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2012 Newsletters
April 2012
"Sign
Pollution" - At our April 9th Council meeting, we had a discussion on what we continue
to call a problem with "sign pollution" in Madison. You know the ones, "Queen Mattress for $150"
written in black sharpie. Not only are they ugly, they are in the right of way and that is illegal. As are the
ones that get put in the median of Highway 72. We have been fighting this battle for a long time and it hasn't improved
much....so, we are at the point of an out right ban on all temporary signs or moving to stiffer penalties/fines on those that
are habitual offenders. Real estate signs for open houses, etc are allowed to be put out on Friday afternoons and are
to be collected by Monday mornings and for the most part they are. Some of the larger developers have a tendency, in
my opinion, to go crazy and put twenty signs in a row and they sometimes forget to come back and get them which results
in many hours put in by City employees to collect these. Once a sign is picked up for being in the right of
way, it is not returned. Some offenders have resorted to "dumpster diving" to get their signs back. Note,
campaign signs are also considered temporary signs and they are not allowed in the right of way either. I am open to
hear your thoughts on what might work and what you would like to see or not see in the way of temporary signs.
Fire Station 2 - Is open and
operating! The fire fighters and paramedics assigned there are so proud of the facility and so grateful to be out of
the old trailer that had been their home for several years. Neighbors will notice that a privacy fence was added to
the back patio area to help with screening the facility. The Madison Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon cutting on May
18th and the Fire Department is planning a neighborhood open house on a Sunday afternoon in the near future. I will
send out a note when a date is selected. No immediate plans are in place for the old facility but I am working with
the Planning Department to develop one so that we can move forward with removing the trailer and demolishing the old building.
Restaurant Guide -
The City Planning Department has put together a fantastic guide of Madison restaurants. Follow
this link, http://www.madisonal.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=369, to find the guide. It will be updated regularly so can you keep
up with new eating establishments as they open.
The Shoppes of Madison -
Stores continue to open in The Shoppes of Madison, or as many say, "Where Target is. " Rack
Room shoes, Kinnucan's sporting goods, PetCo, Maurice's, Pie in the Sky, Which Wich, Zen Berri and others are open.
Fulin's Asian restaurant opens the week of May 21st. I am doing my part by spending my money in Madison at these
stores. How great that PetCo opened in time for me to spend $46 on accessories for the "free" African
Dwarf frogs that we "had" to adopt from my son's fourth grade class! Seriously, the sales tax numbers
from these businesses have been very good and it will make a difference to the city.
Appointment
to School Board - Council interviewed four candidates for Place No. 4 on the Madison
City School Board on April, 18th. Each candidate had their own particular strengths and it always makes our job
easier when we have a strong group to interview. At our May 14th meeting, we appointed Dr. Terri Johnson to a second
term in Place No. 4. Dr. Johnson is a math professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is committed
to the education of children of all ages. We feel fortunate that she wanted to continue to serve the Madison City School
Board.
District 7 Neighborhood Changes - Several new neighborhoods
will join District 7 as a result of the redistricting done from the 2010 census. Welcome to Walden Preserve, Eastfield,
Homestead, Stallion Run, and Spencer Green. Also, the entire subdivision of Stone Ridge will now be in District 7.
Previously, it was split between Districts 5 and 7. District 7 will lose the western portion of Bradford Farms and that
entire neighborhood will now be represented by District 5. The new neighborhoods will vote for a District 7 representative
in the August Municipal elections even though they are still technically represented by their current District Councilman
(it gets confusing). Regardless, if you are going to be new to District 7 and need something now you are always free
to get in touch with me. I have already been working with several residents around the Target complex on some noise
issues and I am more than happy to do that.
Veteran's Memorial Donation
- Representatives from the Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial board made a presentation
to the City Council at our April 23rd meeting. Council approved an appropriation of $5000 to this group.
The stated mission of the Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial is to honor and pay tribute to all veterans, provide
an incentive to serve, educate visitors to the memorial (especially the young), recognize by name the Madison County veterans
killed in action since WWI, and recognize the Madison County recipients of the Medal of Honor. I hope that all of you
will take the time to visit this memorial in downtown Huntsville. It is stunning. When you visit you will notice
black granite benches encircling the monuments. As thanks for our contribution, Madison will have a bench placed
at the site. I will update when it is placed.
Tax free
weekend - Also at our April 23rd Council meeting, we approved to exempt "school items/supplies"
from municipal sales tax during the first full weekend in August (4th and 5th). We have done this for the last
several years in conjunction with the state tax free weekend.
Roads
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Residents of Gooch Lane should have received a letter from the City Engineering
Department about the details of moving mailboxes in preparation for the work to resume on Gooch Lane. Mailboxes will
be located on both sides of the road now and work should start to complete this project any day.
You may have noticed
that construction has started on the Waffle House behind Arby's on Hughes Road. They have had the road to the
site closed several times lately and I am checking on what their guidelines are for closure. Their approved site plan
shows the actual building on the south side of the road and parking across the road right behind Arby's.
The plan has always been that the road would remain a back entrance to Starbucks and the other businesses in that area.
So, I am checking to make sure that is still the plan. Things could get tense if they try to close my back entrance
to Starbucks!
Last month I talked about the ATRIP (Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program)
plan proposed by Governor Bentley to provide funds to help counties and municipalities with road improvement money (read details
in March newsletter). We were informed that three of our projects are being considered in the first round of submittals.
They are a bridge replacement on Wall Triana south of Eastview extension over Mill Creek, the resurfacing of Sullivan Street
from Main Street to Madison Blvd, and the resurfacing of Old Madison Pike from Hughes to Slaughter. We should hear something
in the next two weeks about which projects might be funded.
Prayer before City
Council Meetings - This is a subject that was in the local newspapers in the first few
months of this year and I just wanted to comment on some things that we on the Madison City Council are doing in response
to the discussions and media coverage. A lot of the talk centered not so much on the opposition to prayer before meetings
(ours and others) but on the fact that some saw us not being open to all religions and faiths. We took a look
at what we were doing and have tried to be more mindful of the faiths of all of those in our community. In April, we
had Steve Edge of the Cherokee Nation offer an invocation that was truly beautiful. I will admit that I had
butterflies in my stomach right before he began because I had no idea what to expect and what I learned is that we all essentially
pray for the same things just in different ways. A few weeks later Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar with Temple B'nai Shalom
was with us to offer her blessing on our proceedings. We appreciate all of those who take the time to pray for us.
The Monday of our City Council meetings is usually hectic with last minute updates and information to be processed and
I for one use the time of our invocation to take a few deep breaths, calm myself, and really think about what I am about
to do. Does it comfort me to have someone else pray on my behalf? Yes. And for that reason I think prayer
before our meetings is a very good thing. No matter who is doing the praying.
March 2012
Target Grand Opening - At 4:30pm on Tuesday March 6th, Madison's own Target
store opened. There were bands, food, cake, and cotton candy (my personal favorite) along with lots of excited shoppers. Target
is truly happy to be in Madison and we are thrilled to have them. The other stores at The Shoppes of Madison are opening
a few at a time. This complex will be a huge boost to our sales tax revenues. It is the type of quality development
that the Council and Mayor wanted to bring to our city. We hope that you enjoy what the retailers have to offer.
Madison Library - On March 5th a ribbon cutting was held at the Madison Library to
celebrate the installation of handicap accessible doors at the main entrance to the library. If you are a patron of
the library, you know how heavy the doors are and how much effort it takes for someone without limitations to get in.
Now, all those who would like to use the library will find it easier. Many thanks to the Madison City Disability Advocacy
Board (MaCDAB) for seeing that this project happened. They are a dedicated group of volunteers trying to make
sure that Madison is accessible to all residents. Also, Senator Bill Holtzclaw and County Commissioner Dale Strong were in
attendance. They both provided funds to the City to enable us to afford this project.
Primary Elections
- First of all, I would like to apologize for the confusion over polling places at the March 13th elections. I
had written in a previous newsletter that District 7's polling place was changing this year to Restoration Church on Wall
Triana. I should have been more clear in that applied to Municipal (City) elections. In the past, the Madison
County election officials have coordinated with the City of Madison and the location you use to vote in County, Primary, and
National elections is the same as the location for Municipal (City) elections. Not so this time around. All District
7 voters will use Restoration Church on Wall Triana for casting a vote in the Municipal elections on August 28th. In
all other elections, you need to look at your voter registration card and vote at the polling place listed. Some District
7 residents vote at Restoration Church for all elections and others vote at Restoration for Municipal and St. John's
for all others. Confused yet? It is a nightmare that we are trying to have fixed for next year but for the upcoming
runoff elections and November National Election use your voter card as your guide. The City Clerks office can tell
you where you vote if you can't find your card. Call 772-5650.
Election Results
- District 2 City Councilman Steve Haraway was elected to the Madison County Commission on March 13th. He does not have
an opponent in November so we will be saying goodbye to him on City Council but welcoming him as our District 2 County Commissioner.
District 2 has been redrawn and is almost entirely a "Madison" district. Steve will have an office in the
new Madison County License Department facility at the previous Oh Bryans location. Having Steve on County Commission
will be a great plus for Madison. He knows what needs to be done in Madison and he has many years of background
knowledge to guide him in his new job. In addition to replacing Steve on City Council, Councilmen Jerry Jennings
(District 3) and Tim Cowles (District 4) have announced they will not be seeking re-election.
Fire Station 2 - I know what you are wondering. Why hasn't anyone moved into the new fire
station? Well, some pieces of specialized equipment are not working as they should be and until those issues are
resolved nothing can be moved in until all of the environmental testing has been done to satisfy the requirements for
the building to be LEED certified. So, a ribbon cutting and tour will probably not happen until the first
week in May.
Spencer Trace Apartments (former Paradise Apartments) - While
these apartments are not in District 7, they are on the southern edge of our district and worth mentioning. A few years
ago the Paradise Apartments on Wall Triana were condemned and sat empty for some time. This area had become a real eyesore
on a very visible stretch of road in Madison. They have now been completely renovated by a development company (MEDS)
and are now being leased to new tenants. The name is now Spencer Trace. MEDS made a presentation at the March
26 Council meeting and the before and after pictures of the apartments are impressive. MEDS has a screening process
in place for potential occupants and I am confident that they are committed to making this development a success.
They are very heavily invested in the project financially as well as emotionally.
School
Board Appointment - Applications were accepted through March 13 for an upcoming opening on the Madison City School
Board. Five candidates were selected to be interviewed. Those interviews take place on April 18 at 5:30pm at City
Hall.
Madison City Farmers Market - An agreement with Madison City Farmers
Market was approved at the March 26 Council meeting. The Farmers Market will once again be located on Hughes Road on
the south side of Discovery Middle School. The market is open on Saturdays beginning in April.
Road/Bridge Projects - In February, Governor Bentley announced an initiative to assist cities and counties
in funding transportation infrastructure projects. This program is called the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation
and Improvement Program (ATRIP). ATRIP is an Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) administered federal highway
aid program that funds up to 80% of the construction of important roadway projects. The remaining 20% fund match is
provided by the city or county. Madison submitted five projects for consideration in the first round of project
submittals. At this time, there are three submittal deadlines (March 30 and October 5, 2012 and March 29, 2013).
If projects are not selected in the first submittal, they may be resubmitted in the later submittals. The projects approved
by Council to go forward were: 1) Bridge replacement on Wall Triana Highway over Mill Creek, 2) Bridge replacement on Wall
Triana Highway between Mill Road and Brownsferry Road, 3) Sullivan Street resurfacing from Madison Blvd to Main Street, 4)
Old Madison Pike resurfacing from Hughes Road to Slaughter Road, and 5) County Line Road Improvements from Madison Blvd to
U.S. Highway 72. If approved, Madison's 20% funding for all five projects would be $2.5 million. As with any
new program, there are many kinks to be worked out so it is hard to determine what our chances are of getting these projects
funded.
Gooch Lane - I know you are tired of me telling you that Gooch Lane
is just days from being started.....believe me, I am tired of reporting it. The Public Works crew that is to do the
work is the same crew that is doing the Main Street work downtown. What can I say? Main Street has had more
delays than you can imagine. I have been told that work will begin by the end April. I know those of you that
travel the road daily are frustrated. I am too.
February 2012
Madison Hospital - After ten years of planning and waiting, Madison Hospital
opened on February 28th! I hope that you took advantage of the open house on Sunday the 26th. I was there
and it was so wonderful to see the hundreds of people that came by to tour the facility. Madison Hospital is something
our entire community should be so proud of. When you consider that our Madison Hospital is the first new hospital to
be built in Alabama since the early 70's, the magnitude of how fortunate we are hits you. I also hope
that many of you have had the opportunity to meet or hear speak the president of Madison Hospital, Mary Lynne Wright.
Mary Lynne is a Madison resident (more importantly, a District 7 resident!) and is passionate about the Madison community
and her role as leader of Madison Hospital. I know that she will grow our hospital into the finest community hospital
in the state. Many volunteer opportunities exist at the hospital and I know that we have great volunteers in our
area. If you have the time, please look into where you might be able to be of service. I am volunteering in the
gift shop two days a month! Any amount of time you can give is appreciated. http://www.madisonalhospital.org/volunteers/. Make sure you look at the entire hospital website to familiarize yourself with what they have to offer. www.madisonalhospital.org
Recreation News
Council has approved an agreement with Intergraph
Corporation for use of softball fields at the Intergraph complex for adult softball leagues. Those of you that might
be interested may contact the Rec Dept at Dublin Park for information on leagues forming now. I mentioned forming a
Council softball team at our meeting and after everyone finished laughing they said "No". The Fire Department
even offered to provide an EMT for us. Does that mean they think we are out of shape and prone to injury?
Look on the bright side....we could go to the new Madison Hospital.
Madison Baseball Association donated $15,000
to help with the cost of constructing 14 metal roof canopies and support structures for baseball dugouts at Palmer Park.
Thank you! The City depends on these types of donations to help supplement our City budgets to provide quality
facilities for our youth.
School Board - Applications are being accepted for the Madison
City School Board. One term expiration is approaching and applications for that position will be taken until March 13th.
If you have questions please contact the City Clerks office.
Fire Station 2 - The
end is in sight! Concrete aprons and pads are placed, landscaping is being finished, and final touches on the inside
are being worked on. An open house and tour for residents should take place towards the end of March.
Hwy 72/Target-Madison Hospital - With the Madison Hospital and Target both now open this is
a busy stretch of road. Work is still being done and extra fines are in place for speeding in this zone. Remember...speed
limit dropped from 55 mph to 45 mph. It will take time for motorists on Hwy 72 to get accustomed to stopping for the
light at Target and watching for merging traffic at the hospital. Use caution and patience.
Tax
Revenues - More good news. Sales tax revenues for the City have shown increases over the same periods last
year for a few months now. This is welcome news and a trend that we hope to see continue with the opening of Target
and associated stores in the Shoppes of Madison complex.
Elections 2012 - I have
had many people ask if I am running for "re-election" in the August Municipal Elections and the answer is yes.
Since I was appointed to my position, I can't really say re-elected so I guess you can say I want to keep doing what I
am doing for the residents of District 7 by being elected for the first time in August. I plan to add a campaign page
to this website in the next few weeks. You will notice the disclaimer I have added at the bottom of the newsletter page.
This is just to let everyone know that I pay for this website with my own money and because of that I can use it for campaign
purposes. I have the website and provide the newsletter as a service to District 7 residents because I want to keep
you informed not because the City asks me to. At this time, I think I am still the only Council member with a website.
Thanks for reading and for your input on issues that concern you and questions that you have.
January 2012
Redistricting - The
city has received preliminary approval of the new Council District lines submitted to the Department of Justice. This
means that they had no major questions or concerns with the districts and that final approval will most likely happen within
60 days.
Connect 2012 -
Mayor Finley gave his final "State of the City" address at the
Madison Chamber of Commerce sponsored Connect 2012 on January 20th at the Davidson Center. We have had many things to
celebrate this year in Madison. See the highlights of his speech here http://www.madisonal.gov/index.aspx?nid=762. As Mayor Finley finishes his final months in office, I can assure
you he is working harder than ever to accomplish goals and finish projects he outlined when he first took office.
Gooch
Lane - Bad news first, work has been slow but should pick up as the weather improves. Good
news. After a few letters and many unreturned phone calls to the Madison Post Master from our Engineering
Department, I personally went to the post office and talked to them and we have an agreement to move mailboxes to the
north side of Gooch Lane for those that live on that side. This means residents will not have to cross the road
to get their mail! All mailboxes will be relocated by our Public Works department as the road improvements continue.
So, it may be several weeks before the mailboxes move. The Engineering Department is going to send out letters
outlining how the work to move the mailboxes will be accomplished.
Hwy 72/Target-Madison
Hospital area -
Work is almost complete in this area
and the traffic signal in front of Target has been activated. Also, the speed limit in this area has
dropped from 55 mph to 45 mph.
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Ronica Ondocsin