett and Matt Hanson who helped me to do landscape clean up and maintenance of the area around the sign on Labor Day weekend. We'll be planning a similar effort at the other Maple Grove sign hopefully yet this fall.

TRAFFIC CALMING ON PRAIRIE ROAD DELAYED

The city has informed us that the traffic calming project for Prairie Road between Walden Way and Maple Grove Dr. was approved this summer and they had intended to commence construction this fall. However, the city lost its contract with the contractor (no reason given), so the project will not be completed until spring 2009. In the interim, we will attempt to garner the traffic calming plans to share with you. VP Matt Hanson has been our contact with the city, so you can contact him if you have further questions. As has been previously discussed, MPNA neighbors will need to step up to help with median landscaping and upkeep once the traffic calming medians are installed.

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE FORMED

The MPNA officers have approved the re-constitution of an Architectural Control Committee (ACC) for MPNA. An ACC is an authorized body in the property convenants and restrictions to educate about, and help enforce, neighborhood and city property-related covenants and/or ordinances. This group has not been active in MPNA for approximately 10 years. The new group is being led by Pat and Amy Whaley, along with Mike Hancock and MPNA VP Matt Hanson. Among its activities, the group intends on becoming a liaison to duplex property owners in the neighborhood to be a resource and communication avenue with MPNA. The ACC, while having freedom to work as an independent committee, will report to the MPNA officers. More specific information on their activities and responsibilities will be shared once they are formalized.

May 22, 2008
   

On behalf of your Maple Prairie Neighborhood Association (MPNA) officers, I'd like to personally invite you to the MPNA Annual Meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 22nd from 7-9 PM at Heritage Congregational Church. We have many positive and exciting topics to cover at this year's meeting. My fellow officers and I are working to serve you and our neighborhood, and one of the best ways for us to do that is to communicate with you directly at the association meetings. We live in a great neighborhood, and we know it can be even better through your willingness to volunteer and help us serve you. There will be several opportunites offered to sign up and help MPNA at the meeting, so I sincerely encourage you to think about how and where your talents can be used!

Also, look for a meeting newsletter to be delivered to your mailbox soon with more details and agenda. So, tell your friends and neighbors to come join us on May 22nd - I look forward to seeing you there!

Mike Bormett
MPNA President
February 2008
   

Hello neighbors!

My name is Mike Bormett and I’m the new president of the Maple Prairie Neighborhood Association and this is my first President’s Newsletter.  I and the other three officers (see us on the right side of the website) were elected last October and we are looking forward to serving you and growing our Associaton!

One of our primary goals is to foster greater and easier communication with MPNA members and residents via this MPNA website.  We want to get as many of our neighbors as possible to register on the website with their email addresses so that we can readily share information of concern or interest to all of us, including social events, MPNA meetings, city of Madison happenings directly affecting us, etc.  So, go ahead, click on the “Login” button and register! And, be sure to tell all your neighbors to do the same!

We also really need and want you to participate in the Association!  There’s lots of you out there with great talent, ideas and dedication to the neighborhood.  Many of you have also served in various activities and committees in the past.  The more folks we have serving and participating, the better our Association and neighborhood will be!  In the near future we’ll be forming standing committees on which we hope you’ll consider serving.  In the meantime, however, here’s a few activities – if you’re interested in helping, please send me an email or call.

  • 4th of July picnic
  • Sign maintenance and landscaping
  • Park cleanup day and improvements
  • Newsletter/communication
  • Safety and planning

As a followup to the 2007 neighborhood listening sessions hosted by Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz (concerning crime and other neighborhood issues citywide), I’m participating in the ongoing “Mayor’s Neighborhood Roundtables” sponsored by the city where I hope to learn from our other neighborhood association peers and get some good ideas that we can use here in MPNA.

Lastly, I’d like to hear from you anytime if you have an idea, question or concern.  Please use the email link on the MPNA homepage next to my name, or use the links to other officers.  The officers and I are looking forward to a great 2008 and beyond for MPNA! 

Mike Bormett