As TLNA’s new Parks Chair, I want to introduce myself to you and let you know about some of the issues that your neighbors have already raised with me and also let you know how to get ahold of me if you have concerns of your own.

I’ve lived in the neighborhood twenty years – time really does fly. I’ve done two stints as editor of this newsletter and have been the area rep for a number of years. I take care of the vine garden and corner garden in Reynolds Park and last year Jim Sturm and I put up the new martin houses in Tenney Park – this year they had better come!

Tenney-Lapham has three city parks: Reynolds Park in the 800 block of E. Dayton/E. Mifflin Streets, Giddings Park behind Christ Presbyterian Church, and Tenney Park at the eastern edge of the neighborhood.

Some of the issues that have been brought up include:

• Reynolds Park water utility generator. An emergency generating structure was put up by the City water utility near the playground in Reynolds Park. Some residents around the park contacted me saying it is an ugly, obtrusive building not in keeping with the two brick enclosed water utility structures built in the 70s. Originally the City water utility had planned to disguise it with a wooden fence surrounded by junipers. A water utility spokesman met with the Council in September and agreed to explore other options for enclosing the facility. Alder Vedder is arranging a meeting between the concerned parties.
• Street end of North Paterson. Between the street end and Lake Mendota, the City has been planning to have pedestrian access to the lake. This has been on the back burner for a long time and I would like to expedite the process.
• Dogs in Giddings Park (see article by Tim Olsen in September/October newsletter http://danenet.wicip.org/tlna/web-data/news/news09/0900pres.html).
• Pedestrian lights along the breakwater in Tenney Park. At the end of August about 3 in the morning, some vandals, using rocks and pipes, broke eight of the ten pedestrian lights. County Public Works estimates it will cost $2,000 to fix each broken light fixture.
• Trash containers removed in early fall from the parks thereby giving people no place to put their trash.
• Erosion of banks in Tenney Lagoon because of muskrats.
• Geese droppings in Tenney Park.
• Boarding up of the Tenney Park shelter too early in the fall.

So it looks like I will not have a lack of issues to keep me occupied this year. If you have concerns of your own, feel free to contact me and I will be glad to work on them or point you to the individuals who have jurisdiction over the problem. I can be reached at 255-3486 or by email at reshaw@students.wisc.edu.

On a positive note, I’ve been on the email list for the Friends of the Yahara River and they have been extremely active this past fall in putting in new plantings from the locks to Lake Monona and becoming stewards of the area. If you would like to be involved in this organization, contact me and I will put you in touch with the organization.

Finally I hope you get out this winter and enjoy the ice-skating at Tenney Park. I think there are few things more beautiful in Madison than driving along E. Johnson Street at night and seeing the skaters in Tenney Park. Skating is free and rental skates are available at the shelter from 2-9:30 weekdays and 11-9:30 Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy.

-Bob Shaw

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