May 18, 2023
Administration
2023 Sustainable Sun Prairie Roundtable
Sun Prairie will be hosting its first-ever community event focused on sustainability initiatives and projects in our community. The roundtable will include presentations from the energy, transportation and materials management sector and will touch on programs from the macro to local level. This event will be held in a facilitated style of presentations creating an opportunity to engage the audience and give them time to engage in smaller group/table discussions.
What is going to be covered?
-Energy: Maximizing incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), WPPI, and Focus on Energy, local clean energy efforts ; county, region, and state clean energy efforts and programs from Sustain Dane and RENEW WI
-Materials Management: Dane County’s Materials Recovery Facility and Dane County’s Organics Management Grant Program, Sustain Dane initiatives, programs and activities, Sun Prairie’s Municipal Composting Pilot and future planning for Biosolids Recovery Center
-Transportation Planning: WICC efforts, programs, and opportunities, RoundTrip and other MPO efforts, and Sun Prairie’s Local Bus Service and 2023 BRT planning
Sign up!
To sign up for the roundtable discussion, follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sustainable-sun-prairie-roundtable-tickets-630418166707?fbclid=IwAR34t0WC-rgQGJhdMTAU31sJXLkxMKDP4fEO61RRInqEb69Y0kSky7KxU_A
To attend the Happy Hour hosted by Sustain Dane, please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustain-dane-all-around-dane-county-june-tickets-629362870287?fbclid=IwAR2jZg_s0Dg3afhRPmWlBNM8KqfdJuOwGrsvtybXrY4guOkLIcxzQJMT3Lg
Building Inspection
#BuildingSafetyMonth2023
Let’s keep spreading the word about #BuildingSafetyMonth2023! Week 3 is all about making sure your community is prepared. Building codes help to protect us against flooding, tornadoes, wildfire events, and other natural disasters. Visit www.buildingsafetymonth.org for information on disaster safety resources.
For additional information about the Building Inspection Division in Sun Prairie, please go to www.cityofsunprairie.com/buildinginspection.
Community Development
Review Planning Projects!
We want to give a shoutout to our Community Development Department and GIS team for their hard work in creating a web application that allows folks to see current and planned development projects.
Want to check it out?
You can either scan the QR code on the graphic or click here!
Housing Coalition
Community Spotlight
2023 Juneteenth Celebration
2023 JUNETEENTH SWAG
Check out this link to purchase Sun Prairie Juneteenth Celebration apparel for youth and adults!
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:
Summer Rec Guide out now!
Summer Rec Guide and registration is now open for residents!
1. View the Summer Guide at rec.cityofsunprairie.com!
2. Log in to our website to make sure you know your password and that your account is up to date, including street address and email address.
3. If you don’t already have an account, create your account. If you think you have an account, but cannot find yourself on the website, please do not add yourself again. Call the Recreation Department office at 608-837-3449 and we will assist you.
4. If you do not have a Sun Prairie address, but live in the Sun Prairie School District, the system will not know that and will charge you Non-Resident rates. If you continue your registration and pay Non-Resident rates, the difference is non-refundable. Please contact our office prior to your registration so that we may adjust your account to reflect the proper designation.
5. If you accidentally register for the wrong program, do not immediately register for the correct program. Call us 608-837-3449 and we can make the transfer for you.
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
We’re Hiring!
Sun Prairie Community Art Project
Create an art project that will be displayed in Downtown Sun Prairie! Sign up and register for the first ever Community Art Making Project (C.A.M.P.). This year’s theme is Sun Prairie is blooming.
We have 40 flowers (20 sunflower cutouts and 20 tulip cutouts) primed and available for pick up at the Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department office, 2598 West Main Street. The flower cut outs are roughly 2.5 feet x 2.5 feet. Flowers are $50 when you register and pick it up at the SPPRF office. The entry fee can be paid by you or a sponsor (family members, friends, a business, etc.).
Artists have until June 30th to complete and return your art project to the SPPRF office. Once your project is returned, it will be poly coated to make it more weather resistant.
All of the completed projects will be displayed online on Downtown Sun Prairie’s social media pages and on downtownsunprairiewi.com.
Upcoming Programs Not to Be Missed:
June 5th and June 12th
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: 5/30/2023
Time to get involved in the fastest growing sport in the US! Fun activity for all ages and levels of play, including families! Pickleball can be considered a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong played on a smaller court than tennis using a paddle. Lessons will touch base on the fundamentals, terminology, rules and scoring. Our goal is to teach you what you need to know to start playing on your own, with friends or family. Paddles will be provided.
Foundations of Athletic Development
June 6th – June 27th
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: 5/30/2023
Foundations of Athletic Development is a 60-minute training session designed for 9-12 year olds with the focus of learning and developing fundamental athletic skills and movements that translate directly to their sports. Learning these quality skills and movement patterns can set each child up for a successful path in sports or an active lifestyle, while also decreasing bad habits from forming that could lead to injuries. Sessions will incorporate skills such as body weight strength, core stability, coordination, body control/awareness, and fundamental positions/skills used in athletics and training.
June 6th – August 9th
8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Registration Deadline: 5/31/2023
Meet up with friends or make new ones while taking moderately paced walks inside 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 follow each walk. Come join the fun as we explore the area parks. Please bring a water bottle. The group will meet at a different location each week with the first class at the Westside Community Services Building. An information packet that includes a schedule will be provided at the first class.
No class on 7/5.
Registration Deadline: 6/02/2023
Rec on the go is a themed based exploration kits for kids ages 5 and up. Each bi-monthly will feature crafts, experiments, and other fun activities for kids. Pick up or Delivery is available.
Non-residents must use curbside pick-up.
June - Dino Day: June 1st is National Dinosaur Day, let's celebrate with some crafts, activities, and more related to our favorite prehistoric friends!
Pick up and delivery will be available 6/8 and 6/9. Participants will be emailed when kits are ready so make sure your email address is up to date.
All Inclusive Teen Night – June
June 2nd
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Teen Nights is a partnership between Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation, & Forestry and the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin to create a free all-inclusive space for teens with Down syndrome and related disabilities to come together for a night of independence, fun, and friendship! Join us on the first Friday of the month for different activities each Teen Night! We'll be featuring game nights, crafts, dances, movement activities, seasonal activities and more!
Parents and caregivers are not required to remain onsite, unless their child requires assistance utilizing the restroom. For any questions about the Teen Night, please contact Emily Rebarchek at erebarcheck@cityofsunprairie.com or (608) 825-0765.
Monthly Themes
- June: National Donut Day and National Dairy Month Spectacular
- July: Disability Pride Month
- August: End of Summer Celebration
Bike the Prairie
Public Services
Take the survey!
Sun Prairie Historical Museum
Sun Prairie Historical Library and Museum
The Museum is open to the public Wednesdays-Saturdays 11:00am-4:00pm and by appointment for research and special events. Be sure to join for free downtown walking tours the first Saturday each month!
Staff can be reached by phone at (608) 825-0837 or by email at museum@cityofsunprairie.com.
The Historical Library and Museum is located at 115 East Main St. Sun Prairie with parking behind the building. Admission is always free.
Announcements:
New Exhibit Now Open
Quilts often carry special meaning to those who create and use them. For Sun Prairie, quilts carry the additional story of community members coming together to create one of the most successful small-town quilt shows in the Midwest.
Stop in during open hours to see award winning quilts and learn about the people who made them!
Summer 2023 at the Sun Prairie Historical Library and Museum
Looking for ways to engage with local history this summer? Check out our first activities of the season!
Our next free guided historic downtown walking tour is Saturday, June 3rd.
Start your day at the farmers market and enjoy a tour while you’re there. The tour begins at 10:30am from the center of Cannery Square.
Sun Prairie Media Center
SPMC BROADCASTING SPHS GRADUATIONS
The Sun Prairie Media Center is pleased to be partnering with the Sun Prairie Area School District for a live broadcast of the 2023 Sun Prairie High School graduation ceremony, held this year at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison on Friday, June 9, 2023, as well as the 2023 Prairie Phoenix Academy graduation ceremony, to be held on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The SPHS ceremony will be a combined ceremony for both East and West graduates.
SPMC’s coverage will be seen live on KSUN Charter channel 983 or TDS channels 13 or 1013. The ceremony will also be streamed at sunprairiemediacenter.com/ksun as well as available on KSUN’s Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV channels and on the SPMC app, available to download for free from the App Store or Google Play.
“We are always happy to partner with the school district in providing the broadcast of the high school graduation,” said SPMC director Jeff Robbins. “The district always hosts a wonderful commencement ceremony and we look forward to joining the teachers, administrators, school board, families, and most importantly the graduates in sharing the excitement of this historic graduation day – the first to combine graduates from both East and West high schools!”
Business sponsorship opportunities are available for the broadcast. Participating businesses will be recognized at the outset of every broadcast (live and replays), every on-demand viewing, and every USB or DVD sold.
The SPMC is offering DVD and USB copies of the graduation ceremony for sale. DVDs and USBs make great gifts for grads and their families, whether they were able to attend the live ceremony or not! 2022 (and past) graduation DVDs & USBs can be ordered by going to sunprairiemediacenter.com/sphsgraduation.
For more information on the broadcasts, sponsorships, or DVD/USB sales, please contact the Sun Prairie Media Center at 608-837-4193 or via e-mail at staff@sunprairiemediacenter.com.
Congratulations to the Class of 2023!
103.5 fm SCORES Five wisconsin broadcasters association awards
The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association recently handed out their annual awards for broadcasting excellence and Sun Prairie’s own 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio scored with five awards, including three first place finishes.
Entering in the “Large Market-Music Format” category, 103.5 FM’s first place awards included “Best Newscast” for “Sun Prairie News,” “Best Sports Coverage” for its 2022 coverage of the “Sun Prairie versus Middleton Strikeout Cancer Baseball Game,” and “Best Election Coverage” for its spring election coverage.
Elsewhere, 103.5 FM and producers/hosts Sara Milewski and Tenisha Winn took home a third place award for “Remote Broadcast from the 2022 Sun Prairie Multicultural Fair” in the category of “Best Live On-Site Broadcast Remote” and versatile producer Mark Gonwa won third place for “Best Radio Show” for his live Friday afternoon program “Now You Know.”
“Sun Prairie News,” produced and hosted by Dan Presser, has now won WBA’s “Best Newscast” for three years in a row – exactly the same number of years the show has been in production.
Of his win for Best Sports Coverage, announcer Tim Perko said, "I was very humbled and thrilled with the award. I have to give a lot of thanks and credit to Jeff and the terrific support team of Rachel Packard, Colin Lessig and Mara Trusty at the Media Center for all their help and support. They make everything very enjoyable."
Of their contributions that led to the best election coverage award, Bill Baker said, “Andy Schoenherr and I are proud to be recognized in our category by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, but the awards were not achieved alone. If not for the support from the professionals at The Sun Prairie Media Center, success would not be possible. SPMC is a vital organization for Sun Prairie.” Schoenherr added, “It was incredibly exciting to come home with first place. I already know that the staff and volunteers at the Sun Prairie Media Center are a top notch group of people, but being recognized by other professional broadcasters is great validation and a tremendous honor."
SPMC director Jeff Robbins clarified one additional point about the WBA awards: “Our TV stations are not considered broadcast because cable is the main means of distributing them. So we don’t enter in the television side of the WBA awards. But our radio station is considered broadcast, so we are eligible in WBA’s radio categories.”
Want to be part of this award-winning team? The Sun Prairie Media Center is currently looking for radio and podcast producers to take advantage of its studio facilities and knowledgeable staff. Anyone interested should call 608-837-4193, email 103.5 FM Production Manager Colin Lessig at clessig@cityofsunprairie.com, or check out sunprairiemediacenter.com, where program ideas can be submitted directly to SPMC staff.
Episodes of 103.5 FM’s award-winning programs can be accessed for on-demand listening by downloading the Sun Prairie Media Center app, available for free from the App Store or Google Play.
Sun Prairie Public Library
Library Closed for Memorial Day
The library will be closed Monday, May 29th for Memorial Day. The drive-thru book drops will remain open.
Adult Services
The Adult Summer Reading program and Big Summer Read start on June 1st! Watch for more details coming soon!
Thursday, May 18th 6-8 p.m., Community Room
Bob Lindmeier, who has been the face and voice of weather on Channel 27 brings his wealth of information and concern for the planet to this presentation. SPARC and the Sun Prairie Public Library are pleased to have him in Sun Prairie to give us his presentation and to hold a community conversation about how we are, and should in the future, address this crisis.
Sun Prairie Action Resource Coalition (SPARC) is a grassroots information and action network which supports and promotes local involvement to move Sun Prairie and Wisconsin forward. To learn more, please visit: https://sunprairieaction.wordpress.com/
Please register on our Events Calendar at www.sunprairie.librarymarket.com if you would like an email reminder prior to this event.
Sun Prairie West Jazz Band Performance
Wednesday, May 24th 7-8 p.m., Community Room
Join us for a performance by the Sun Prairie West High School jazz band! The group is a traditional 15-piece big band under the leadership of Daniel Wallach. All ages are welcome and invited to attend!
Please register here if you would like an email reminder prior to this event.
Youth Services
We have SO many exciting things planned for the summer! Summer Reading Program starts June 1st! Save the Date - Kick Off Party is Tuesday, June 13!
Downtown Sun Prairie Farmers’ Market
Saturday, May 20 8-10am
Join the Dream Bus Mobile Library at the Downtown Sun Prairie Farmers' Market! Sign up for a library card, check out free books, music, and movies, access free Wi-Fi and resources, and more!
Sun Prairie Utilities
Local Utility Honored for Safety Excellence
Sun Prairie Utilities (SPU) was recently recognized for its commitment to worker safety by the Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin (MEUW).
Wisconsin lineworkers and electric crews risk receiving serious or fatal injuries while providing affordable and reliable power. Public power communities across the state emphasize the importance of safety training and daily safe work practices.
MEUW recognized 39 of its public power members, including SPU, during its annual conference at Lambeau Field Atrium on May 11. Sun Prairie Utilities received a gold category for its safety performance in 2022!