We are fortunate to be living downtown during one of the most successful periods of time for downtown Madison. The downtown is thriving following two significant waves of residential development–the condo boom of the mid-2000s that brought hundreds of new property owners to downtown Madison, and the apartment boom of the past few years, which has brought thousands of new residents downtown, from young professionals to empty nesters. Additionally, renovations to existing buildings and homes continue to improve residential, office and commercial space, including restoring many historic buildings and homes downtown.
This is truly a great period in the history of downtown Madison. Improvements in downtown quality of life that we now enjoy are in many ways the result of decades of work by our neighborhood association. Downtown Madison was a much different place when Capitol Neighborhoods was formed in 1984. Through continuous work by hundreds of downtown residents who have actively participated in the neighborhood association over the years, we have seen significant improvements in downtown quality of life, safety, parks, housing, and other issues.
It can be easy in successful times such as the present to become complacent. I encourage you to continue to actively participate in the neighborhood association to help continue to maintain and improve the quality of life we now enjoy. Capitol Neighborhoods is led by an Executive Council made up of representatives from each of the five neighborhood districts. Each district has one seat for a neighborhood chairperson and three seats for district representatives.
We currently have full participation on the Executive Council from the Bassett and Miffland districts. However, we have one Mansion Hill representative seat open. In the James Madison Park district, we have the district chair and one representative seat open. In the First Settlement district, we also have the district chair and one representative seat open. The Executive Council meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 5:15 p.m. at the Central Library. If you are interested in learning more about one of the open seats, please contact me at president@capitolneighborhoods.org or 608-445-9384.
If you live in one of the districts with full representation on the Executive Council, there are many other ways to get involved in the neighborhood association, including by attending the monthly district meeting. Please visit our website at capitolneighborhoods.org or contact me for further information on other ways to get involved.