Fiscal Note
No fiscal note needed.
Title
Adopt-A-Median Program
Body
The Adopt-A-Median program is a volunteer opportunity for individuals, groups (informal or formal) or businesses to help care for plantings in medians and on other public lands. The program has four objectives: First, the program will set a baseline of standards for plants in the medians. Second, safety for volunteers working in the right-of-way will be emphasized. Third, inclusion of public rain gardens in the program will raise awareness of rain gardens as a tool to improve Madison's lakes and streams, as the gardens collect and infiltrate water from impervious areas. And fourth, the program will promote a sense of community pride.
WHEREAS, The City has 246 medians that are not under City contract for maintenance or mowed by a city agency. These medians are voluntarily maintained to some degree or not at all.
The City Engineering Division has developed a three point rating scale (poor, fair and good) to measure five characteristics of medians including: Plant quality (need for replacement); Weeds; Mulch and Trash. The fifth category is observing plant height (32" or greater) and if the plants pose a hazard to pedestrians and motorists by obscuring visibility from tip to tip of the medians. Plants over 32" high require immediate trimming by adopters or Engineering Operations crews, if no adopter is identified.
The Engineering Division will inventory the medians not under City contract twice yearly; first in the early spring and again in late fall.
Prospective adopters complete a Request for Application to identify the median(s) they wish to care for. Rain gardens located on publicly owned land are also available for adoption.
The adopting individual or group is required to sign and submit a Terms & Conditions form to City Engineering. Signed Waivers are required from all volunteers who will be working on the median. These forms are available from the City Engineering Division.
The City Engineer shall review and approve median adoption requests.
With an approved Terms & Conditions form and Waiver, volunteers may receive free mulch (coordinated delivery near the adopted median) and supplies such as safety vests and traffic cones. Some monetary reimbursement for approved plantings (annual plants suitable for medians), may also be available from the City Engineering Division.
A median that receives a complaint due to plant height will be monitored for one year by the City while the Adopt-A-Median program works to find an adopter. Medians that require Engineering Operations crews to trim down overgrown plants or weeds and are not adopted, may be turned over to a low maintenance planting option. Such action would be taken after notifying the Alder and neighborhood association of intended action.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Engineer is hereby authorized to administer a program which uses citizen volunteers to maintain certain City medians, traffic islands, rain gardens and other landscaping areas.