New shelter + construction projects + food at Crystal?!

Good morning, Madison.

For everyone keeping score at home, it's Thursday. Happy Thursday.

We've got a bunch of news to cover this morning so let's just dive right into it!

— Hayley

🏘️ City and county officials have picked a site for a permanent homeless men's shelter.

• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and County Executive Joe Parisi announced the permanent shelter will be located at 1902 Bartillon Drive on the far east side, across from the former homeless encampment in Reindahl Park.
• The facility is expected to house between 200 and 250 men and has been years in the making. The city already owns the new site and it was picked in part for its "access to amenities, including transit."
• As WORT notes, a temporary men’s shelter currently sits at the former Fleet Services building on First Street but that space is set to become the new Madison Public Market later this year.
• The City Council still needs to sign off but a resolution selecting a design consultant for the project will be heard next week. Construction is expected to begin in early 2023.

“It will be transformational. This truly represents a pretty big step for our community in really thinking about how do we serve this population and deliver what they need to get stable and get their lives back.” — Satya Rhodes-Conway, Madison mayor

🛑 PSA: You might hit some construction on your commute next week.

• Construction of flex lanes on the Beltline is set to kick off this weekend, with crews starting on the eastbound lanes at Todd Drive.
• What's a flex lane? Flex lanes are basically what they sound like — traffic lanes that allow for part-time use during peak hours to open up more space, in this case along the Beltline. The system will have signs that specify when the shoulder is open and closed.
• As Channel 3000 notes, overnight lane closures and traffic shifts in the area will begin March 13. Westbound lanes will not be affected. The $45.1 million construction project is expected to wrap up sometime in June.

🌮 You'll soon be able to order food at Crystal Corner — for real this time.

• It may have started as a joke (or prank, or honest mistake?), but starting March 18, the Crystal Corner bar will serve dinner with the help of the neighboring Marquette Hotel Cafe.
• The State Journal reports the Willy Street bar will serve salads, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza, all courtesy of the hotel. Customers will be able to order and pay via an iPad kiosk at the bar and cafe employees will run the food across the street from 6 - 9  p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
• Required reading: The Crystal Corner Bar's very brief, very fake adventures in haute cuisine (Tone Madison)

🏡 Black homeownership in Madison is one-third the rate of homeownership in the U.S.

• A  new report from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum shows just 15% of Black households in Madison own their homes, compared to over 50% of white households.
• The report used 2019 census data to calculate homeownership rates for the state’s five most populous cities: Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine, and for the state as a whole.
• As WPR reports, in Wisconsin overall, the gap between Black and white homeownership averaged 46.5 points. Nationally, that number was 30 percentage points.

🧑‍🚒 Make your voice heard in the search for Madison's next fire chief.

• The city is offering one more chance for community members to ask questions and provide input on hiring Madison's next fire chief. The Board of Police and Fire Commissioners will welcome public comment at their March 14 meeting as the final opportunity for residents to speak on the matter.
• Registration for comment is open on the City of Madison website. The meeting will be held March 14 at 5:30 p.m.

✨ The “Divine Nine” plaza.

• The University of Wisconsin-Madison will begin construction this spring on a plaza for the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), which represents the university's historically Black fraternities and sororities.
• As the Daily Cardinal reports, the plaza will be located in the garden space across from the Walgreens on East Campus Mall and is set to be unveiled in May. The space is meant to serve as a physical acknowledgment of underrepresented communities on campus.

“There are too many students of color, specifically Black students, who feel like imposters on their own campus. [...] This project will be a daily reminder for every student of color that walks past the plaza that they not only belong on this campus but are honored and acknowledged by the university." — Israel Oby, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

🏫 Your lunchtime read: Despite financial hurdles, undocumented college students in Wisconsin chase their dreams.

• From the Cap Times: "Because there is no law prohibiting the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, except in three states (Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina), [Alejandra] Gonzalez had no problem getting into school. But she quickly learned how challenging it is for undocumented students in Wisconsin to afford higher education because they are cut off from in-state tuition and major sources of financial aid."

🦠 Covid-19 Update

Wisconsin Vaccination Rate: 60.5%

Dane County Vaccination Rate: 78.3%

Resources

• Here's where to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.
• Need a COVID-19 test? PHMDC has you covered.
• Do you still need your flu shot? Start here.
• Request an at-home testing kit from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
• Where to pick up free masks from the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program
• Where to Buy N95s, KN95s, and Surgical-Style Masks in 2022 (Wirecutter)
• What to Do if You are Sick or Possibly Exposed (PHMDC)

📅 Events: Thursday, March 10

• Living and Leading With My Whole Self with Culture Community. "We live in a world that forces us, implicitly and explicitly, to adhere closely to established norms and ways of being. Join Justin Rosen Smolen as he shares what is is like to lead as someone with two minority identities." 8:30 a.m. Virtual. Free.
• George Hesselberg reads from “Dead Lines: Slices of Life from the Obit Beat” at Verona Public Library. 6:30 p.m. Free.
• Hush, a low-sensory dance experience at Crucible Madison. No strobes, lasers, or fog; a lower sound volume, and chill atmosphere. 7 p.m. $5.
• Silk Stranger, Lunar Moth, Supper Club at The Bur Oak. Music at 8 p.m. $5 advance, $7 doors. 🟠
• The Faux Paws at North Street Cabaret. Part of the Sugar Maple Concert Series. 8 p.m. $13 advance, $20 doors.
• Gaelic Storm at The Barrymore. 8 p.m. $25 advance, $30 doors.
• Author Talk: Lindsay Christians, author of “Madison Chefs” at Central Library. 7 p.m. 🟠

See more in our weekly events roundup.

Wondering what 🟠 means? That symbol next to an event listing means that Tone Madison’s team of writers and editors recommends checking it out.