The late night tour for the Madison Hospitality Zone Assessment began with a trek to the oldest of Madison’s traditional bars – the Essen Haus. The small but hearty tour group held up to the pressures of a bootful of beer, a two-piece polka band and lederhosen-laden servers. The group observed that the German-themed bar was a destination for many demographics; frat boys and bachelorette parties, young professionals and seasoned vets, families and singletons; and polka enthusiasts of all ilks.

The tour group progressed on to King Street to observe other watering holes. The next stop was the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, another popular site for a diverse crowd of older students, families and professionals. The group was treated to a sampling of the brewing company’s signature and specialty beers; a variety to please all palates. Dane co-owner Ted Peterson led the group on a tour of the pub and laid out the background of his successful bar/restaurant strategy. Ted emphasized the Dane’s commitment to quality, tasty foods in an evolving menu and training hospitable and dedicated servers to keep the ambiance safe and inviting as a bar and as a restaurant.   

From the Dane the group took a walk to the other end of the geographical bar scene spectrum – the Memorial Union, student hangout extraordinaire. On the way they stopped into Woof’s, a gay, metal-themed sports bar; the Bartell Theatre, home to many theatre troupes and neighbor to a boisterously loud Café Montmartre; and Frida Mexican Grill, a Thursday night Latin dance club with a few obvious under-agers and even more obvious security guards. With occasional forays into other venues including the KK and State Street Brats, the troupe noted the diversity of patrons and music choices available on a typical night downtown. The Memorial Union offered a relatively quiet reprieve even though it was only the second visited venue to offer live (not DJ) music.  

 From the Union the tireless tour group marched on to Brothers Bar & Grill to witness a unique mix of hip-hop and teeny-bop students dancing around an unruffled security staff. Then the tour got really exciting when the group caught up with two Central District Community police officers on their rounds to dragnet under-agers in Johnny O’s Restaurant & Bar. The officers described their usual methods for sweeping bars and spotting under-aged patrons and what usually happens to the individuals and bars after such issues occur. They noted that bars and police work more effectively when working in cooperation to enforce age laws and a safer and friendlier environment for patrons prevails.  

After tagging along for a sweep, the tour group took a break for some pizza at the popular Ian’s Pizza to regroup and recharge.  From there they crossed the street to Wando’s Bar & Grill and closed down the evening talking to owner Jay (Wando) Wanserski. Wando shared his philosophies and standards for creating a safe, clean and welcoming bar for students and patrons. Wando chooses to focus on training his staff to make safety a priority – security staff and bartenders are supposed to be aware at all times of environmental hazards, such as a broken glass, and social hazards, like intoxicated individuals, and are required to step in to intercept potential dangers. In Wando’s opinion, a bar that does well has no need to take safety risks such as letting in under-agers and serving already intoxicated individuals.

At closing time the bars emptied out and the streets filled up. As there are few late-night options for public transportation and limited opportunities for taxi services, most of the people who were until recently partying hard now had to either make their way home on their own or find food to sober up.  A popular spot for the latter, Ian’s Pizza, features fast service and well-lit dining areas to improve safety. Many restaurants that are open late have hired their own security to handle the late night swell of customers. A campus police officer met with the group and discussed what happens to many of the individuals that try to walk or drive home on their own and how the campus and city police work around and with each other to control the outpouring.

By that time it was well into the wee hours of Friday morning and the tour group felt they had seen all that could be seen in one night of downtown Madison revelry. The group parted ways and walked or taxied home. The hospitality tourists learned and observed much about the late-night culture and will be presenting their notes alongside the other assessment groups at the HZA roundtable discussions June 3^rd and 4^th.

For more information on how to get involved in the HZA process, contact Sarah Hoover or check out the official Madison HZA website.

DMI has caved to the online professional networking craze!  YES, DMI is an official “Group” on the popular LinkedIn.com website and all DMI members are invited to join our group. 

We all know our professional relationships are the key to our professional success. Joining the DMI group will allow you to find and contact other DMI members on LinkedIn.Take your networking to the next level, not just twice a month at DMI programs.  Find contacts and meet people at your leisure through online professional network.

It is easy and FREE, simply click this link http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/93133/66E0CF4A58A6 to join.

Email the group manager, Melissa Meyer at mmeyer@downtownmadison.org if you have any troubles.

For those of you that are not familiar with online relationship building sites (such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo etc…) here are the basics:

You join by creating a password protected profile (LinkedIn requests a summary of your professional accomplishments.) As you find people you’d like to connect with, ask to add them to your network. You will then be able to see everyone in their network.  Soon others will be asking you to link up. Making online connections helps you expand your professional circle and it’s kinda fun.

C’mon get LinkedIn to the DMI Group, your competitors probably are!

If we follow the saying that Wisconsin has two seasons – winter and construction (a.k.a. summer) - we have good news for UW students, faculty alumni and friends: perpetual summer for at least the next 3 years! 

The next 6 months will (hopefully) round out the end of construction on State Street and the nearby University Square and Grainger Hall developments on University Avenue, but have no fear; there are many other planned projects that will pick up where those leave off. The old Ogg hall in the central campus area will continue its deconstruction phases to make way for a pedestrian mall and green space that will flow to the expanded Chazen Museum of Art, which is set to begin construction early next year. The Wisconsin Institute of Discovery has already begun clearing out the 1300 block of University Ave to set the foundations for its $150 million facility with the goal of completing construction in 2010.

No part of campus will be sacred in the upcoming season, not even the holy historical Memorial Union.

The Wisconsin Union, the epicenter of all things UW related, will be updating both the Memorial Union and Union South starting in spring of 2009. No worries about losing the personality of the Memorial Union – it will get basic accessibility, heating, cooling, and ventilation upgrades while preserving the historic and uniquely Wisconsin integrity that we all know and love.

It’s Union South, the building that screams “Soviet Concrete Bloc”, that will get the true overhaul. The building located on the engineering side of campus is, in large part due to its staggeringly sterile design, highly underutilized by students. The Wisconsin Union Initiative plans on designing a brand new student- and eco-friendly building to replace the one that currently stands.

The Initiative hopes to create a new south campus building that serves as a gateway for south campus buildings – including the forthcoming Wisconsin Institute for Discovery – and creates an “enduring campus center with its own identity” to serve students on the southwest side of campus. The green design will provide an urban entertainment center for student groups and individuals in the area that currently lack an accommodating and appealing place to go.

The Wisconsin Union Initiative is encouraging the UW community to partake in development of the new facility. Seven umbrella Design Advisory Groups (DAGs) associated with the project will meet every week from now until May 5th to discuss aspects of design and function for the new south building. The initiative wants input from UW students, faculty, alumni and freinds, so this is your chance to state your beef or forever hold your peace. It’s already been a long winter, so settle in for an extended constructions season. Contact Dan Cornelius or David Christopher of the Wisconsin Union Initiative to get more info at unionbuildingproject@gmail.com.

 DAG Schedule (all meetings in the Project Office of the Memorial Union)

Tuesdays
6-7:30 pm- Foodservice and Retail
8-9:30 pm- Indoor/Outdoor RecreationWednesdays
5-6:30 pm- Programming and Operations
7-8:30 pm- Leadership and Involvement

DMI is not endorsing any candidate or position in this spring election, but we want to encourage our members and Madison and Dane County residents to participate and take part in their civic duties.

One of the biggest issues will be the determination of a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Incumbent Justice Louis Butler will face Circuit Court Judge Michael Gableman in the culmination of a sticky race similar to last year’s Supreme Court Election. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has a handy Voter’s Guide available online if you need a crash-course on candidate qualifications.

Wisconsin residents will also be able to vote on a proposed ban of the governor’s “partial veto” power. The proposed change to the state constitution asks if there should be an amendment “to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating a new sentence by combining parts of two or more sentences of the enrolled bill?”.

There are also 17 seats up for grabs on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. The Isthmus has answers from each candidate about what’s most important to them in their district.

If you live in Madison, click here to find your polling station. Dane County Polling locations are listed here. Stations are open from 7am to 8pm.

More information on candidates and issues can be found at the Wisconsin State Journal and Wispolitics.com. Now go out there and get your democratic process on!

There really are t-shirts about Madison’s winter!

Obviously this blog has become extremely influential to Madison’s mainstream.

100.1, friends!!!

We, the collective population of Madison, have triumphed through a winter of OVER ONE HUNDRED inches of snow. Bravo. Kudos. Mazel tov.

Hurray for the surviving what may truly be the longest and hardest winter on record. I think certificates of merit, or at least hardiness, are due to all residents of Madison and the surrounding area. Or t-shirts. Ones that say “Don’t mess with me, I’m from Madison”.

And now for spring, and the deluge of melting snowbanks, rain and flooding. Dare we hope for another new record!?

Winter may not be over but the first harbinger of spring is coming this weekend – St. Patrick’s Day!

What better way to celebrate real and imagined Irish heritage than to spend it downtown, enjoying the emerging green(ish) grass and the ubiquitous emerald t-shirts.

Here is a list of the best spots and events to say “slainte” and pay respects to those crazy Celts:

Friday March 14th

St. Pat’s Pub Crawl

Where: Starts at Brocach Irish Pub, ends at Brass Ring

When: 5:00-7:30pm

 The crawl “plans” to hit up Genna’s, the Great Dane and Argus as well and will be accompanied by the Curley Family Pipes & Drums.  When’s the last time you drank Guinnessi (that’s the plural form of Guinness) alongside a bagpipe?

“The Lieutenant of Inishmore”

Where: Bartell Community Theatre, 113 E Mifflin St.

When: 8:00pm

Cost: $15

A dark comedy about an Irish Liberation group that is hell-bent on avenging the death of their leader’s cat. Kind of like that time Wisconsin voted on making feral cat hunting legal, only different. Produced by the Strollers Theater.

 Saturday March 15

Dane County Shamrock Club St. Patrick’s Day Buffet

Where: Coliseum Bar

When: 12:30pm

Cost: Donation, canned food donation

Corned beef and cabbage. ‘Nuf said.

UW Women’s Tennis: WI vs. Miami (Ohio)

Where: Nielson Tennis Stadium

When: 1:00pm

Support  women’s sports and celebrate Title XI in national Women’s History Month. Saturday March 8th was International Women’s Day, but there’s no reason you can’t celebrate twice.

“My Name is Rachel Corrie”

Where: Overture Center

When: 7:30pm

A powerful one-woman play that recounts the life of a young American activist killed in a peaceful protest in the Gaza strip. Not Irish, but a significant story on conflict and the imprtance of cultural acceptance in the quest for peace.

Sunday March 16th

Too much to list here, so go to stpatsmadison.org to get a full view of what’s going on and then try to fit it all in. High on our list is the Shamrock shuffle at 10:00am and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1:30pm. There will also be a raffle for a FREE trip to Ireland at 3pm outside of Brocach – awesome! 

St. Pat’s Eve Celebration

Where: High Noon Saloon

When: 3:00-9:00pm

Performances by Rising Gael, Tairis, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, Greenfyre, Cashel Dennehy School of Irish Dance,  and West Wind. Trad music, step dance and wind quartets, oh my!

Monday, March 17th, St, Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day Party with The Kissers

Where: High Noon Saloon

When: 8:00pm

It’s the Kissers’ 10 year anniversary and CD release party all on the greenest party day of the year. We have found the place to be on Monday night – Tuesdays are never good days to work anyway.

Two businesses with Francais-inspired names are making a big hit on the Capital square. Sucre on West Mifflin and Fromagination on North Carroll street are taking the first steps in creating an international flavor for local, green businesses.

Sucre, a recently opened patisserie and wine bar, took as many steps possible to come up with ways to create an environmentally friendly establishment through local vendors. The boldly designed orange and white shop speaks well of its ability to combine style with locally available materials.  The blonde wood flooring comes from a sustainable producer in Spring Green, and their furniture was found through a distributor on Willy Street. They chose low VOC paint and to-go containers made of recycled cornstarch to keep a clean atmosphere. The digital artwork on the wall, provided by local artist Jeffers Egan, keeps pace with other trendy patisseries across the Atlantic.

Sucre also strives to keep their ingredients local. Stop in for a lunch special and you will find breads baked fresh in-house, salads and dressings from scratch, and meats and cheeses from local and organic farms – sometimes straight from the indoor farmers market.  Of course, some of the ingredients for the sweets are imported from Europe, but it’s best not to question Punky Egan, Sucre’s sole proprietor, about that. She has more than 20 years (and counting) of experience as a pastry chef instructor at MATC and knows what to use to make desserts delectable. Though she still keeps a full course load, she enjoys the chance to have a chance to experiment outside the classroom. “Everything I do here I want to be different. I have a ton of knowledge that I am able to use to bring new ideas and help evolve recipes”.

Ken Monteleone, owner and creator of Fromagination came from a somewhat different background. After 14 years of working in product development for Famous Footwear and traveling the world looking at shoe trends, he found that he was paying more attention to food specialty shops than footwear boutiques. As a longtime resident of Madison and influenced by the local farmer’s market, Ken knew that Madison would be a perfect place for a specialty food store, and what better food to focus on in the dairy state than cheese?

Ken spent a year working on his business plan, design and layout – consulting with local chefs, cheesemakers and food connoisseurs to make sure he got the concept right. The feedback he received was all positive – a good indicator that the city was ready for a high class cheesemonger. Madison, especially downtown Madison, was the perfect environment and locale for a small, artisanal cheese shop featuring local makers.

Of course, the dream cheese boutique would have to be environmentally friendly as well as chic to best showcase the artistic collection of fromage.  Mr. Monteleone worked with a local architect to find building materials that were either almost entirely recycled or renewable for the entire shop. The result? Cabinets made from eucalyptus wood, floor tiles that are actually reclaimed shingles from an abandoned Chicago warehouse, ceiling beams from an old barn, and walls, made of American Made Plaster and milk protein paint, that reflect the warm and inviting texture of the hand-crafted cheeses found in the store.  

These two foodmongers represent what we hope is a growing trend in new businesses on the capital square. Their international flare invested into local stock is a remarkable way to translate a simple localized businesseses into something fantastic. Sucre and Fromagination add a bit of elegance amongst the bourgeois backdrop without commiting the sin of exclusivity – something that the owners took great pains to avoid.  Both the stores’s atmospheres reflect the attention, passion and drive that the entrepreneurs put into them without being overworked. DMI is excited to see such great combinations of green, local, international and tasty flavors added to the square, and we can’t wait to see what new creations will move in next door!

Consultant Tom Ticknor has been as good as his word.
After listening sessions which began in September of 2007, internal city discussions, interviews, and revisions, a draft of the Strategic Economic Development Implementation Plan is now ready.

The city Economic Development Commission will be witness to the first official presentation, though the Office of Business Resources has been summarizing the relevant details for the DMI Economic Development Committee.

Matt Mikolajewski, Manager of the Office of Business Resources, pointed out that the last plan was written in 1983. Much has changed in Madison since then. This plan is designed to be a three-to-five year guide to implementation of good economic development policy.

The plan focuses on core economic development and basic sector job creation with the understanding that more basic sector jobs mean service sector positions will follow. Studies of comparable cities such as Des Moines, Austin, Ann Arbor and Boise give us a few ideas; the interviews and economic reviews done by Ticknor & Associates provide a clearly Madison direction.

Read the draft for yourself at the OBR website, and attend either the Feb. 27th Economic Development Commission meeting (5:00 pm., United Way of Dane County, 2059 Atwood Ave, Evjue Boardroom) or one of the review sessions on Tuesday March 25th ( read the invitation here.) Your opinion matters–tell us and the city what you think!

OK, we realize that DMI has a slight dependency on acronyms, just like Madison has a slight dependency on snow plows right now.  But, in our defense, as our techie world and jargon lingo gets more complex it just makes sense to downsize. Saves on ink, easier to text.

That being said, the following are a few of the acronyms we throw out every now and again.

 DMI – Downtown Madison Inc. , the downtown organization for cool people, but you already knew that.

BID – Short for Madison’s Central Business Improvement District, an assessment district stretching from Memorial Union and State Street to the Capitol Square. The BID is an excellent liaison between business and property owners, the city, and downtown stakeholders. Check the link for maps, gift certificates, and goings-on.

CNI – Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. A neighborhood association of citizens bound together by a geographical area who cooperate to support and improve the quality of life in their neighborhood. Capitol Neighborhoods consists of six “districts”, First Settlement, Bassett, Mifflin West, Mansion Hill, James Madison Park and State/Langdon, which have independent identities, but are integral parts of the whole association 

GMCVB (aka the CVB) - Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. They are the greater Madison area’s official destination marketing organization. The GMCVB is responsible for attracting new destination events to the community, as well as providing service and support to existing and repeat events, and providing comprehensive information to visitors to the area.

GMCC – Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of the Greater Madison business community in the city, county, and state public arenas.  The GMCC monitors, researches, analyzes, and lobbies on policy issues that affect the daily operations of local businesses, and advocates for policies that foster regional economic development in Greater Madison.

RTA – Regional Transit Authority, an entity not yet in existence that would oversee and implement transportation options for Madison and the surrounding region.

BUILD - Better Urban Infill Land Development – Planning grants for downtown revitalization

HZA – Hospitality Zone Assessment. A comprehensive and integrated approcah to identify current and emerging issues in hospitality zone management. The assessment involves community discussion with representatives from the community, policing agencies, and the hospitality and entertainment industry.

RHI – Responsible Hospitality Industry: A not-for-profit organization committed to making safe and vibrant places to socialize.  Facilitators of the HZA.

TIF – Tax Incremental Funding: A tool that uses future tax gains to finance current development projects that will create and increase said gains. Block 89 is an example of  project partially funded by TIF funds.

TID – Tax Incremental District. The area created around an economic generator for TIF projects.

IDA – International Downtown Association: A worldwide network of downtown associations and BIDs committed to providing resources to create vital and liveable urban centers.

PUD – Planned Unit Development: Both a type of building development and regulatory process. These developments are most often mixed-use centers. In part due to a downtown plan which is not yet up to date, many projects have to be submitted as a PUD.

THRIVE – Not an acronym. Formerly known as the Regional Economic Development Entity. A non-profit organization for promoting the economic development of Dane County and the surrounding region to improve quality of life.

 SBDC – Small Business Development Center: A network of offices run by the UW Extension to provide educational services and programs for small-business clients. Low cost courses, seminars and workshops covering every step of small business development are available throughout the year.

GSSBA – Greater State Street Business Association: The businesses of the State Street area form this nonprofit.  Their main event is Maxwell Street Days, a great time to visit the Farmer’s Market, see the exhibits, and shop!

CDA – Community Development Authority: A standing committee in the City of Madison government.  The CDA is a housing, redevelopment and community authority.

DCC – Downtown Coordinating Committee: A standing city of Madison committee devoted to making recommendations on ongoing issues of 0peration, design, safety, maintenance, use of downtown area; provide advice on development, implementation, and revisions to plans for improvement in the downtown area.