As Madison braces for a day with record-setting low temperatures, the city government is effectively shutting down operations until warmer weather prevails.
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin announced Tuesday all city offices would be closed Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to reach as low as -25 degrees, as well as Thursday. Though the offices will be closed, Soglin said city staff would be given the option to either go in or work from home.
All eight city committee meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday have been cancelled, according to Soglin. Also cancelled was the city council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, a decision Soglin said made him “a little disappointed.” He said several alders refused to attend the meeting due to the cold.
In addition, all city parks facilities and public libraries will be closed both Wednesday and Thursday. Both East Towne and West Towne Mall announced on Facebook they would be closed from 5 p.m. Tuesday until noon Thursday. Madison Metropolitan School District, which did not hold classes Monday or Tuesday due to weather, will remain closed Wednesday. The United States Postal Service announced via their website most of Wisconsin, including Madison, will not be receiving mail Wednesday.
In spite of the closures, Soglin said the bus system will be in operation, though he could not guarantee it would be at full strength.
“We are going to try and keep Madison Metro open tomorrow,” he said. “This is a real dilemma.”
He urged riders to check Madison Metro’s website for updated schedules so they could minimize the amount of time spent outside and warned service could be interrupted or delayed.
Metro Transit General Manager Chuck Kamp said all buses will be free to ride Wednesday, so riders do not have to worry about taking off gloves to pay fares. In response to UW-Madison cancelling classes, Kamp said the route 80 bus around campus would be “scaled back” but still in operation.
Metro Transit will also be providing buses as warming stations at its transfer points. Ride share app Lyft announced they will provide free rides to warming centers with a coupon code.
Though he praised the efforts of the city’s streets division in Monday’s snowstorm, Soglin expressed some worry about the possibility of flooding as weekend temperatures are expected to rise above freezing, potentially melting large quantities of snow. Soglin said the added possibility of rain over the weekend could prove too much to handle for the city’s sewage system and asked residents to make sure the storm drains in their neighborhoods were clear.
