Committee approves driveway use at Cherokee Marsh for AmFam Championship; neighbors, conservationists raise access and ecological concerns

The Madison Finance Committee voted unanimously April 28 to approve a driveway-use agreement allowing the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation to use parking lots in Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park North Unit during the American Family Insurance Championship.

Why it matters: Neighbors and conservation advocates warned that limiting vehicle access to a park with little transit service would create barriers for many visitors, risk ecological disturbance and set a precedent for commercial use of protected conservation land.

Public concerns and testimony Nicholas Davies, a registrant, said Cherokee Marsh North has virtually no transit service and that “walk in and bike in access will be maintained and that’s going to work fine for some visitors but not others.” He urged keeping a limited portion of parking lots available for park visitors and limiting the weeklong closure to reduce habitat disturbance.

Marcia Cannon, speaking as a conservation advocate, said the city’s conservation parks — established in 1961 — are intended to safeguard natural systems and that approving commercial use for a week for a $1,400 payment was inappropriate. She urged the committee to reject the agreement.

Event organizer and foundation response Katie Johnson, representing the tournament, described outreach to roughly 20 neighborhood groups by email, meetings with neighborhood leaders, and planned additional North Side meetings with alder offices. She said the tournament has raised nearly $20 million for local nonprofits over multiple years and that proceeds support organizations including Verona Area Neighborhood Center, River Food Pantry, East Madison Community Center, Madison Parks Foundation and Madison Public Schools Foundation.

Nate Pokress, executive director of the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation and tournament director, said organizers will restrict vehicle access to the gravel areas only, post signage, use barriers, and monitor compliance. He said generators will be solar/battery powered and that the tournament does not host fireworks or concerts; tournament hours are daytime, generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

City staff and process notes Parks staff said they consulted Friends of Cherokee Marsh, who were unhappy but understood the operational constraints caused by the planned Sherman Avenue closure. Staff said the road closure is part of the street-use permit process; pedestrians and bicyclists will still be allowed access. Parks staff and council offices said a community meeting on the North Side was being scheduled in May.

Concerns left on the record Speakers and committee members highlighted several open issues: the weeklong length of full closure for an event whose public days are a weekend; lack of explicit limits on intensity of use and subcontractor enforcement; the agreement’s payment date of May 2 (which could be passed by the time the Common Council acts); and potential ecological impacts from vehicle traffic, staging and vendor activity.

Committee action The committee moved, seconded and recorded a unanimous vote in favor of adopting the driveway-use agreement; the motion authorized staff to execute the agreement under the described terms.

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