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- August 18, 2022
August 18, 2022
Administration: The City Hall elevator is expected to be out of service for approximately three weeks pending elevator upgrades starting on August 22 through September 9.
Community Spotlight: Sweet Corn Festival has begun! This event runs from August 17 until August 21.
Parks, Recreation and Forestry: The Fall Connecting Guide is out now and you're going to want to check it out!
Public Safety: It is construction season. With contractors vertically drilling to install new infrastructure and road crews digging to put in new water and sewer lines we have a potential to see an increase in gas leak calls.
Public Works: Due to labor shortages, the shared-ride taxi service is facing challenges in current demand. Please review the times below to see the new hours of service.
Sun Prairie Media Center: Sure, late August means that summer is winding down. But look on the bright side: Football!
Sun Prairie Public Library: We want to give a huge congrats to all our Library Champions!
Sun Prairie Utilities: SPU customers can now sign-up to receive outage notifications!
Administration
City Hall Elevator Upgrade!
The City Hall elevator is expected to be out of service for approximately three weeks pending elevator upgrades starting on August 22 through September 9. In the meantime, please use the stairs to access the second floor.
We understand the impact this will have on our community and will make every effort to meet all requests while the elevator is out of service to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities through appropriate aids and services. To request this service, please contact 608-837-2511. City services can be accessed online at: cityofsunprairie.com.
Accommodations for public meetings taking place in the Council Chambers at city hall:
o Zoom and Survey Monkey will continue to be available to members of the public who wish to attend or speak during city meetings.
o Technology will be set up in the front portion of the Community Room to stream the meeting and for public comment during the public comment period. Please refer to the meeting agenda to request this service with the appropriate department.
#CityHallSelfie Day
August 15 was ELGL #CityHall Selfie Day – Villages too! City staff participated in this fun initiative from Engaging Local Government Leaders to highlight the staff that make local government what it is! I'm sure you see a few familiar faces!
Community Spotlight
IT'S HERE!
Back To School Resources
CapitalLand Music Festival
Come #outside for the the 4th Annual #capitallandmusicfest on Saturday, SEPTEMBER 10th at Sheehan Park in Sun Prairie, WI
This year's guest will be the #beautiful #sultry sounds of #Artist Roe , #Soul #Smooth #Voice of #RecordingArtist Kevin Ross, #GrammyNominated artist Ro James.
CLMF will be equipped with Food vendors, VIP meet & greet, games and fun, so come prepared;
whether you're #lookingforlove, meeting up with #friends or just want to get the #family out the house. MARK YOUR CALENDARS for a #greatnight of #goodmusic and a much needed #sweetrelease...but you #alreadyknewthat
See You September 10th | 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. | Sheehan Park 925-1375 Linnerud Drive, Sun Prairie, WI 53590
Parks, Recreation and Forestry
Recreation Department
The Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry office is open: Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm, or by phone at (608) 837-3449 or by email at rec@cityofsunprairie.com.
Announcements:
Fall Connection Guide out now!
Registration now open for all fall programs. To view the guide or to register, visit rec.cityofsunprairie.com
“Recreation is for Everyone” Scholarship form!
Come join us for fun and enriching programs available for the whole family! Requesting a scholarship is easier than ever with our NEW online form! This easy, streamlined form provides "no questions asked" financial access to SPPRF programs.
In order to request the Recreation is for Everyone Scholarship you must be a resident of Sun Prairie or enrolled in the Sun Prairie Area School District.
For questions or assistance contact us at 608-837-3449 or visit Recreation is for Everyone Scholarship Information
- Scholarships cover 50% of enrollment fees on most programs
- No formal documentation is required for approval of financial assistance
- Online submission with approvals within 2 business days
Fitness “TRY-IT” Week
Are you thinking about signing up for a fitness class but you’re not sure which one? Join a FREE class (or several) during our “Try It” week to help you make up your mind! No need to register, just show up! All classes with be held at WCSB unless noted below.
CLASS | AGES | DAY | DATE | TIME |
Totally Toned for Women- Running Diva Mom Studio (351 E. Main St, #335) | 16+ | Tues | 9/6 | 8:45 - 9:30 a.m. |
Zumba with Naveen | 16+ | Tues | 9/6 | 6:00 – 6:45 p.m. |
Walk the Prairie | 16+ | Wed | 9/7 | 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. |
Pound | 16+ | Wed | 9/7 | 5:45 – 6:30 p.m. |
Totally Toned for Women- Running Diva Mom Studio (351 E. Main St, #335) | 16+ | Thurs | 9/8 | 8:45 - 9:30 a.m. |
Zumba Gold | 16+ | Thurs | 9/8 | 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. |
Zumba with Valerie | 16+ | Thurs | 9/8 | 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. |
Fitness Flex Pass
Not sure what fitness class is right for you? Enjoy the flexibility to try them all with our new Fit Flex Pass. Click here to purchase a 5 or 10 class pass, Fit Flex Pass - Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry (cityofsunprairie.com), passes never expire!
Important Dates:
Drive-In Movie: Monana
Join us at Angell Park at dusk on Wednesday, August 24th at 6:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, blanket, or watch from your car/tailgate for a drive-in experience! For further information, click here.
Upcoming Programs Not to Be Missed:
August 1st – August 30th
5:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Ends: 8/30/2022
Join Ryan Grimes Karate staff for this introduction to karate!
August 1st – August 30th
8:00 – 8:50 p.m.
Registration Ends: 8/30/2022
Join Ryan Grimes Karate staff for this introduction to karate!
Walk the Prairie
August 17th – October 19th
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Call 608.837.3449 to register
Meet up with friends or make new ones while walking through scenic Sun Prairie area parks and neighborhoods. You walk at your speed for fun (you don’t have to be a fast walker). We will stretch following each walk. Come join the fun as we explore the area parks. Please bring a water bottle.
Note: The group will meet at a different location each week. An information packet that includes a schedule will be provided on the first day.
September 13th – December 22nd
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Registration Ends: 9/06/2022
This class will give your tot an opportunity to explore their independence while socializing with peers! At Tot School children will play, create and learn through interactive activities in a semi-structured environment. Parents are asked to remain on site but not actively in program. A lounge with coffee and refreshments will be provided. Free Wi-Fi is also available.
This is a 9-week session. Payments have been broken up in three equal portions for convenience for our customers. Please note that by registering, you are agreeing to pay the FULL program amount over the course of three months. Automatic payments are not available. Payments may be made through online account, in person, 24-hour dropbox or by mail. There will be no proration of fees. Registrants will be liable for all three payments regardless of whether the child attends all months or not.
Save 5% by paying for the session in full at the time of registration. To do this please call 608-837-3449 and we can process your registration by phone and apply the 5% discount.
September 13th – December 22nd
Two sessions available: 8:00 – 9:45 a.m. or 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Registration Ends: 9/06/2022
Are you looking for an opportunity for children to learn through play? This inclusion program will be an early pre-school experience incorporating music, art and movement activities. Peers will engage in activities that will develop skills in the areas of expressive language development, fine and gross motor skills, and play skills. This is a team-taught program with the Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department and the Sun Prairie Area School District Early Childhood Special Education Department.
This is a semester long program. Payments have been broken up in four equal portions for convenience for our customers. Please note that by registering, you are agreeing to pay the FULL program amount over the course of four months. Automatic payments are not available. Payments may be made through online account, in person, 24-hour dropbox or by mail. There will be no proration of fees. Registrants will be liable for all four payments regardless of whether the child attends all months or not.
Thursday Early Release Afterschool Programming (previously TGIT)
Beginning in the 2022 – 2023 school year, Sun Prairie Area School District Elementary Schools will be dismissing students at 1:30 pm on Thursday afternoons to accommodate professional staff development. In an effort to provide high quality afterschool childcare to our growing community, Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry, the Sun Prairie Area School District and Community Schools are putting forth a collaborative effort to provide a community partner-based afterschool program. This program will aim to provide families with safe, affordable and engaging childcare on Thursday afternoons for students in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Childcare will be available from dismissal at 1:30 pm until 5:00 pm. We will pilot this program, starting in September, at four elementary school locations in September and will have programming at all nine elementary schools starting in January 2023. Program partners will be brought in monthly to provide fun and exciting programming ranging from chess to sports to ukulele lessons.
SPPRF is currently working on confirming the locations for September 2022, and will open registration as soon as these sites are confirmed. Please click “register” to be added to our interest list to be notified when enrollment begins and when new sites are added to this program.
If this program isn’t offered at your school initially you do have the option to attend any site, but transportation will not be provided at this time. Registration will be by month for September -December.
September 8-29 - $95
October 6-27- $95
November 3-17 - $71, No class 11/24
December 1-22- $95
More information will be coming soon, visit rec.cityofsunprairie.com and the digital version of the Rec Connection which will be updated prior to the start of the school year. Please contact Emily Rebarchek, erebarchek@cityofsunprairie.com, or call 608-837-3449 with any questions.
Public Safety
It's Construction Season!
It is construction season. With contractors vertically drilling to install new infrastructure and road crews digging to put in new water and sewer lines we have a potential to see an increase in gas leak calls.
What to do
If you smell gas, remove yourself from the area in which you can smell it. Call 9-11 even if you think your neighbor has. The more calls the Communications Center gets the more information they can pass along to responding crews. Do not use any light switches or possible heat sources for flame or ignition.
Types of Leaks
Gas that is leaking due to digging equipment penetrating it tends to release gas straight up into the atmosphere and not migrate or travel far underground to surrounding areas. Gas that is leaking due to drilling into the gas line will follow the path of least resistance to open air. Many times that is the direction of the drill, other times that could be into a storm water or utility area. There is also the potential for components to fail due to age or natural shifts in the earth. These leaks are harder to spot due to the lack of human involvement. Areas of dead grass in otherwise green spaces with no other explanation. Or hissing and bubbling from damp areas of soil or ground are indicators of a gas line leak.
What to expect
Fire crews and gas company employees will respond and monitor the situation while the gas valves are being located and service disrupted. They will check common migratory paths for levels of gas. They may ask to enter a home or building to ensure that no gas is seeping in through basements, utility access or open windows. Natural gas can only be ignited under the right conditions. That is a concentration of gas between about 5% and 15% of the air in the vicinity of a heat source. If gas is found in an enclosed area crews will monitor and make adjustments to prevent the levels from reaching the explosive limits. If you are asked to leave please know you will be allowed back in as soon as the risk has been removed from the area.
POLICE Academy!
Officer Jacob Maurer, Officer Tyler Chitwood, and Officer Clayton Klubertanz started the 720-hour Madison Area Technical College Police Academy on Monday, August 15th.
POLICE National Night Out!
The Sun Prairie Police Department hosted National Night Out on Thursday, August 4, 2022 in downtown Sun Prairie. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and public safety agencies while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. The police department was joined by our partners from the fire department, public works, parks department, utilities, the library, EMS, and many other community groups. It was great to see so many of our community members join us!
********Here is the link to the Flickr album -- if you use any, please credit the Sun Prairie Star.********
Public Works
Sun Prairie Media Center
SPHS FOOTBALL COVERAGE SET TO KICK OFF
Sure, late August means that summer is winding down. But look on the bright side: Football! And this year thanks to the introduction of the Sun Prairie Wolves, the SPMC is featuring double the football!
The Sun Prairie Media Center is pleased to announce that KSUN, KIDS-4, 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio, and sunprairiemediacenter.com will be the places to tune to for live coverage of home and away Sun Prairie Cardinals AND Sun Prairie Wolves high school football games this fall.
All games are scheduled to be broadcast live on KSUN (Spectrum cable channel 983, TDS channels 13 and 1013), KIDS-4 (Spectrum channel 984, TDS 14 and 1014) streamed on sunprairiemediacenter.com, on the KSUN Roku and Apple TV channels, and on the free-to-download Sun Prairie Media Center app, and aired on 103.5 The Sun Community Radio.
Following live coverage, games will be made available on sunprairiemediacenter.com for on demand viewing.
The season will be a historic one as Sun Prairie fields two teams for the first time, and the Sun Prairie Media Center will be there every step of the way with announcers Mike Powers and Bill Baker with the call for the Cardinals and Jamison Rabbitt and Steve Sabatke with the call for the Wolves.
“We are super excited at the Media Center to be part of this inaugural season for the Sun Prairie Wolves and to be able to bring every Wolves and Cardinals game to our home audience,” said SPMC director Jeff Robbins. “We always encourage fans to go to the games live, but we know that isn’t always possible, so we are happy to be partnering with the SPASD to bring the best video and audio coverage we can.”
(Note that the SPMC is currently under negotiations with Charter Spectrum and TDS to launch another channel. Should a third channel launch, coverage will move off KIDS-4 to the new channel. There will still be video and audio coverage on the other entities.)
The SPMC is seeking business sponsors for 2022 coverage. Interested sponsors can sign up online at sunprairiemediacenter.com/sponsorfootball.
For a current schedule of football and other programming, please go to sunprairiemediacenter.com/ksunprograms. The schedule is subject to change.
Sun Prairie Public Library
Congrats to all our Library Champions! The only way to earn a 2022 Library Champion sign was to complete the entire 2022 Summer Reading Program. Way to go! Show your Library pride and keep your Champion sign on display through the entire month of August...you never know when a librarian might spot it!
Ends August 31, 2022
Log your reading time and complete activities to earn virtual badges. Every badge you receive earns you tickets to enter into prize drawings! Track your reading and other activities via Beanstack: https://sunprairiepubliclibrary.beanstack.com/reader365. As you log your reading and activities, you earn "badges" and enter to win prizes. Drawings for all prizes will be held at the end of the Summer Reading Program. Winners will be notified by telephone or email the week of September 5 and must pick up their prizes at the library.
Ribbon Cutting Event
Tuesday, August 23 at 4pm, Sheehan Park West
The permanent Story Walk at Sheehan Park West will be installed during the month of August. The inaugural book to be displayed is “Sophie's Squash”! There will be a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m. Pat Zietlow Miller, author of Sophie's Squash, is our featured guest! The Storywalk is generously sponsored by WiLS and the Sun Prairie Public Library Foundation.
Wednesday, August 24 6:30-7:30 p.m., Library Community Room
The Madison Area Ukulele Initiative (MAUI) returns at long last to bring cheer and jaunty tunes to our community as the summer starts to wind down. Their music makes for a fantastic family fun night and all ages are encouraged to attend! This evening is funded by the Friends of Sun Prairie Public Library.
Thursday, August 25 6:30-7:30 p.m., Library Community Room
Tom Jones, an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and co-author of “People of the Big Voice: Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1942” as well as the co-curator for the exhibition and contributing author to the book, “For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw” for the National Museum of the American Indian, will join us to present Native Peoples of Wisconsin. A professor of photography at the UW-Madison, Jones’s photographs can be found in the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, the Chazen Museum of Art, the Nerman Museum, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, and Microsoft. Sponsored by the Sun Prairie Public Library Foundation.
Dream Bus Bookmobile - End of Summer Celebration with Kona Ice!
Friday, August 26 from 11am-1:45pm at 3 locations
Join the Dream Bus bookmobile for a special End of Summer Celebration with free Kona Ice at The Element on Main apartments, Rolling Prairie apartments, and Vandenburg Heights Park. What can you do on the Dream Bus? Sign up for a library card, check out free books, music, and movies, access free Wi-Fi and resources, and more! This event is generously sponsored by the Sun Prairie Public Library Foundation and the Walmart Foundation.
The Element on Main Apartments - 102 Park Circle
11 - 11:35 am
Rolling Prairie Apartments - 415 S. Bird Street
11:45 am - 12:35 pm
Vandenburg Heights Park - 1020 Vandenburg Street
12:45 pm - 1:45 pm
Foreign Film Night: Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Monday, August 29 6:30-8:30 p.m., Library Community Room
A disillusioned schoolteacher is transferred to the most remote school in the world, cut off from modern life deep in the Himalayan glaciers. In a classroom with no electricity or even a blackboard, he finds himself with only a yak and a song that echoes through the mountains. This film is not rated and has a run time of approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
SPPL Foundation Launches "Next Chapter" Capital Campaign
100 Extraordinary Women (100 EW) is an initiative that gives every woman the power to do something extraordinary by supporting an expanded and renovated Sun Prairie Public Library. This unique and impactful initiative will launch the "Next Chapter" Capital Campaign for the SPPL Foundation and raise a minimum of $100,000 in gifts & pledges, and ignite a core of support, all while informing people about this important project. Learn more about the 100 EW initiative and find out how you can get involved by visiting the website: https://www.sunlibfoundation.org/100women
Sun Prairie Utilities
SPU Customers Can Now Sign-Up to Receive Outage Notifications!
SPU customers can now sign up to receive text or email alerts when power services to their property are interrupted. This feature could warn business owners and residents of a power outage even when they are not on the premises. The system also sends a reconnection notification when the services are restored.
To sign up for alerts log in to your SPU MyAccount portal at sunprairieutilities.com and click on “Alerts” on the top right-hand side of the page. From there you can sign up for service, billing, and usage alerts to be sent by text or email.
SPU also provides customers with an online map that shows the location of an outage in Sun Prairie as well as the approximate number of affected customers. This can be a useful tool to reference to view the scale of an outage. The electric service outage map is available online at www.sunprairieutilities.com/outage-map-new.
Read more about SPU’s outage management program at https://www.sunprairieutilities.com/outage-management.