The Northside Planning Council is excited to announce that we have been awarded funds to support Census 2020 outreach on the Northside. What this translates to for our community specifically is a chance to secure our future. As you may know, the census is the official population data collection of the U.S. It is a tool that uses geographic counts to determine how funds are distributed throughout the U.S. across various public programs, as well as accurately establishing our state and local government representation.
Why is this important to know and what does that have to do with the Northside? The Northside was determined to be an area where it is sometimes difficult to get an accurate count of the population by census definitions. Each year $675 billion, yes billion, is distributed to states and communities based on the populations in each area. We know populations are spread out, and what one community needs in terms of funding is entirely different for another.
The census captures a snapshot of communities at present, and because the census is conducted only once every 10 years, if populations are under-counted, they are directly affected in the amount of money allocated to the social programs our families and neighbors depend on. For example, public transportation, housing assistance, school funding, emergency preparedness, infrastructure and even the number of government representatives in the state all depend on the accuracy of the census.
Imagine taking a family reunion photo missing nearly half of the cousins, aunts and uncles, and then being given a check based only on the number of people in the photo. That wouldn’t add up correctly. This is our chance to
be counted.
Moreover, for the first time ever, the census will be available online for residents to complete and securely submit. This new development is a direct attempt to alleviate common barriers to participation. We view this as an opportunity to strategize and mobilize around census engagement with Northside residents.
Residents can expect to receive their official invitation to complete the census around March 12, 2020, but the field work has already begun. The Northside Planning Council and community partners, such as Warner Park Community Recreation Center, Lakeview Library, Mendota Community School, Anesis Family Therapy, Northside Early Childhood Zone and representatives from Northport, Packers, Vera Court and Kennedy Heights have formed a Census 2020 steering committee dedicated to providing all Northside residents the opportunity to be a part of this movement. By the start of the new year, we will have hired and trained 4‒6 community outreach workers with knowledge of the Northside who are linguistically, culturally and ethnically diverse and well connected in the neighborhood.
In the coming months we will be taking part in community events to create awareness and answer any questions. In March, we will host a series of census events for residents in the area to support online completion of the Census with dinner, childcare and technology available.
Watch for more exciting news about how you can become involved with Census 2020 here on the Northside.
Signage at Clark’s Marsh in Oscoda, Michigan where PFOS levels were measured at up to 500 times more than the state’s 12 ppt standard. This photo was taken by Jim Malewitz with Bridge Magazine, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news source that issued a special report on the PFAS crisis in Michigan.
Growing up near the airport in the Truax neighborhood, Pau Xiong and her family once thought nothing of eating the fish they caught in nearby Starkweather Creek. For years, locals have brought children, dogs and friends to fish and walk alongside the creek. Xiong, a student at East High School, was understandably horrified when she first learned that the creek is contaminated with chemicals commonly known as PFAS, an acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These contaminants have been seeping unchecked from Truax Field into the surrounding ground and surface waters for decades.
PFAS are a group of chemicals used in foaming agents and nonstick coatings that have been linked to a variety of health problems. They are used in firefighting foam for petroleum fires, and for years this foam was allowed to soak into the ground after firefighting drills at Truax Field. Besides reaching the groundwater hundreds of feet below, PFAS were also washed from the ground into the nearby waterways. “Starkweather Creek is not safe,” said Xiong, who works with children at the local East Madison Community Center, located right next to the creek.
The health impacts of PFAS are still being catalogued, even though their toxicity has been quietly recognized for decades, and they have been widely used despite this. They have recently received more public scrutiny, which has kickstarted widespread investigation.
So far, it is clear they have the potential to cause cancer, particularly of the kidney and liver, as well as a multitude of health problems, including reproductive, developmental, and immune disorders. As a bioaccumulating chemical, PFAS is absorbed by your body and then collects over time. Xiong has been working hard to educate fellow students at East High about the health problems caused by PFAS-contaminated water and food. “PFAS can’t be cured. It’s in your body forever,” she said. Xiong is worried about the health of the children she works with at the community center, as well as the people she sees fishing along the creek.
Signage at Olbrich Park Boat Launch
advising that fish consumption
“is unrestricted for Men and Older Women.” Test results from Starkweather Creek show PFOS levels as high as 360 ppt at one location. There is no current signage on Starkweather Creek.
National media coverage and local citizen advocacy have shone a spotlight on the long-standing PFAS plume caused by the use of firefighting foams at Truax Field. In the spring of 2018, members of the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization (MEJO) began advocating for PFAS testing of Starkweather Creek, which flows around the airport. They soon began lobbying for testing of city wells, since PFAS can move quickly through the groundwater. Thanks to their efforts, City Well 15 was closed earlier this year due to the discovery of PFAS levels in the water.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet established a contaminant level for PFAS, but it currently recommends that consumption be limited to 70 parts per trillion (ppt) in drinking water. This is based on the combined presence of PFOA and PFOS, just two of the thousands of toxic PFAS chemicals. Following the example of experts who question the EPA’s recommendation, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has set a more conservative PFOA-PFOS level of 20 ppt and took action to divert the water of City Well 15 when it tested at 12 ppt earlier this year.
Recommended levels for surface waters like rivers and lakes are different than drinking water standards. Test results from Starkweather Creek, only recently shared with the public, show levels as high as 360 ppt at one creek location. This is 30 times higher than Michigan’s PFOS surface water standard, which is concerning because of PFOS’s particular tendency to build up in fish that might later be eaten by anglers and their families. The bioaccumulation of all the different PFAS chemicals is still being studied.
Maria Powell, director of the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization (MEJO), is also concerned about the foam that gathers at the top of the water. Testing in a river below the Peshtigo Dam in northern Wisconsin showed that PFAS levels in foam can be hundreds or even thousands of times higher than levels in the water itself.
Draft signage proposed by Public Health Madison & Dane County to be placed along Starkweather Creek refers to a DNR webpage with statewide safe-eating guidelines for locally caught fish. Image provided by Midwest Environmental Justice Organization (MEJO).
Powell is also concerned about the anglers who fish along the creek. While the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has said current heavy metal and PCB advisories for fish consumption will be sufficient to protect anglers from consuming too much PFAS, they are not scheduled to make their fish testing results public until sometime in mid-2020. MEJO is currently raising funds to test PFAS levels in the water, sediments and fish independently so this information can be made available to the public as soon as possible.
Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services (MIDHHS) has set a national example in regards to PFAS safety. According to MIDHHS, for children “a health risk could exist from repeated, prolonged whole-body contact with foam containing high amounts of PFAS.” It recommends that nobody, regardless of age, come in contact with the foam. This extends to dogs as well. In contrast, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has proposed signage for Starkweather Creek with contrary advice that does not acknowledge the potential impacts of PFAS. The proposed signs state,
“Touching the water or foam is not a health
concern,” and “Wash your hands after wading or playing in the water or foam.”
The DNR has been in communication with the Air National Guard, the City of Madison and the Dane County Airport about their responsibilities regarding PFAS clean up at Truax Field for over a year. However, delays and extensions have made even the first steps in this process seem as though they have stagnated. Recent attention regarding the airfield has centered mostly on the proposed F-35 fighter jets, though construction related to this project will also produce a wash of PFAS runoff if the soil contamination at the site is not addressed.
“The Air Force knows they’ve done this,” said Xiong. “They haven’t taken any action, and I don’t think they even will.” Her anger is echoed by other Madison residents who have been paying attention to the PFAS contamination at the airport over the past year. Xiong said her neighbors are becoming more and more worried, but it is hard to engage people from other communities who aren’t directly impacted. “And of course,” she said, “in a low-income neighborhood, no one else would care about this ongoing issue.”
Xiong also said that soon it might not matter. The PFAS plume could already be reaching other city wells and other waterways. “I’m scared for my family, my community, my high school and my future.”
If you want to help, Xiong asks that people research the issue and take it more seriously, even if they don’t live near the airport. More information about the contamination at Truax Field can be found on MEJO’s website (mejo.us/?s=pfas). By keeping up with the issue and speaking up for the communities most impacted by the contamination, Xiong hopes we can keep our neighborhoods safe and healthy.
MEJO’s People’s PFAS Action Team, funded by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, is looking for residents to join their efforts to hold polluters and government accountable for PFAS pollution in the Starkweather Creek watershed. Please email Maria Powell at mariapowell@mejo.us if you would like to get involved. If you would like to donate to MEJO’s Starkweather Creek water, sediment, and fish testing project, visit mejo.us/testing.
Oct. 14, 2019 — Now is the time to get vaccinated against the flu. Public Health Madison & Dane County recommends that everyone older than 6 months get the flu vaccine now, to protect throughout the flu season, which can begin as early as October and last through spring.
“It’s important to get the flu vaccine before flu starts spreading in the community. It takes about 2 weeks to get full protection after the vaccine is given, so getting vaccinated, preferably in October, is the best thing you can do to protect yourself and others from getting the flu,” says Public Health Immunization Coordinator Sarah Hughes.
There is no way to predict how severe a flu season will be. Last flu season 223 people were hospitalized due to the flu in Dane County, and in the previous season, there were 695 hospitalizations.
“Flu vaccine is safe and effective,” says Hughes. “Even when it is not 100% effective at preventing flu, it may reduce how sick you’ll get and reduce your chance of being hospitalized. When you get your flu vaccine, you’re also helping to reduce the amount of illness in our community, which helps protect the folks who can’t get a flu shot, like babies younger than 6 months old.”
For those with health insurance, flu vaccine is now readily available at local clinics and pharmacies. For those without health insurance, Public Health can help. Free flu shots are offered by appointment for adults without health insurance, and for children without health insurance or who have Medical Assistance/Forward card. To schedule an appointment, call (608) 266-4821.
“Be sure to ask your provider which vaccine is best for you,” says Hughes. “Some flu vaccines are available for adults 65 and older who have weaker immune systems. The nasal spray flu is approved for use this year, but with very limited availability, so most people will need to get the shot.”
Hughes further advises that, “If your work involves taking care of others, like children or patients, or you care for a spouse, parent or child with special needs, the flu shot is especially important for you. Stay healthy to protect them, and reduce sick time for yourself.”
The flu is not a stomach bug. The flu causes high fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and oftentimes multiple days of missed work or school. It can be very serious, leading to hospitalization and even death. Young children, pregnant women, people 65 years and older and people with certain medical conditions, like asthma, diabetes or heart disease are particularly vulnerable to the flu and complications of the illness. Complications include pneumonia, sinus and ear infections, inflammation of the heart or brain, and worsening chronic conditions.
While the vaccine is the best protection against getting the flu, there are other precautions people can take to stay healthy and prevent the spread of flu:
Wash hands often, and for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water. Use alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water aren’t available.
Cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
Avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth. Every time you touch your face, you have a change of introducing germs.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Frequently disinfect surfaces at home, work or school that are touched regularly.
Stay home when sick and take flu antiviral drugs if prescribed by a doctor.
It’s official. Another summer is in the books. Football season is upon us and leaves are turning colors at Warner Park. As the center gears up for the fall, I wanted to share a few updates from the summer and upcoming activities at the WPCRC.
Madison Parks and the Madison Parks Foundation sponsored the “Say YES to KNOW” (Kids Need Opportunities at Warner) fundraising event Aug. 21. The event was hosted by the Madison Mallards and created awareness about the KNOW initiative and ways the community could get involved. I am proud to announce that the event raised $40,000 to support Northside youth programs at the WPCRC and will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Madison Parks Foundation. Thank you to everyone who made a contribution during the campaign.
We also want to thank our members and participants for supporting the Second Annual Back-to-School Supply Drive. WPCRC collected backpacks and school supply donations and distributed them to Northside students at the JP Hair Design Back-to-School Free Haircuts event Aug. 25.
A big thank you to Schultz Vending LLC for donating food and snacks to the WPCRC. Their weekly donation allows us to offer a food and snack center for teens after school and gives us the ability to assist youth who may have food insecurities.
WPCRC will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary Friday, Oct. 11. We will have a day filled with activities, live entertainment and free drop-in classes, culminating with a presentation and Family Fun Night. Admission to the October Family Fun Night will be free to commemorate the 20th Anniversary. A big thank you to our partners, Northside Planning Council, NewBridge and MSCR for sponsoring the event. I hope to see you at the celebration as we “Party Like It’s 1999.”
The Warner Aquatic Health & Wellness Center financial feasibility study has been completed. We are waiting to receive the results of the study and what the next steps will be. The importance for every child to have the opportunity to learn to swim and the year-round availability to participate in a lifelong activity should not be ignored any longer.
We are hoping the feasibility study found support in the community so we can move forward and continue to hold the only site in Warner Park that can support an Aquatic Center. The City of Madison may need to move forward with the needed addition of activity and meeting rooms before the funds are raised. The Circle of Friends will work with them to place the addition behind the gym so when the funds for the Aquatic Center are raised, the community will have the site available to move forward with the much-needed swim opportunities for our youth to our seniors.
