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Home My WebLink About03.27.20 Newsletter City Manager • Mark A. Rohloff City Hall, 215 Church Avenue P.O. Box 1130 Oshkosh, WI 54903-1130 920.236.5002 http://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us DATE: March 27, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. TITANIC SECURES SPONSOR: Thanks to a generous donation, Bemis (Amcor) will be the lead sponsor for the Public Museum’s Titanic exhibition. They have awarded the Museum $25,000 in support of the exhibition. 2. COMMUNITY CARES: The United Way along with the OFD and OPD, held “The Community Cares Drive” this week at the Convention Center. They collected personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to assist in replenishing the resources for local healthcare workers and first responders. The drive was a success and we collected a pickup truck full of hand sanitizer, wipes, and bleach. Thanks to all of those who donated. 3. BOAT LAUNCH USAGE: City of Oshkosh boat launches will remain open and available for use at this time. Daily permits can be purchased at the individual boat launches for $5 per day. Annul and Multi-Year Boat Launch permits may be purchased through our online services: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Parks/WebTrac/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/wbsplash.html Patrons should print off their receipt at the time of purchase and place it on their vehicles driver’s side dash until the permit sticker is received in the mail from the Parks Department. Patrons can also contact the Parks Department and purchase a permit over the phone by calling (920) 236-5080. All permits will be mailed to patrons. At this time, boat launch permits can still be purchased from Hergert Sport Center, 1232 N Sawyer Street, Oshkosh and Fox River Bait and Tackle, 1415 Rainbow Drive, Oshkosh. It is recommended that you call them before going to confirm that they are still open to the public and able to provide you with this service. Hergert Sport Center: (920) 231-8520. Fox River Bait and Tackle: (920) 233-7409. 3/27/2020 Weekly Newsletter 2 4. PARK SHELTER RESERVATIONS: The Parks Department has made the decision to tentatively plan for park shelters to be available for public use beginning May 15, 2020. This date may change depending on the COVID-19 situation. Park shelter reservations are currently being accepted and can be made through our online service at: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Parks/WebTrac/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/wbsplash.html, or by calling Oshkosh Parks Department at (920) 236-5080. 5. POLLOCK COMMUNITY WATER PARK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATIONS: Due to the current COVID-19 situation and the Parks Department offices being closed, the deadline for submitting water park financial assistance applications has been extended to May 8, 2020. Applications to be considered for the Pollock Community Water Park Financial Assistance program sponsored by Oshkosh Area Community Foundation can be found online: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Parks/PollockCommunityWaterPark/SeasonPasses.aspx Once the Governor’s Safer at Home order has expired and the Parks Department office is re- opened, you can submit the completed application along with supporting documentation to the Parks Department Administrative Office located at 805 Witzel Avenue. You can also scan the application and necessary supporting documents and email these to sjames@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. 6. PARKS OPEN FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT: Outdoor spaces are critical to the mental and physical health of community members especially at times like these. For this reason, the City’s parks and trails are still open for your enjoyment. Please see our attached flyer regarding the public spaces still open to the public. Please practice social distancing and avoid close contact with others. The CDC recommends a minimum of 6 feet distance to help reduce the risk of spread between individuals. We also ask that you do not congregate in groups of 10 people or more per Governor Evers’ order. Pursuant to Governor Evers’ “Safer at Home” order, park playgrounds, the skate park, and sport courts are closed to the public at this time. These activities make it difficult to follow the current social distancing protocol of keeping 6 feet of space between you and those around you. Additionally, COVID-19 germs can remain on surfaces for days, including the equipment used for various sports. A copy of the sign that has been posted is attached. The department has also placed caution tape around the playgrounds. While we have received 3/27/2020 Weekly Newsletter 3 some complaints about these closures, please understand that this is done with the public’s health and safety in mind. 7. PARK RESTROOMS: Please note that at this time due to the COVID-19 outbreak, park restrooms will tentatively be opened on Friday, May 1, 2020. This is subject to change depending on the COVID-19 situation at that time. 8. STAY ACTIVE AND STAY HEALTHY: In cooperation with Oshkosh Media, the Oshkosh Seniors Center is encouraging people to stay active with the help of Alec Jensen, Fitness and Wellness Coordinator, and Jane Wells, Program Supervisor. The team just recorded new exercise content that can be done at home. The workouts will be available on Oshkosh Seniors Center Facebook page, Oshkosh Community Media Life TV on channel 2, and on the Oshkosh Media YouTube page. The workouts will air 5 days/week. The first episode will air on Life TV on Thursday, March 26 at 8 am, which is the typical time the class would start at the Senior Center. Each segment is 30 minutes, but was recorded in a way that would allow for intervals of 10 minutes. The workouts do not require any special equipment. The classes can be modified for all levels of ability. The segments include aerobic classes, upper and lower body workouts, and core work. The team will continue to record new content and make it available to the public. Stay active and healthy! 9. EVENT CITY ADJUSTING DURING COVID-19: In light of our current situation, all Common Council approved Special Events scheduled through the month of April have been cancelled. Many other event organizers have already begun cancelling events scheduled in May. We have requested that organizers notify us whether they are planning to cancel or postpone their event. If they have not already done so, we did request they start planning for a cancellation or postponement should Governor Evers’ order change or be extended. Once the threat of COVID-19 has resolved we will work with event organizers to reschedule any postponed events. For more information on these and other local events, check out the Visit Oshkosh website: https://visitoshkosh.com/ or contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304 or by e-mail at ksnell@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. 3/27/2020 Weekly Newsletter 4 10. ASSESSOR’S OFFICE – ACTIVITY DETAIL FOR JANUARY & FEBRUARY COMBINED:  352 Real Estate Transfers Processed  8 Parcel Combinations  8 Parcel Splits  1 Annexation  19 Classification Shifts  208 Permit Reviews  121 Sale Reviews  1 Neighborhood  757 Permits Coded  41 Mobile Home Changes  140 Personal Property Accounts Entered  187 Mailing Address Changes The City of Oshkosh Assessor’s office continually strives to provide fair and equitable real estate assessed values. Please contact our office with any questions at 920-236-5070 or lalger@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. 11. CENTRALIZED COVID-19 INFORMATION SITE: Staff has set up a web link for the public to get centralized information regarding city issues related to helping other agencies prevent spread of the Covid-19 virus, as well as how we are also responding in terms of our continuity of services: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/covid19.aspx. 12. CITY MANAGER’S TOP WEEKLY READS: Please find below links to news articles that may be relevant to us.  Milwaukee crafting methods to prevent disruption of construction projects 13. MEETING MINUTES FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: All meeting minutes are uploaded to the website upon approval. Please follow the link below for the most updated information & meeting minutes: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/BoardsAndCommissions 14. UPCOMING MEETINGS: I will be available on a limited basis throughout the week, splitting my time between City Hall and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). If you have any questions, please contact me.