Ridgewood Neighborhood Association News              

 

                        October 15, 2000                                        Volume 1                                               Issue 4

 

     Neighborhood Generally Supports Autumnwood Expansion

 

                         By Joe Zitzelsberger                           

 

                         Madison--On Wednesday, October 11, neighborhood residents met with Gold Leaf Property

                         Management, the owners and managers of the Autumnwood apartment complex on Lien Road

                         about a proposed expansion.

 

                         The proposal is to build one new 36-unit building with 61 total parking stalls (35 underground). 

                         Of the 36 units, 26 would be one-bedroom, and 10 would be efficiencies.  Monthly rent is expected

                         to be in the low $600 range for the one-bedroom units, and in the mid to upper $400 range for the

                         efficiencies, with underground parking included.  Traffic to and from the new building would be

                         routed via Lien Road.

 

                         Gold Leaf currently owns and operates a similar building in Sun Prairie called Hunters Ridge which

                         they encourage residents to visit to get a better feel for the proposed building at Autumnwood.

 

                         Although general support for this project was fairly evident, some residents, primarily those on

                         Summer Ridge Drive, voiced concerns about what this project would do to their backyards.  Those

                         residents, along with representatives from Gold Leaf, and their construction manager agreed to

                         work together to obtain an understanding of the impact that this new building would have, and to

                         address any remaining concerns about the construction.

 

                         Additionally, residents along Bultman Road expressed a concern about the current parking problem

                         at Autumnwood, and the cars that are often parked on Bultman.  Gold Leaf acknowledged the

                         problem, and suggested that the additional parking at the new building as well as improved parking

                         enforcement may help control the on-street parking problem.

 

                         This proposal is expected to go before Madison's Common Council before the end of 2000.

 

 

               Association Boundaries Expanded, Neighborhood Council

                          Members Elected and ByLaws Changed at October 11 Meeting

 

                          By Joe Zitzelsberger                         

 

                          Madison--At the highly publicized October 11 neighborhood meeting, several changes

                          were approved to the Ridgewood Neighborhood Association bylaws.  The most significant of

                          these is a change neighborhood association boundaries, which will now include both the Valley

                          and Glacier additions.

 

                          Along with the boundary changes comes a change in structure, which will now include an

                          individual from each of the four major Ridgewood areas (the original Ridgewood West of N.

                          Thompson, the Drumlin Addition, the Valley Addition, and the Glacier Addition).  For details on

                          these new council positions, see the Council Members page.

 

                          Finally, a vote to update the bylaws was unanimous.  The new council will tackle that task at an

                          upcoming meeting, and the new bylaws will be posted on this web site when complete.

 

 

               City Dedicated to Removing Graffiti

 

                          By Joe Zitzelsberger

 

                          Madison--You may have noticed graffiti, or "tagging" in the area around the Ridgewood

                          neighborhood (Commercial Avenue, East Towne area, Sycamore Avenue, etc.) at various times.

                          Graffiti is not only unsightly, it is a costly property crime for taxpayers and business owners.

                          Unfortunately, it is difficult to catch the vandals who are responsible while in the "act." But experts

                          say a key to discouraging "taggers" is prompt removal of their handiwork.

 

                          You may not be aware that the city of Madison has two agencies that deal with graffiti removal.

                          There is even a two-person city team dedicated full-time to this job.

 

                          For public property like electrical boxes, underpasses, bus shelters, etc., call 266-4620.

 

                          For private property, such as businesses, call 266-4905. (Unfortunately, business owners are

                          forced to either clean up the graffiti themselves or pay the city $100 for removal. This is

                          unfortunate, but necessary, until the perpetrators are caught or turned in or citizens demonstrate

                          more public outcry over this crime.)

 

                          When you see graffiti around the area, take a minute to call the city and report it. It is more likely

                          to be quickly removed, and consequently, more likely not to return to the same area.

 

                          Graffiti is often viewed as a symbol of a neighborhood in decline. Let's all take some responsibility

                          for alerting the proper authorities when we see graffiti "taggers" in action so they may be held

                          responsible for their crime and/or when seeing graffiti on public property or businesses.

 

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                          Janet Masters contributed to this report.