What Are We Building? Sun Prairie

On a new episode of "What Are We Building?" Andy had the great pleasure of speaking with Wes Sparkman, currently theDirector 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!

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'sefforts to be moresustainable, and the decision to replace the St Mary's ER with a new surgery center.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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...

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! 

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.