Minutes of Council Meeting Held October
22, 2002
7.PRESENT (9): Mike Barrett (Evergreen), Betty Chewning (At-Large), Michael Jacob (Yahara),
Doug Johnson (Schenk's Corners), Steve Klafka (Circle Park), Mark McFadden (EINPC),
Dan Melton (Hawthorne Park), John Steines (Starkweather), Becky Steinhoff (Atwood Community Center)
ABSENT (1): Alex Aulisi (At-Large)
UNFILLED SEATS (5): Business, East Washington, Olbrich, Wirth Court Park, Youth
ALSO PRESENT (5): Leigh Ellen Caro-Leverich, Angie Castillo, Sarah Davis, Jeff Leverich, Ald. Judy Olson
1. SUPPORT FOR FAMILY DAY CARE @ 525 ELMSIDE BLVD
Leigh Ellen Caro-Leverich operates a family day care, Elmside Children's School, for up to eight children 3-5, M-F,
8:30-12:30 @ 525 Elmside Blvd. If the house were her primary residence, she would not need a conditional use permit
to operate a family day care. However, it is not her primary residence, so she must get a conditional use permit from
the city. She and Jeff Leverich described the business and answered questions from Council members. A letter from
SASYNA to the city supporting Caro-Leverich's application for a conditional use permit had been printed beforehand,
and was shown to Council members after the vote to support. Council members agreed to send the letter to the city.
2. NEED TO DISTRIBUTE SASYNA MINUTES TO NEIGHBORS
Former SASYNA Council member and Wirth Court Park area resident Angie Castillo asked Council members to place
a higher priority on consistently getting SASYNA Council Minutes out to neighbors, so neighbors can see what the
Council is doing. "Neighbors ask me, 'What's going on?', he said, "and I don't know." He said he went to Hawthorne
Library to read the Minutes there and "became quite frustrated" because there was nothing there. "I don't see how
you can expect people to be interested in neighborhood developments if you don't tell people what you're doing."
Castillo said it's too easy for Council members to be lulled into a feeling of 'Well, WE know what happened,' and
move on to the next thing, without letting the rest of the neighborhood know what's going on.
Council members agreed there should be a SASYNA Council Report in every issue of the East Side News.
Members also suggested the job of preparing the Minutes should not necessarily fall on one person. John Steines
said the Friends of Starkweather Group has a "rotating" notetaker position, so it's not always the same person.
Doug Johnson said the Minutes "don't necessarily have to be a meeting transcript." Steines agreed; he said he would
go for shorter Minutes if that would speed up the process. The Council agreed that the new process would be: rotating minute takers, shorter minutes, circulated immediately to the council for approval and then submission of the minutes to SASYNA list.
3. PROPOSED ADVANCE AUTO PARTS STORE 3003 EAST WASHINGTON AVENUE
Advance Auto Parts, a national chain, is proposing to build a new store at the SE corner of East Washington Avenue
and Oak Street - the site of the former CV Pros. It would be the company's first store in Madison. The company has
stores in Rockford and the suburban Milwaukee area. Steines reported on a joint neighborhood meeting to discuss
company plans. Worthington Park Neighborhood Association, Eken Park Neighborhood Association, Emerson East
Neighborhood Association and SASYNA were at the meeting. "It's an OK-looking building," Steines said. "They have
moved away from their standard look." The other 3 neighborhood associations chose to support the project; SASYNA
chose to neither support nor oppose. Some issues surrounding the plans include: Demolition of former Satern's Car Wash:
under what conditions?; How the development would look from Hauk Street; Access from Hauk Street; Landscaping;
Stormwater management; Lighting.
4. EAST WASHINGTON AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION
McFadden said, "There is not consensus whether the city and HNTB (the project engineering firm) are doing a good job
or not. Some of the objections we've had for more than a year have not been addressed."
"I think we've come to the end of the road, lobbying the city and HNTB," McFadden said.
Barrett said the neighborhood should not agree to what the city and HNTB want to do at the First Street - East Wash
intersection. "The scale of this is out of proportion to this neighborhood." He said what the city is proposing to do at
First Street would make it considerably more difficult than it already is now for a pedestrian to cross there.
5. SASYNA FALL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOVEMBER 2
Chewning discussed what issues might be discussed at the Fall General Membership Meeting Saturday November 2.
6. ALDER NOTES
Ald. Judy Olson brought Council members up-to-date on various neighborhood issues: Rayovac has no plan right now how
to deal with possible future redevelopment at that site - she is watching this closely; Dean Clinic has received two offers to
buy its former clinic property at First Street near the RR tracks - from the Nelson Group, and from Krupp Construction;
Nelson Group is very interested in senior housing at the site; Krupp is very interested in expanding Tax Incremental
Financing (TIF) from Atwood Av-Amoth Court over to the Dean site; Durline Scales owners are working on getting a
long-term lease from the city to provide access to the property on Waubesa for future redevelopment - that is 'going ahead
smoothly,' she said; a proposed brew pub on Fair Oaks Avenue?; new streetlights for Atwood Avenue; proposed Waubesa
Street traffic-calming; proposal to turn Winnebago Avenue back to two-way as you cross the Yahara River eastbound, so you
could choose to proceed straight into Schenk's Corners Business District, instead of taking Eastwood bypass; discussions
continue re: Krupp Atwood Av redevelopment and United Way parking.