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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.14.20 NewsletterCity 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: August 14, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. PRIVATE-SIDE LEAD WATER SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT LETTERS MAILED: Property owners adjacent to proposed water main replacement projects (including street reconstruction projects) were mailed letters this week regarding their private-side water service lines. The purpose of these letters is to inform the property owners of the City’s ordinance regarding replacement of lead water service lines, and the current reimbursement program available for the replacement of private-side lead water service lines. Property owners were informed they may have the Water Utility perform an inspection to determine the material type of their water service line at the water meter at no charge, or they may hire a plumber of their choosing to perform the inspection. Water Distribution staff will begin contacting property owners on Monday, August 17th. If you have questions regarding the private-side lead water service lateral replacement program, please contact Management Analyst Jessi Balcom, Public Works Utility Operations Manager Steve Brand, or Assistant Director of Public Works / Utilities General Manager Steve Gohde. 2. STORM WATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICE STUDY: The City of Oshkosh has partnered with researchers from Marquette University and staff from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources with funding support from the Fund for Lake Michigan to study the effectiveness of subsurface gravel wetlands in treating storm water runoff. While not new technology, subsurface gravel wetlands are a relatively new, green infrastructure approach to managing storm water runoff generated from development. These practices have been studied from a storm water management perspective along the east coast of the United States, but those results may not translate well to Wisconsin due to differences in climate, soils, and design standards. This research project will focus on the practices installed along the recent extension of North Koeller Street and North Westfield Street. Marquette University researchers will be installing monitoring equipment adjacent to these practices to obtain samples of runoff entering and leaving the facilities. The goal of this study is to determine the effectiveness of this practice at treating storm water runoff, so that developers can have another tool to meet storm water management requirements and municipalities can understand their effectiveness, while planning to meet the requirements of storm water regulations as well as compliance with August 14, 2020 Weekly Newsletter Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements. Please contact Director of Public Works James Rabe with additional questions regarding this project. 3. OFD SET TO RECEIVE GRANT DOLLARS: The Oshkosh Fire Department was notified by FEMA that they will be receiving an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for the 2019- 2020 grant cycle. OFD plans to purchase a new hose for their attack lines. Once FEMA releases the funds, OFD will be ready to place the order. Once received, the old hose will be removed from service making way for the new hose to be ready. Updates will continue as this progresses! 4. SERVICES EXPANDED: Oshkosh Public Library has moved into Phase One of expanded services, available by appointment only. Services include one-hour sessions for in-library computer use; printing, photocopying and device charging; and notary service. A library card is not needed to use these services. Priority will be given to patrons who are working to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19, including such activities as job searches, filing for unemployment or other benefits, and seeking business grants and loans. Materials continue to be available only through curbside pickup. To make an appointment, call 236-5205, Email Reference@oshkoshpubliclibrary.org, text 920- 315-8838 or use our chat service at https://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/. The library is following CDC-recommended guidelines to keep patrons and staff safe. On weekdays, the first two hours of the day are reserved for senior citizens and those who are especially vulnerable to infection. Masks are required. Please share this information with anyone who might be in need of these services! 5. 2020 CENSUS ASSISTANCE: The OPL partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau in July and August to offer in-person assistance with filling out the 2020 Census. Census Bureau staff stationed in the library’s parking lot assisted 112 people. The Census Bureau liaison was extremely pleased with the results and applauded this effort to bring Oshkosh closer to achieving a complete count. 6. 2019 TAX COLLECTION: Tax collections for 2019 real estate taxes are now closed at City Hall. If you need to make payments for real estate taxes please forward them to Winnebago County. The City will continue to collect personal property tax bills. 7. COVID-19 RESOURCE LINKS AND INFORMATION: o Citizen Covid-19 Information Site: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/covid19.aspx o Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/ o Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ o Winnebago County Public Health Department: https://www.co.winnebago.wi.us/health/divisions-program- areas/communicable-disease/covid-19-coronavirus/wchd-covid-19-situation August 14, 2020 Weekly Newsletter 8. ATTACHED REPORTS & UPDATES: Attached is the weekly Museum Board Memo. 9. 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://onboard.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/. 10. UPCOMING MEETINGS: On Monday at 8:30 AM I will be on WOSH radio doing my monthly interview with Bob Burnell. At 11:00 AM on Tuesday I will be meeting with staff in preparation for the Budget Workshop scheduled for Wednesday at 5:00 PM. On Thursday and Friday I will out of the office attending the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Board of Directors business and planning meetings. If you have any questions about my schedule, please contact me.