Lists of Neighborhood Projects

Below are lists of our current and future activities, and view some of our past accomplishments.

Current Activities (Help Wanted!)

Here are some of our current (mostly ongoing) activities. If any of these spark your interest, there's usually room for involvement. Some items have bold notes where we have an urgent need for help.

• We hold a neighborhood potluck every year on the Fourth of July. This usually takes place in Goodman Park (formerly Franklin Field) near the playground. Check the Calendar for details. We need people to hang out at the picnic tables in the morning.
• We hold a "back-to-school" ice cream social in the orchard (across Olin Ave from the pool) in late August or early September. We supply the ice cream (including non-dairy); pre-covid, we encouraged folks to bring a topping to share. 30-70 people usually attend.
• Producing the Bay Creek Bulletin newsletter is perhaps the most important work we do. It keeps us informed about and connected with the neighborhood, and is hand delivered by volunteers.
  • We're always looking for articles.
  Contact the Newsletter Committee's Managing Editor to help.
• The Web Committee updates and sometimes enhances this site. It also administers the email list, Facebook page, and Google Workspace. We sometimes need help with day-to-day and longer-term projects. Contact the Web Committee to help.
• Some Bay Creekers help out with a monthly cleanup around Monona Bay organized by Friends of Monona Bay.
• There are other committees besides the ones mentioned above; here's a list. Contact the chair for more info and to get involved.

Future Activities (Help Wanted!)

• The Welcoming and Recruitment Committee welcomes new residents. They would like to create a packet of information for new neighbors, and is considering surveying neighborhood residents on their interests and talents, and what they'd like to see out of the BCNA.
• It'd be great to have a neighborhood directory! At least one part of the neighborhood does this, and it's a great resource.
• We've talked about having block captains on more than one occasion. We could then do a door-to-door membership drive every year which would enable us to do projects that depend on money.
• Monthly meetings are usually more popular when there are guests who speak on relevant topics. How can we do more of this?
• Our Business Development and Retention Committee hasn't existed for many years now. There's a strong desire for more business development. And the best way to avoid "undesirable" businesses is to proactively attract desirable ones.
• There's a general desire to have higher quality groceries available nearby.
• More indoor recreation is desired, especially for youth.
• Biking on Park Street is difficult; what could be done about that? In 2024, the City is proposing a two-way ped/bike path on the west side of part of Park St.
• Better pedestrian access within Bay Creek is somewhat desired.
• In early 2004, UW-Madison student Sasha Koehn designed landscape architecture enhancements that could be made to the neighborhood. He focused his efforts on Bernie's Beach, Romnes, and Wingra Creek. Would you be interested in writing a large grant to turn these plans into reality?
• Wouldn't more social events be fun? Block parties, a drive by/walk by art or garden show, music events, or just more potlucks.
• Some of our past accomplishments (below) could be done again today. Scan those to see if you might want to help with anything.

As you can probably tell, our eyes are bigger than our stomach, and we'll need more people involved to accomplish the current and future activities listed here. If any of these projects interest you, or if you have any other ideas for ways to improve the neighborhood, come to a neighborhood meeting or contact any member of the Bay Creek Neighborhood Council and let your thoughts be known.

Past Accomplishments

• We used to organize a coordinated neighborhood yard sales day every year, complete with a list of items for sale and addresses of participants. (We did this in 1998 - 2005, 2014, and 2023.) We need someone to organize this.
• There was a Neighborhood Meet & Greet at the Lakeside Street Coffee House once a month. It would be nice if someone organized this again so folks could meet some of their Bay Creek neighbors outside of a meeting!
• In 2002, we started a campaign aimed at educating people about the direct relationship between the health of the lakes and the use of lawn care chemicals. We had a guest speaker at the September, 2002 neighborhood meeting to talk about this; here are the notes. There is now a city-wide effort called Greater Madison Healthy Lawn Team.
• We requested safety improvements where the Wingra Creek path crosses Fish Hatchery (while this sounds easy, it took years and 100 signatures to get a walk light).
• We formed the first neighborhood environmental action EnAct team (formerly EcoTeams) at the June, 2000 neighborhood meeting, which taught us how to live a more sustainable lifestyle in eight fun meetings. Several other neighborhood teams have since formed. EnAct no longer exists, but new teams could form on their own; there are probably people who went through this program who'd be willing to help.
• We worked with Sustain Dane to create a website called NeighborNation.net which enabled people in a neighborhood to easily connect with their neighbors through an on-line virtual kiosk. This ran from 2004-2010.
• We had a virtual plant exchange in the early 2000's. People offered perennials they'd be willing to divide.
• We used to do burn preparation work for the Olin-Turville woods in late winter and early spring. This involves raking leaves away from mature oak trees to reduce the chance that they will catch fire. We also pulled garlic mustard in April/May.
• A kiosk/bench was installed (watch the video) at Bernie's Beach in October, 2006. This was the result of work done by the Sign Committee and the Bay Creek Walk Audit project (started in 2003). The latter identified three walking routes in the neighborhood, which are posted on the Kiosk. This came down in 2020(?) because it was deteriorating.
• In 2005, the City Public Health Department modeled a pool walk audit project after the neighborhood walk audit project to ensure that children and families in surrounding neigborhoods have a safe route to the pool.
• We worked with the City Parks department on Madison's first public pool in 2004.
• Bay Creek had two public flower gardens where the city pays for the flowers and neighbors tend the gardens (the Marguerite Pohle flower program). There are less than twenty M. Pohle gardens in the city. One was off O'Sheridan and the other was at the Park/Beld triangle family statue.
• We worked with three other neighborhoods and the city to create a comprehensive plan for South Madison. The South Madison Neighborhood Plan is online.
• We organized an informal art festival outside at Romnes Apartments in 2004.
• We held a neighborhood spaghetti dinner in Oct, 2003. Well over 100 people attended.
• We co-sponsored and/or organized several candidates' forums: for county board (2002, 2000), alder (2005, 1999), state assembly (1998), and mayor (1998).
• We installed the second and third neighborhood signs on Park Street at Wingra Drive and on Lakeside Street at John Nolen Drive in March, 2000.
• We hosted and/or facilitated meetings like the Wingra Creek bike path informational meeting, and had numerous guest speakers at meetings (elected representatives, Madison Police Department, Madison Community Gardens Project, Chicken Underground, etc.).
• We offered 1000 free plants for neighborhood residents in 1999.
• We produced a neighborhood video, entitled South Side Frolics: Stories from Monona Bay to Wingra Creek in 1998.
• We selected playground equipment for Olin-Turville in 1996(?).
• We installed the first neighborhood sign on Park Street at Fish Hatchery in 1995.
• We held meetings regarding Famous Footwear's desire to erect two tall buildings adjacent to Olin Park in 1993(?). Public pressure caused them to withdraw their proposal which would've blocked the view of downtown from John Nolen Drive, and this remains the premier entrance into Madison.
• We had about fifteen residents serve on the Bay Creek Neighborhood Steering Committee for the Bay Creek Neighborhood Plan (1989-1990), a resource that still holds value today.

These activities were made possible by the hard work of residents that value community, and we deeply appreciate their time and committment.

Contributions of money are equally valued. Your voluntary dues go a long way towards helping the neighborhood become a better place to live. They are voluntary because not everyone can afford dues every year. Dues can be sent to our treasurer. Neighborhoods like Dugeon-Monroe have 70% dues-paying households, and this really adds up quickly.