UniverCity of Monona

UniverCity Year Monona
A year-long partnership to match UW-Madison courses, students
and faculty with needs and projects in the city of Monona
2016-2017

Table of Contents
About UniverCity Year 4
UniverCity Year Monona project overview 5
Learn more about UniverCity Year Monona 6
About Monona 8
Acknowledgments9
Parks and Recreation 10
Experiencing nature improves health 12
Improving soils and structures in Ahuska Park 13
Improving Winnequah Park for all residents 14
Ho-Chunk history and culture in Monona parks 15
Active Transportation 16
Increasing opportunities to walk and bike 18
Walking map of historic Monona 20
Improving residents’ leaf management practices 21
Connected Monona 22
Improving communication technologies 24
Housing and Economic Development 26
Providing affordable, desirable housing for all 28
All photographs by Stephanie Nelson and Kelly Conforti Rupp except
page 22 by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison and page 25 from the MyMonona website.

About UniverCity Year
UniverCity Year Monona project overview
UniverCity Year is a year-long partnership between UW-Madison
and one community in Wisconsin. The community partner
identifies projects that would benefit from UW-Madison expertise.
Faculty from across the university incorporate these projects into
their courses with graduate students and upper-level undergraduate
students. UniverCity Year staff members provide administrative
support to help keep the collaboration running efficiently and
effectively. The result is on-the-ground impact and momentum for
a community working toward a more sustainable and livable future.
UniverCity Year is applicable to communities addressing issues at
the local or regional scale. Cities, counties, agencies and clusters of
communities (for example, along a transportation corridor, around
a regional center or within a watershed) are eligible to apply. To
minimize travel time and costs, applicant communities should be
located within a two-hour drive of the Madison area. Communities
located further away may be considered if additional funds are
contributed for travel costs.
By partnering with UniverCity Year, a community can expect the
following benefits:
• A high rate of return on investment, with thousands of hours of
concentrated student work on community-identified projects
• Data collection, analysis, research, concept plans, designs and policy
recommendations that can energize staff, increase the range of options
available and get “stuck” projects moving
• Access to an interdisciplinary group of faculty experts from across
UW-Madison with first-hand knowledge of cutting-edge research and
practice
• Publicity in local, state, regional and national media
• Faculty, students and staff who serve as ambassadors for the community
by sharing their experiences in conference presentations, community
meetings and informal conversations
• Engaged students with on-the-ground knowledge of the community
who may be candidates for future internships or staff positions
Meanwhile, UW-Madison students benefit from real-world opportunities to
apply their knowledge and training. They also bring energy, enthusiasm and
innovative approaches to address difficult, persistent problems.
For more information, visit our website at univercity.wisc.edu.
496
30
23
20
students
projects
courses
faculty
13
7
4
2
UW-Madison departments
UW-Madison schools and colleges
City of Monona project leads
UW-Madison staff
4 5

Learn more about UniverCity Year Monona
This booklet summarizes final reports written by students at UW-Madison. For more information about project goals, research methods, findings and
recommendations, download the final reports from the UniverCity Year website at univercity.wisc.edu/monona. The final reports include:
PARKS AND RECREATION
• Civil & Environmental Engineering 578: Senior Capstone Design. “Engineering and Landscape Designs for Ahuska Park in the City of Monona”
• Civil & Environmental Engineering 578: Senior Capstone Design. “Engineering Upgrades to Winnequah Park”
• Environmental Studies 600: Culture and Conservation: Living Ho-Chunk History in Monona Parks. “Preserving Ho-Chunk History and Culture
in Parks”
• Landscape Architecture 365: Planting Design. “Designs for Ahuska Park in the City of Monona”
• Landscape Architecture 451: Open Space Planning and Design. “Reimagining Winnequah Park”
• Landscape Architecture 610: Senior Capstone. “Monona Trails Master Plan”
• Population Health 740: Health Impact Assessment of Global Environmental Change. “Recommendations for Improving Residents’ Health”
• Soil Science 332: Turfgrass Nutrient and Water Management. “Turf Management at Ahuska Park in the City of Monona”
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
• Geography 370: Introduction to Cartography. “Walking Map of Historic Monona”
• Geography 578: GIS Applications. “Towards Safe, Efficient Transportation Networks”
• Life Science Communication 515: Public Information Campaigns and Programs. “Improving Residents’ Leaf Management Practices”
• Population Health 740: Health Impact Assessment of Global Environmental Change. “Recommendations for Improving Residents’ Health”
• Urban & Regional Planning 590: Bicycles, Pedestrians and the City. “Going for Silver”
• Urban & Regional Planning 912: Planning Workshop. “Towards a Safe Routes to School Plan in Monona”
• Wisconsin Open Education Community Fellowship. “Active Transportation Summer Outreach Project”
CONNECTED MONONA
• Agricultural & Applied Economics 323: Cooperatives. “Insights into Municipal and Cooperative Internet”
• Life Science Communication 360: Information Radio. “Public Service Announcements for WVMO”
• Library & Information Studies 351: Introduction to Digital Information. “Accessibility, Usability, and Search Engine Optimization of
MyMonona Website”
• Marketing 355: Marketing in a Digital Age. “Increasing Resident Engagement with Media”
• Public Affairs 881: Cost-Benefit Analysis. “Municipal Wi-Fi Cost-Benefit Analysis for the City of Monona”
HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• Population Health 740: Health Impact Assessment of Global Environmental Change. “Recommendations for Improving Residents’ Health”
• Real Estate & Urban Land Economics 365/765: Residential Health. “Monona Senior Living”
• Real Estate & Urban Land Economics 611: Residential Property Development. “Monona Drive Site Analysis”
• Real Estate & Urban Land Economics 611: Residential Property Development. “Small-Lot Subdivisions”
• Real Estate & Urban Land Economics 651: Green and Sustainable Development. “Specialty Building Codes and Energy Efficient Homes”
• Urban & Regional Planning 844: Housing & Public Policy. “Financing Options to Achieve Housing Goals”
• Urban & Regional Planning 912: Planning Workshop. “City of Monona Strategic Housing Plan Update”
6 7

About Monona
Acknowledgments
The City of Monona is a small community of almost 8,000 residents located on the east shore
of Lake Monona and seven miles from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. It was
incorporated as a village in 1938 and during the 1950s experienced substantial population growth.
After annexing several properties for residential, commercial and industrial growth, Monona
eventually became built out. It is now the oldest community in Dane County and is seeking
solutions to its aging housing stock, how to grow without the ability to expand and how to preserve
its small-town community feel and natural resources during redevelopment.
Because of its proximity to the university, and the strong support of Mayor Bob Miller, Monona
was chosen for the inaugural year of the UniverCity Year program at UW-Madison.
“Monona has a unique, small community feel but is in the middle of Madison, so it has all the
conveniences to get to everything quickly. You also get your own parks, swimming pool, police, fire,
all the great things. I can walk to the pool, the library, and six or seven parks and don’t have to get
in the car. This has become even more appealing after having a child. We didn’t want to spend time
commuting. I got a job with [a local company] in Monona after we moved here. Convenience drew
us in, and it kept us.” —Monona resident interviewed by students in Urban and Regional Planning
912: Planning Workshop
Thank you to Monona Mayor Bob Miller for helping to launch UniverCity
Year at UW-Madison by piloting the program in Monona and for being
our loudest cheerleader. Thank you to the Monona staff who led the way:
Jake Anderson, Parks and Recreation Director, led the Parks
and Recreation projects
Brad Bruun, Project Coordinator/GIS Specialist, led the Active
Transportation projects
Will Nimmow, Director of Community Media, led the
Connected Monona projects
Sonja Reichertz, City Planner/Economic Development Director,
led the Housing and Economic Development projects and was
the UniverCity Year Coordinator for Monona
8 9

How can we ensure Monona parks will be enjoyed by all
for generations to come?
Students researched and recommended improvements to the master plans for Ahuska and Winnequah parks. They focused on
increasing the usability of the parks, including improvements to lighting, pedestrian paths, sports fields and restroom facilities.
UW-Madison courses also investigated sustainable environmental management improvements, like irrigation, drainage,
landscaping, shoreline restoration and turf management.
Parks and Recreation
10
11

Experiencing nature improves health
Improving soils and structures in Ahuska Park
RESEARCH SHOWS that spending time in nature has a
positive impact on physical and mental health, yet daily contact
with the natural environment is becoming increasingly rare. In
some communities, the lack of natural spaces prevents residents
from experiencing nature. Monona is fortunate to have ten parks
that face the Yahara River or Lake Monona. Yet these parks are
still underutilized in part because they are difficult for those with
limited mobility to access.
Students in Professor Jonathan Patz’s Health Impact
Assessment of Global Environmental Change class
recommended making improvements to these waterfront parks
geared towards improving residents’ physical and mental health.
These include installing accessible paths and kayak launches,
creating more seating and shaded areas, removing trees and brush
that obstruct views of the water and improving landscaping to
enhance the parks’ natural beauty.
Lack of accessible paths and an obstructed view of Lake Monona limit use of Wyldhaven Park.
AT 22 ACRES, Ahuska Park is Monona’s second largest park. It hosts a
Sunday farmer’s market and many sporting events, including soccer, football,
baseball and tennis. It receives significant sunlight and features an abundance
of open, green space. The site is not without its challenges, however. Given
its history as a landfill, the soil quality is less than ideal, and the soil that’s
present doesn’t drain well. Much of the surrounding area is wetland. Few
parking spaces exist. Furthermore, proximity to the Beltline Highway
creates noise pollution and limits bike and pedestrian access. Student teams
investigated how to work within the constraints of the existing park and
reimagined what a new Ahuska Park could mean to the community.
Students in Professor Douglas Soldat’s Turfgrass and Nutrient
Management class found that while turf management practices at Ahuska
Park are in general good, with some changes the turf quality could steadily
improve. These include mowing the grass to 2.5 inches, using lighter
lawnmowers with sharper blades, spreading activities around the fields and
restricting use when fields are too wet or too dry. Students also developed
schedules for seeding, aeration, cultivation, fertilization and top dressing.
Students in Professor John Harrington’s Planting Design class
recommended installing a boardwalk to connect the wetlands to the rest of
the park and increase opportunities for exploration, exercise and education.
Planting a rain garden would help move and store water across the park.
Plantings and smaller pathways could create new spaces for community
gatherings, like the farmer’s market. And a natural wind screen around the
tennis courts would increase usability.
Students in Professor Greg Harrington’s Civil & Environmental
Engineering Senior Capstone Design class focused on
increasing the variety of activities taking place in the park by
adding a dog exercise area, a youth soccer field and a natural
playground. They also recommended expanding the park shelter,
adding permeable asphalt walking paths that connect the new
features to the sports courts and parking, and upgrading the
parking lot surface with permeable asphalt to help manage storm
water. To incorporate the wetlands into the park, their boardwalk
design featured an observation tower with better sightlines of
the entire park, increasing opportunities to connect with nature
without leaving the city.
While other classes focused on trails within the park, for his
Landscape Architecture Senior Capstone project, student
Jordan Teichen, under the guidance of Professor Eric Schuchardt,
developed a regional trail system that improves accessibility
to Ahuska Park. The five-mile loop would connect the park
to the Lower Yahara River Trail to the south, the waterfront
redevelopment and the Lake Loop to the northwest and circle
around Upper Mud Lake. It included a three-mile wetland
boardwalk, a half-mile riverwalk, and rest stops along the way with
shade structures resembling white wings, the Ho-Chunk meaning
of “Ahuska.”
12 13

Improving Winnequah Park for all residents
Ho-Chunk history and culture in Monona parks
WINNEQUAH PARK is the crown jewel of the Monona
parks system. The 45-acre refuge in the middle of the city features
a whimsical dream park, meandering lagoon, park shelter and
plentiful open space. It offers year-round recreation, with sports
fields used in the summer and ice skating on the lagoon in the
winter. With landscaping and engineering improvements, the
park could provide more diverse recreation and entertainment
opportunities and become a key destination in Dane County.
Students in Open Space Planning and Design, led by
Professor Samuel Dennis Jr. and Professor Travis Flohr, focused on
improving accessibility, diversifying spaces and restoring ecological
communities. Their designs included strategies to manage storm
water more effectively, provide shade and wildlife habitat, reinforce
the degraded shoreline and connect the park features to each other
with a system of walkways. They also created outdoor rooms that
encourage gathering, learning and lingering, including an orchard,
biergarten, picnic area and kayak launch.
Students in Professor Mark Oleinik’s Civil & Environmental Engineering
Senior Capstone Design class recommended engineering improvements
to existing structures, like renovating the park shelter, expanding a parking
lot, relocating the sports fields so more games could be played simultaneously
and dredging the lagoon to remove contaminants. They also suggested
adding new amenities, including an additional shelter, amphitheater, more
restrooms, a ribbon-style ice rink and a series of walkways through the park
with bridges over the waterways.
Because installing walkways was a main recommendation from both courses,
students in Professor Jonathan Patz’s Health Impact Assessment of
Global Environmental Change course analyzed the health benefits that
residents could gain from added paths. They found the paths would provide
greater access to the park for the elderly, the disabled and parents of children
who use strollers. Those who used the paths could reduce their risk of heart
disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and other common ailments. Creating
additional spaces for the community to interact could also lead to feelings
of social connectedness and overall better mental health. Though the paths
would increase maintenance costs, students found that the benefits outweigh
the costs and recommended installing the walking paths around the lagoon
and throughout the park.
THE HOOCĄK (HO-CHUNK) have occupied the Teejop (Four
Lakes) area for thousands of years. Their history is on display in Monona
parks, which contain several Moš’ok (mounds).
In collaboration with Bill Quackenbush, the Ho-Chunk tribal historic
preservation officer, students in Professor Jessica Conaway’s class, Culture
and Conservation: Living Ho-Chunk History in Monona Parks,
produced cultural outreach projects to increase the recognition of the Ho-
Chunk Nation, their history and the importance of their continued presence
within the Monona community. These projects included four lesson plans for
K-5 teachers to instruct students on Native American culture, sovereignty, art,
history, knowledge systems and geography. Students also created educational
signage for Ahuska, Winnequah and Woodland parks, a brochure, website
content and a map depicting the Ho-Chunk’s impact on Dane County.
Rising from the heat
“Fire is an integral part of the
natural life cycle of an oak savanna
ecosystem, like the one in Woodland
Park. Ho-Chunk People, native to the
Monona area, traditionally use fire
ecology to protect medicinal plants
by clearing the adjacent area, and to
fireproof areas around settlements,
lessening the risk of uncontrolled
wildfires. The Ho-Chunk Department
of Natural Resources uses prescribed
burns today to manage their tribal
lands, restoring and maintaining
prairie and savanna ecosystems.
Native oak savanna and prairie
plants have deep roots that survive
these fires and get a head start in
regrowth ahead of non-native and
invasive species. Oak trees adapted
specifically to survive fire, with
tough bark that insulates the inner
“cambium” layer which carries food
and water. To this day, Woodland
Park is burned seasonally to maintain
a healthy oak savanna ecosystem.”
The Woodland Trail in Woodland Park guides hikers through a large, oak savanna.
—Students wrote this text for a
proposed sign in Woodland Park
14 15

How can we make transportation safer and more accessible?
Students proposed improvements to Monona’s transportation infrastructure, ensuring that biking and walking routes to transit
and key destinations are safe and accessible to all. They also examined the social behaviors around active transportation,
designed a campaign to encourage biking and walking to schools and assessed the health benefits of increasing active
transportation options.
Active Transportation
17

Increasing opportunities to walk and bike
THE MONONA Comprehensive and Sustainability plans
include goals to increase the number of residents using alternative
transportation, including walking, biking and transit. Not only
do these activities decrease greenhouse gas emissions, they also
correlate with better physical and mental health outcomes. Student
teams analyzed what infrastructure and policy changes Monona
should make to increase options to walk and bike safely.
Under the guidance of Professor Carolina Sarmiento, student
Maria Castillo surveyed residents about their active transportation
habits for her Wisconsin Open Education Community
Fellowship. She found that most respondents drive to their
destination, except when going to the park (walk) or library
(bike). They cite limited time, poor weather and long distances
as hindrances to active transportation. Cyclists prefer using bike
paths or streets with bike lanes. Pedestrians prefer quiet streets with
sidewalks and lights.
Professor Kurt Paulsen’s Planning Workshop class surveyed parents
about walking and biking to school. They found that although 50 percent of
students could walk to school within 20 minutes, and 70 percent of students
could bike to school within 15 minutes, only 23 percent of students walk
or bike to school. Parents whose children do not walk or bike to school cite
speed of traffic, amount of traffic, lack of sidewalks or pathways and poor
weather as concerns.
Students in Professor Dave Cieslewicz’s Bicycles, Pedestrians and the
City class audited Monona intersections and adjacent streets. Their research
showed that residents use bicycle lanes, sidewalks and street lanes incorrectly,
they don’t always know how to cross difficult intersections, and they don’t
always wear a helmet.
Two student groups in Professor A-Xing Zhu’s GIS Applications class
analyzed the network of active transportation infrastructure in Monona. The
first group investigated which transportation routes present safety concerns
for pedestrians and cyclists. They found that while adding sidewalks and bike
lanes can make active transportation safer, Monona should also consider
interventions on routes with fast and heavy traffic. The second group
explored how to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment. They found
that pedestrians are more likely to walk when they have a low-stress route,
such as a sidewalk.
The recommendations from these classes are clear: Monona has an
opportunity to increase the number of residents who safely bike and walk
by upgrading its infrastructure. The city should install or widen bicycle
lanes and add bike boulevards and bike boxes. It should construct sidewalks
and crosswalks with pedestrian signals, especially along Winnequah Road,
Frost Woods Road and Bridge Road. Traffic along key routes should be
slowed down, including Monona Drive, Bridge Road and Broadway. The
intersection of Greenway Road, McKenna Road and Maywood Road should
be redesigned. Students also recommended that the city organize bicyclethemed
events and skills classes, create print and digital guides and work with
committees on transportation ordinances, plans, referendums and policies.
Students in Professor Jonathan Patz’s course, Health Impact Assessment
of Global Environmental Change, analyzed how implementing these
recommendations would benefit or harm residents’ health. They found
that engineering improvements, such as creating bike paths and sidewalks,
should be prioritized first, as the resulting increases in ridership and safety
are significant. Moreover, the health benefits and financial returns of these
improvements exceed the implementation costs. Monona should then focus
on enforcement, education and encouragement strategies.
“Unsafe streets for pedestrians are
a self-fulfilling reality. If we provide
sidewalks in the right places, then kids
can get to schools by walking, more
parents will encourage walking, and
more families will buy homes here who
want safe, walkable communities.”
–Monona parent interviewed by students in Urban and
Regional Planning 912: Planning Workshop
The Lake Loop around Lake Monona is popular with both pedestrians and cyclists.
Schluter Park features a bike pump and tools for cyclists.
18 19

W Broadway
Greenwood St.
Lamboley St.
ERNES TRADING POST
Parkway
ERNES TRADING POST
Nine Springs Creek
Unnamed
Walking map of historic Monona
Royal Airport
Black Bridge
WPS
Engel
Gary and Mora
Lincoln House
Outlet Mound
George Nichols Farm
Beltline
8
8
Gisholt
30
7
3
11-12
Woodley
Broadway
Engel
12-13
Pooley, Robert House
Bump, Marvin House
6013 Winnequah Rd.
6300 Metropolitan Ln.
Interlake Dr.
Interlake
12
W Broadway
Broadway
Bridge Rd.
litan Ln.
Metropo
12
Marsha Heath
House
29
500 Interlake Drive
7
28
29
Winnequah Rd.
30
12-13
3
Hamilton and
Gwen Beatty
House
27-28
C. Wright Thomas
House
27
Bridge Rd.
Monona Dr.
25
Midwood Ave.
Midwood
Ridgewood
Ridgewood Ave.
11-12
30
Fulcher, Paul House
L a
30
29
29
26
26
Frost Woods
k e
28
Frost Woods
Frost Woods Rd.
2 7-28
18-19
807 Delwood Ct.
17
27
Frost Woods Rd.
M
Theo P. and Ray S.
Owen House
18
o
Owen Rd.
Tyler Engelman
House
18-19
Bridge
6108 Winnequah Rd.
25
Tompkins-Brindler Mounds
2
25
n o
24
Moygara
Tonyawatha Trail
Winnequah Rd.
Dellwood
Dellwood Cir.
Moygara Rd.
2
n a
18
17
23-24
Henuah
Henuah Cir.
Tonyawatha
Fred Schleuter Farm
Schluter Rd.
Schluter
Willard Tompkins
House 23-24
Cronin-Meyer House
24
Edward A. and Irene
Thomas House 25
Nichols School
11
Nichols Rd.
Nichols
6
6
23
11
Ed Rothman House
23
William Schultz Farm
10-11
George Kalbfleisch Jr.
Thorp Finance
Corporation
Farm
Heart of Mary
Shore Aces Rd.
Shore Acres
Saint Teresa
Schofield
St Teresa Terrace.
16-17
5
5
Schofield St.
Monona
16-17
20-21
10
Schroeder, Otto and
Louise House
Adolph Wagner House
404 Lamboley St.
Lamboley
14
16
Chet Clarke House
20-21
Tonyawatha Trail
Winnequah Rd.
4
Tonyawatha
14
20
10
Dean
W Dean Ave.
10-11
Midmoor Rd.
22
15
16
Charles Fix House
Shore Aces Rd.
Ernies Trading Post
Paul Harris House
22
Monona Dr.
20
Town Hall
5
Winnequah Rd.
4
3-4
14-15
15
19
W Coldspring Ave.
21-22
NORTH
Effigy Mound
Nichols School
Heart of Mary
Sears and Roebuck House
14-15
Farms
0 0.25 0.5
Miles
Historical Community Sites
Ernies Trading Post
Tonyawatha Springs
Town Hall
Tower of Memories
5
A.T. Lomboley Cottage
19
Tonyawatha Springs Hotel
3-4
13
Coldspring
Parkway Dr.
2
Winnequah Rd.
Cultural Native
American
Relation
9
Max and Mollie
Lamers House
4306 Winnequah Rd.
13
21-22
Frank Allis Farm
Houses
Moderne
Rustic
Craftsman
Lustron
Revival
Contemporary
Bungalow
Cube
Cottage
unknown style
International
Trail to symbol
Numbers correspond to page
numbers in booklet
9
Spring Haven
Pagoda
1
Knute Reindahl House
2
1
Improving residents’ leaf management practices
LEAVES RELEASE NUTRIENTS as they decompose. This is great
for lawns. However, when leaves break down in the street, the nutrients are
washed into the local waterways, leading to algae blooms, excessive weed
growth and closed beaches. Leaves in the street also strain the storm
sewer system.
Students in Professor Neil Stenhouse’s Public Information Campaigns
and Programs class designed marketing campaigns to improve residents’
leaf management practices.
Students found that Monona residents are environmentally conscious
and concerned about the water quality of Lake Monona. Residents
have a general understanding that proper leaf disposal is important for
environmental health, and they know how to properly dispose of leaves. They
want to do the right thing. However, residents don’t know when collection
trucks will remove their leaf piles. As a result, leaves sit at the curb for far
too long and inevitably end up in the street and gutter. Few residents mulch
or compost their leaves, and some residents do nothing, letting leaves lie
wherever they fall.
Based on this research, students recommended that Monona better inform
residents about when leaf collection trucks will be in their neighborhood.
This information could be delivered through the MyMonona website,
Facebook, email, text messages, flyers and refrigerator magnets.
Other campaign strategies included:
• Remove the city from the process. Explain how mulching and
composting are easier than raking and better for the grass.
• Develop lesson plans to teach school children how to turn
leaves into usable soil. These kids will in turn teach their
parents.
• Reframe proper leaf disposal as a social norm—something
that everyone just does.
• Consider the timing of the campaign to start in summer, when
the lakes are affected by algae blooms. Put posters about leaf
collection at popular recreation spots on the lake.
• Offer incentives to encourage resident participation in the
campaign.
• Develop partnerships with local organizations and businesses
to help disseminate information.
CAMPAIGN SLOGANS
• Don’t be that neighbor
• Rake for your lake
• You won’t beleaf how easy it is to keep your lakes clean
• Like clean lakes? Use your rakes!
• This stinks! Leaves on the street in fall feed blue-green algae in
the long haul.
• Lend your lake a helping hand
• Grab a rake and save your lake; don’t leaf it to your neighbors
7
6
E Broadway
Y a h a
Femrite
r a
R
i v e r
Tower of Memories
6
Femrite Dr.
Sanitarium
7
Dylan Osborn, a student in Professor William Gartner’s Introduction
to Cartography class, created the Walking Map of Historic Monona
to highlight the significant historical, cultural and architectural sites that
residents can discover on a stroll through Monona.
20 21

How can Monona connect citizens and communicate effectively
in a new era of technological innovation?
Students helped revamp the city’s digital resources for residents. Targets included researching the costs and benefits of a citywide
Wi-Fi infrastructure, improving the usability of the city website, expanding the city’s presence on social media and providing
programming for the community radio station.
Connected Monona
22
23

Improving communication technologies
CONTINUOUSLY LOOKING to improve services for
its residents, city staff realized the changing landscape of wireless
internet technology and wanted to investigate several options
for providing indoor and outdoor wireless internet to businesses,
homes and visitors in Monona. Would it make sense for the city to
get into the internet business?
Students in Professor Anne Reynolds’s Cooperatives class found
that municipalities often pursue municipal internet projects because
residents in rural or outlying areas don’t have access to high-speed
internet. This is not a problem in Monona. Additionally, Wisconsin
state statute largely discourages local governments from pursuing
municipally owned wireless internet projects. Those projects that
do get approval are costly, complex and time consuming.
Students in Professor David Weimer’s Cost-Benefit Analysis
class found an 80 percent chance that the city would lose money
from implementing in-home wireless internet. And no outdoor
wireless scenario returned positive results.
As a result of this student research, Monona decided not to pursue
a municipal wireless project.
THE CITY USES ITS WEBSITE, MyMonona.com, as its main
communication vehicle. Residents can use it to find information about city
council meetings, property appraisals and taxes, applying for a pet license
and everything in between.
Students in Professor Dorothea Salo’s class, Introduction to Digital
Information, evaluated MyMonona.com to help the city ensure it is
effectively communicating and connecting with residents.
More than 120 students evaluated the website based on three criteria:
accessibility, usability and search-engine optimization. They found that the
website includes much useful information. However, it is difficult for visually
impaired people to use. The amount of text and varied menu options can
overwhelm and confuse users. And while the website often comes up near the
top of search results, improvements can be made.
Students recommended a website redesign to include improving navigation,
streamlining content, using alternative text, metadata and header tags,
changing the background color, increasing the font size, fixing broken links,
enabling the browser cache and making the site more interactive through
online forms.
MONONA COMMUNITY MEDIA (MCM) provides entertaining
and educational content through its cable television channel and radio
station. While the radio station engages successfully with residents, its TV
channel and related YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages attract less
resident interaction.
Students in Professor Kathryn Krueger’s Marketing in a Digital Age
class developed strategies to increase resident engagement with MCM’s TV
channel and social media pages.
Students recommended that MCM post content that is more likely to
be watched, liked, commented on, retweeted and shared, such as videos
featuring local residents and businesses. Any content should be posted
between 6 and 9 p.m., when MCM social media users are most active. MCM
should also develop partnerships with local organizations and share each
other’s social media posts.
Other recommendations included:
• Publish content on the MCM website and through an e-mail newsletter.
• Set weekly and monthly goals for increasing engagement and measure
results using the social media services’ analytic tools.
• Use analytic tools to determine the type of content users value the most.
• Hire a student intern to implement these suggestions if help is needed.
STUDENTS IN Professor Larry Meiller’s Public
Information Radio class produced public service
announcements for 98.7 FM, WVMO, the Voice of Monona
to inform listeners about the variety of services available in the
community. Listen to all the public service announcements on the
radio or at univercity.wisc.edu/monona/psas.
The Voice of Monona bike in Winnequah Park.
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How do we balance the need for stability while addressing
community change and redevelopment opportunities?
Students examined the current housing climate in Monona to inform redevelopment goals and select sites for redevelopment.
Focus areas included affordable housing, preservation of single-family neighborhoods, and development of mixed-use and
commercial real estate to draw new families and businesses to the City of Monona.
Housing and Economic Development
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Providing affordable, desirable housing for all
MONONA IS BUILT OUT and cannot open up new areas
to development. Its population numbers are shrinking and residents
are getting older. Few single-family homes or apartments have
been designed with seniors in mind. Many homes are becoming
unaffordable for first-time homebuyers, and affordable homes need
time-consuming and costly renovations. These are just some of the
challenges facing current and potential Monona residents.
In 2007, the city adopted a strategic housing plan to provide
diverse housing options for seniors, enable first-time homebuyers
to move to Monona and promote maintenance and renovation
of existing homes. Then the financial and housing foreclosure
crises hit. Is the plan still relevant? In a large part, yes, according
to UW-Madison students who worked on Housing and Economic
Development projects.
Students in Professor Kurt Paulsen’s Planning Workshop
recommended that the city focus on developing small-lot
subdivisions that feature shared spaces, a community-oriented
atmosphere for young families and seniors, and are more affordable
for first-time and less-affluent homebuyers. Meanwhile, mixeduse
housing development projects should include affordable
apartments for all, with universal design and accessibility options
for seniors. Finally, Monona should develop marketing campaigns
that promote the many local, state and national financing options
available to residents to invest in their homes and preserve
neighborhood stability.
Professor Kurt Paulsen’s Housing and Public Policy course investigated
financing options to implement these recommendations. Students found
continued strong demand for Renew Monona, a city-managed loan program
for homeowners to remodel, renovate or otherwise improve their homes. In
future application cycles, the city should consider expanding the program so
more home-improvement projects are eligible for funding. The city should
also consider offering a first-time homebuyer down-payment-assistance
program and low-interest loans to make purchasing and repairing older
homes and rental properties more feasible.
Students in Professor Tom Landgraf ’s Residential Health, Residential
Property Development and Green and Sustainable Development
classes tackled the issues from a developer’s point of view, identifying sites
and concepts to address Monona’s housing challenges. For the two blocks on
Monona Drive between Dean and Lofty avenues, students recommended
mixed-use development featuring market-rate and affordable rental units and
townhomes—both with design considerations for seniors, parking and retail
spaces for current and new tenants. Pirate Island Road and Falcon Circle,
both near West Broadway and the Yahara River, were identified as ideal
places to develop pocket neighborhoods of small-lot subdivisions to appeal to
young families and seniors alike.
Students in Professor Jonathan Patz’s Health Impact Assessment of
Global Environmental Change course investigated the effects that
implementing these recommendations, particularly renovating units at
Anthony Place and Pirate Island Road, might have on residents’ health.
They found that these areas are in need of renovation: the neighborhoods
are deteriorating, and the buildings may pose a health risk from degrading
materials with environmental toxins. But the area has potential. Neither
development is historically significant, thus renovation would not negatively
impact the character or “look” of Monona. The locations encourage
physical activity, like walking, as both are within one mile to a park and
grocery store, within two miles to a health-care clinic, and the streets have
sidewalks. Furthermore, revitalization could lead to safer neighborhoods
with an increase in racial and income diversity. To see the highest benefit on
community health, and to achieve Monona’s housing goals, any renovation
projects should include affordable and senior units. Access to quality,
affordable housing can reduce stress and allow residents to spend money on
other needs, including food and health care. Revitalization projects should
also include safe removal of potentially environmentally hazardous building
materials, include sidewalks and feature inviting landscapes and
outdoor spaces.
Treysta on the Water is part of a new, mixed-use development that includes 123 apartments, a
restaurant and a yoga studio on the site of a former mobile home park.
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Jason Vargo
UniverCity Year program director
univercityalliance@wisc.edu
608-890-0330
Kelly Conforti Rupp
UniverCity Year program manager
kelly.rupp@wisc.edu
608-890-0330
univercity.wisc.edu