Episodi
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This month Andy's guest is Jennifer Lee of Faded Roots boutique. They talked about being a small business entrepeneur selling eclectic fashion, as well as her experience moving to a new location and restoring a historic church downtown.
Plus, Andy opened the show with some additional thoughts on the 1 Communications Dr site, as well a political endorsement and some events around town! -
Let's have more PhD's running for office please! On this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Regina Vidaver, Candidate for Dane County Executive. From graduate school at UW to public health policy, we discussed her experience during the Covid pandemic and resettling Afghan refugees, as well as her time on the Madison City Council providing no-interest loans for child care and championing the Madison Public Market. Plus, I shared my thoughts on why the Plan Commission's recent decision around the Black Men's Coalition housing project was a mistake.
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Episodi mancanti?
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On a new episode of "What Are We Building?" Andy had the great pleasure of speaking with Wes Sparkman, currently the Director of The Tamara D. Grigsby Office for Equity and Inclusion in Dane County, and candidate for Dane County Executive. They had a terrific conversation about Wes's journey from Chicago, to UW and the LaFollette school, to ultimately serving the community in a myraid of ways, including over 25 years in State and County Government. Wes is a dedicated public servant, who believes government can be an efficient, effective, force for positive change. Give it a listen!
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I was supposed to speak with Dana Pellebon, who is running for Dane County Executive, but unfortunately she didn't show up for the interview. Instead, it's an all-Andy show and gave me a chance to yammer on about the proposal for Downtown at Bristol & Main, Sun Prairie's efforts to be more sustainable, and the decision to replace the St Mary's ER with a new surgery center.
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Do you vote at Heartland Church or United Methodist? You probably live in District 2 and can vote for a new City Council representative on April 2nd! The 2 candidates running are Santiago Rosas and Bill Baker - Andy had them both on the most recent episode of "What Are We Building?" Hear about their backgrounds, priorities for the city, and thoughts on recent projects like the Black Mens Coaltion housing and the proposed downtown hotel.
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Maybe the biggest political name we've had on the show yet! Andy sat down with Wisconsin State Senator Melissa Agard. Among other things, he learns she's also running for Dane County Executive. Serious discussions about Cannabis legalization, Abortion Access, Taxes and more.
Plus, Andy opens the show with a lot of news about what we're building in Sun Prairie: find out where we're getting more apartments, a new medical clinic, bar & grill, corporate HQ and a bank branch in 2024!
Note: we have reached out to the other candidates for Dane County Executive and hope to have them on the show as well if they choose.
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This month's guest is David Virgell, City Council Alder for District 4. We had a great chat about the Westmount Roundabout, big cities vs small towns, and the Black Men's Coalition proposal. Also, listener mail(!) and an update on Hyvee and the Corner of Bristol & Main downtown.
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Cassi Benedict wears a lot of hats, from working for the State of WI DPI to being a Mom of 2 kids and 4 pets, and she's looking to try on another one: City Council Alder.
We had a great conversation about how her background and lived experience inform her views on policy and the role of city government.
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How does growth and progress affect your civic pride and satisfaction with where you live? We talked about that and so much more in a spectacular conversation with Korab Krasniqi, a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones and owner of 240 E. Main St. Downtown.
Korab's fascinating story led him to Sun Prairie, and also to understand the importance of building relationships, community and why "communication is life."
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Hey Hey! Have you heard about the Heyday Development in Sun Prairie? It's a brand new neighborhood of 4 and 6-unit townhomes at the corner of Bird and Egre Rd. Ryan Swingruber, the Developer stopped by "What Are We Building?" to talk about the unique features of the properties, and how they're meeting the changing demands of renters from Millenials to Boomers. We talked about renting vs buying, Internet, EV charging and a whole lot more...
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What are We Building? is back with a terrific conversation with Izzy Hassey Nevarez of Centro Hispano. Great to hear about the amazing work they're doing in Madison and Dane County to support the Latin community. We talked about Izzy's journey from Chicago to Juneau to Sun Prairie and the debate over the best way to do corn on the cob!
Please check out their 1st ever Summer Resource Fair on Thursday, July 20th from 3-6pm at 1632 W. Main St!
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Turning on a faucet and flipping on a light switch is something most of us take for granted...but we shouldn't. On a special "joint episode" of What Are We Building? and "Roundabout Sun Prairie", we did an interview with Rick Wicklund, Utility Manager for Sun Prairie Utilities. We talked about the unique structure of a municipal utility, it's obligation to the public, and their plans for a new office space and warehouse facility. Rick also addressed the recent issue with high levels of fluoride in the water and how it was fixed.
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On a new episode of "What Are We Building?" I shared some additional thoughts about the recent controversy surrounding the situation with a transgender student in the East High Locker Room. Then, I sat down for a chat with my good friend Jenni Lippitt, Director of Property Management for the Alexander Company. Jenni is a wealth of knowledge about apartments, and had heaps of excellent information about the "behind the scenes" of why affordable housing is important to any community. She also had some pointed criticism of the Colorado Commons project on Main & Thompson and some ideas of what we SHOULD be building in Sun Prairie.
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I’ve been wanting to do this one for a long time! On the latest “What Are We Building?” I sat down for an interview with Sun Prairie’s District 3 Alder Mike Jacobs. We had a wide-ranging discussion about what drew him to academia and City Council, as well as apartments (of course!), the historyof anti-intellectualism and the value of sustainability to our present and future.
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This episode includes an interview with Sun Prairie's Planning Director, Josh Clements. They talked about Josh's journey to planning and how he feels that working on issues in the public sphere can really help people. Josh had some unique perspectives on housing (affordable and otherwise) and why people seem to always prefer single family homes vs apartments. They also talked about the new Starbucks, Cousins Subs and Capital Fitness.Andy also reminds everyone to vote for School Board, Municipal Judge andWI Supreme Court in the upcoming spring election on April 4th!
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We are BACK! After a few months off, Sun Prairie's What Are We Building? podcast returns with the perfect guest: Taylor Brown, Director of Economic Development for the city, knows exactly what we're building. We did a whirlwhind tour of construction projects around town - updates on the area around Metro Market, HyVee, new Apartments, Main St, Downtown and MORE!
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Part 2 of my interview with Mayor Paul Esser. We talked about specific projects and important issues affecting Sun Prairie, from the bus line and BRT, to affordable housing, apartments, and racial diversity.
Sorry to say this will be my last show for awhile - I'll be taking some time for a summer hiatus. I haven't ruled out bringing the show back - in Sun Prairie someone's always asking "What Are We Building?"
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In honor of recording over 50 episodes of "What Are We Building?" I sat down for a chat with the guy in the big chair: Mayor Paul Esser. In Part 1, we talked about the Mayor's experience growing up in Madison, joining the army and attending college amidst the Vietnam era, and how he first got involved in politics in Sun Prairie.
Also, some news and reflections about 2 years and 50+ episodes at the beginning of the show.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the interview, airing next week.
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Donna Mackey has lived in Sun Prairie for 32 years. As a military wife, she moved around a lot and had multiple careers, so we had a lovely chat about why her family chose to put down roots and settle here. From the richness of ethnic diversity to the sense of community and connection, Donna's perspective on what Sun Prairie is building is especially valuable and fascinating.
I also opened the show with thoughts on the recent local elections for City Council and School Board.
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Our special LIVE broadcast on election night April 5, 2022. It’s a little long, but it was a really fun, interesting discussion between myself, Bill Baker and Tony Klemme, joined by all the new faces coming to City Council and School Board: David Virgell, Diana McFarland, Latoya Holiday and Brent Eisberner. We had a lot of time to wait for the results, so in between we managed to have a few laughs while talking about serious topics like race, diversity and Voter ID. There was also singing at one point.
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