The purpose of the Green Spaces & Trees Committee is to advocate for the preservation and enhancement of the Marquette Neighborhood’s natural environment. The committee’s areas of responsibility include neighborhood parks and other green spaces, the tree canopy, biodiversity of native species, air and water quality within the Yahara watershed, and preparedness for the effects of the global climate emergency. The committee serves to inform and advise the MNA Board on issues and policies affecting the environmental well-being of our neighborhood, to educate and engage with residents, and to coordinate with other MNA committees in areas where our work intersects.

Come join us at the next committee meeting or contact the co-chairs for more information.

The Preservation and Development Committee (P&D) deals with neighborhood development, affordable housing, historic preservation and city planning. Because the Marquette neighborhood is composed almost entirely of two historic districts (Third Lake Ridge and Marquette Bungalows), the committee puts great emphasis on preserving the unusual abundance of well-preserved and diverse historical building stock. Additionally, for both residential and commercial property, our neighborhood places a high importance on building space that is affordable for the greatest possible range of incomes. The P&D committee works with developers who want to build, restore, rehab or buy property, start a business, or who otherwise have development plans for the neighborhood. It also works with interested parties to ensure that development meets the needs of the neighborhood to the fullest extent possible. The committee relies on, and works to appropriately influence, City of Madison ordinances and neighborhood plans.

The Transportation and Safety Committee (formerly the Traffic Committee) discusses issues in the neighborhood related to all modes of transportation. They discuss and propose solutions to long term and short term issues in the neighborhood.

The Committee’s mission is to: Be active and responsive to matters that affect transportation and safety by forming relationships, staying apprised of issues and acting on concerns of the membership.

The Transportation and Safety Committee holds its monthly meeting at the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center on the 1st Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. If the 1st Monday is a holiday, we meet on the 2nd Monday, same time and place.

The communications committee works to enhance and maintain a connection with community events, updates, and changes through a variety of social platforms. Amongst undertaking projects such as the website and neighborhood notification. We work to find ways of keeping communication from the neighbors, long-standing and new, connected to the workings of the board and the committees that serve them.

Current projects

• MNA Minute
• Social media
• Working with Eastside News

The Festivals Committee works with our events coordinator for oversight of our two neighborhood festivals, the Waterfront Festival and Orton Park Festival, and meets as needed. The festivals raise funds through corporate sponsorship, donations, vendor fees and concessions. They provide the funds that enable the association to achieve our goals and mission.

Each festival is held in a park that is within the geographical area of the neighborhood. Local businesses and non-profit organizations have booths at the festivals. The festivals keep neighborhood residents connected to community services that are available in their neighborhood.

The festivals are also an opportunity for neighborhood residents to network with each other and enjoy multi-cultural music and food. They contribute to a sense of community that is important for the continued stability of the neighborhood at large.

The Neighborhood Enhancement Working Group is focused on strengthening and serving our community. The working group meets as needed.

WHAT WE DO

• Administer MNA ‘s annual scholarship program
• Administer  MNA’s annual grant program 
• Administer the annual Good Neighbor Awards
• Oversee the MNA tent  at Waterfront and Orton Park Festivals
• Coordinate the annual general membership meeting each October 
• Plan other community-building  events throughout the year

The mission of the MNA Arts Committee is to enrich the quality of life for those who live in, work in, and visit the Marquette Neighborhood by way of public art and art-related events. In the past, this has include  work across various media, including murals, sidewalk poetry, sculptures, and more.

• For “Learn More,” you can just use the president’s email address: president@marquette-neighborhood.org