The Playground Workshop was held at the Whitehorse Middle School on Wednesday, November 16 at 6PM.  The scope of the workshop was as follow:

1. Overview of the City of Madison Playgrounds
2. Playground Design Process
3. Playground Standards and Requirements
4. Budget
5. Timeline

At the meeting, attendees were grouped by neighborhood/playgrounds where a brief discussion took place of the existing conditions of the play equipment.  The goal of the workshop/break out session was to determine the following:

• Targeted age range for the new equipment
• Colors of the structures
• Surfacing material
• Playground manufacturers

The options for age range were 2-5 years old and 5-12 years old (examples below). 

As indicated in the images above, the options available for selection are:

• BCI Burke
• Playworld Systems
• Playcraft Systems
• Burl'e*

Learn more about these manufacturers by selecting the embedded links to the websites.  *More to come - as Burl'e may be affiliated with Burke. 

There were a handful of Lake Edge neighbors who attended the workshop and decisions were needed to be made.  I asked if we could have additional time to survey the neighborhood.  The request was granted.  As such, please complete the survey no later than Monday, November 28.  I will compile and submit the information to the Project Manager, Sarah Lerner.  I've started a discussion thread in the LENA Facebook Group. 

Thus far, wood mulch and Playworld are the preferred choices.  The replacement project includes the following: 

• A standard baby/toddler and adult swings are included (as pictured above regardless of the manufacturer chosen)
• One play structure
  • Options such as the number of slides, monkey bars, etc to be determined at the next meeting based on the manufacturer selected
• Add-ons
  • Possible to add play equipment via fundraising
• Construction and installation costs including relocation of the yellow spinner and the blue half circle climber and bouncer

Here's the plan for the park (see image below).  An asphalt pathway will be installed connecting the shelter to the new playground structure, making it accessible and ADA compliant.  Next meeting is scheduled for January 10 at 6PM at the Pinney Library.  I will create an event for the meeting once confirmed.  Play structure options will be presented for selection based on the manufacturer selected at this meeting.  Neighbors and attendees will be able to provide further inputs such as the play options (e.g. monkey bars, bridges, climbing wall, etc) at this meeting.  Please be sure to check back or join our Facebook group or LENA to receive most current information. 

I'm pleased to share with you MGE's comprehensive Report from our Community Energy Workshop held earlier this year. This report is an analysis of the more than 2,000 comments shared with us that evening. I share this report with you because it reflects the questions, ideas, comments, values and priorities of the community for our energy future, and it will provide ongoing guidance for us.

As you will see, a careful review of all the input revealed some broad themes, which we used to organize the data. Those themes include Energy 2030, Role of MGE, Economics of Energy, New Products and Services, Energy Resources, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Communication, Community Engagement and Partnerships, and Equity and Diversity. This analysis and organization are important because, as we have said since the beginning of this unprecedented engagement process, our objective is to turn this input into actionable ideas for our community's energy future and to inspire new
opportunities for partnerships of all kinds.

I'm pleased to share that we've already acted upon some of the input from the Workshop. In response to that input, we developed a new communication tool, www.energy2030together.com. Here, we will have regular features about how we are moving forward and working with customers to achieve our Energy 2030 goals and objectives. For example, with our Shared Solar pilot project fully subscribed—thanks to customer support—construction of this solar project is under way in Middleton. We also continue to collaborate with the City of Madison as it works to implement its City Energy Work Plan. We have identified areas of mutual interest and continue to discuss potential projects to advance together.

The Workshop Report is available online at https://www.mge.com/community-conversations/cew-report.htm. You also will find online all of the participants' comments.

You can find an article, "Many Voices, Shared Goals," about the Workshop Report on our new www.energy2030together.com website. We hope you'll continue to engage with us and visit https://www.energy2030together.com/.

I, and the rest of us at MGE, appreciate your time and ongoing attention to our energy future. Thank you, and please feel free to share your feedback with me.

Best regards,

Dave
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David J. Benforado, Community Services Manager
Madison Gas and Electric Company
P.O. Box 1231
Madison WI  53701-1231
608-252-7906
dbenforado@mge.com