Happy Spring! It’s been a magnificent year for the lilacs, redbuds, crabapples and other flowering trees on the Northside thanks to a mild winter, plenty of rain and cool spring temperatures. Some of those trees may be in for some trimming over the summer and fall if they’re in the public right-of-way under the power lines.

MG&E has notified residents that they will be working in most of District 18 – North of Northport and West of North Sherman – to minimize tree-related storm damage and electrical outages. If you have any concerns about terrace trees, please contact the Parks Department at (608) 266-4816 from 7 am-3 pm on weekdays. Please contact 911 for after hour emergencies.

You may have noticed some construction at Warner Beach over the past month. The City has repaired the breakwater to better protect the shoreline and make a safer boat launch. Specifically they have replaced the falling riprap on the face of the breakwater, reconstructed the access road on top of the breakwater, dredged the boat launch area and replaced the deteriorated boat launch with a similar launch.

Elsewhere in Warner Park, plans for clean up of the Lagoon are underway and a request for proposal will soon be released to hire a consultant to develop multiple options for things we can do to make the lagoon a more hospitable habitat for fish and a more inviting destination for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy. Thanks especially to members of Wild Warner for their contributions to this effort.

As the school year comes to an end, I’d like to invite you to Mendota School’s Family, Youth and Community School Day June 3 from 9 am–2:30 pm. The event is open to all and will be a great opportunity to learn about what steps have been taken toward making Mendota one of the first two Community Schools in the district.

An earlier version of this column listed Charlie Romines as the Parks Department contact for concerns about terrace trees. This has been updated to show the correct contact information: (608) 266-4816 from 7 am-3 pm on weekdays and 911 for after hour emergencies.