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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.28.20newsletterCity 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 28, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. FREE FOOD BOX PROGRAM EXTENDED AND RELOCATED: The USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program which has been hosted at the UW-O Kolf Sports Center has been extended into September. However, it needs to be relocated due to the university beginning classes. The Parks Department was contacted to consider hosting the program at Menominee Park on Mondays in September beginning September 14th from 10am until noon. The program ensures that everyone has access to fresh produce, meat and dairy they need during COVID-19. This is a drive through distribution that is offered on a first come, first served basis and there are not any income requirements. With the Oshkosh School District classes resuming the week of August 31st, the parks will see less patrons especially during the early morning timeframe so providing this program at the park is something staff feels can be accomplished. Parks staff has worked with Police staff to map out a route through the park that will accommodate the program with expected minimal disruptions. Citizens will enter the park from Merritt Avenue and follow Siewert Trail to the Miller’s Bay parking lot where they can receive their box of food and simply exit the park onto Hazel Street. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ray Maurer, Parks Director, at 236-5080. 2. WISCONSIN ELECTION COMMISSION VOTER MAILING: On September 1, 2020, the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) will be sending an informational mailing to approximately 2.6 million registered voters in Wisconsin. This mailer will explain the options that are available to voters to cast a ballot for the November election and will include an absentee ballot request form. The mailer encourages voters to use https://myvote.wi.gov/en- us/ or the provided absentee request form. If using the request form, the voter would complete and mail back to WEC in the pre-addressed envelope (no postage required by voter). If voters have questions about the mailing in general, they can contact the WEC help Desk at https://elections.wi.gov/ or 608 261-2028. Weekly Newsletter 3. OSHKOSH MEDIA COVERS HISTORIC EVENT: The League of Women Voters of Winnebago County organized an event to celebrate Women’s Equality Day on Wednesday, August 26 on the front steps of the Oshkosh Public Library. Oshkosh Media was there to capture the moments. Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri read a proclamation and LWV of Winnebago County President Margy Davey delivered remarks that recognized the importance of suffragists’ fight for equality at the ballot box that culminated in the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920. Coverage of the ceremony is airing now on Gov TV and can be found on the Oshkosh Media YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/hAQNqOEjEHY. 4. A SEASON OF PARKS IMPROVEMENTS: As August continues to sneak past us, we have been fortunate to continue progress with many items in Oshkosh parks. If you haven’t had a chance to view the new electronic pay stations at 24th, Fugleberg and Rainbow Boat Launches, be sure to do so! These units allow for cash and debit/credit card payments and were installed on July 23rd. In their first month online, over 1,300 transactions were processed. These units will provide efficiency and safer handling of funds for the Parks and Finance Departments. We are planning to complete further pay station purchases and installations at Menominee Park, Mill Street, and Steiger Park launches later this fall. Menominee Park has had more improvements over the past few weeks with outdoor equipment being installed along the Hazel Street trail and near the Oshkosh Community Playground. Streets Division staff completed storm sewer and asphalt repairs around the Pratt Trail loop adjacent to the Oshkosh Community Playground and Children’s Amusement Center. The Eagle Exhibit construction and restoration is complete! Staff has been working with various rehabilitation centers to locate birds that can no longer be released into the wild to call the new exhibit home. That process continues and we hope to have our new feathered friends later this year yet. Menominee, Rusch, and South Parks were recipients of new memorial benches along the paths and vistas each park has to offer! These benches add convenience for park patrons utilizing the trails and pay tribute to loved ones that have enjoyed recreating within our parks. Spanbauer Athletic Field restroom renovation project is currently in progress. The improvement will provide ADA access for restroom facilities and enhance aesthetics and efficiency to our operations. We continue to look forward to the coming months and improving our parks and services for all to enjoy! If you have any questions regarding these or any other park projects, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 5. ALL ABOARD AT MENOMINEE PARK: Come on down to the Menominee Park Children’s Amusement Center for one last train ride before we close for the season. The Children’s Amusement Center is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and our last day of the 2020 season will be Monday, August 31st. We look forward to seeing you. Weekly Newsletter The Menominee Park Zoo will remain open daily until September, 27, 2020. The zoo is open from 9am-7pm daily. Enjoy a beautiful fall day at the Menominee Park Zoo and check out all the animals! If you have any questions about visiting Menominee Park, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 6. THANKS FOR NOTICING: The City of Oshkosh Parks Department has been recognized recently with a “Community Beautification Award” by the Rotary Club of Oshkosh Southwest for “Outstanding Curb Appeal” in the creation of floral beds at the Menominee Park Zoo. Each year the Community Beautification Committee seeks to recognize private homes and businesses that have developed aesthetically pleasing landscapes throughout our community. Congratulations to all of the winners and thanks for recognizing all of the hard work that goes into making Oshkosh more beautiful. If you have any questions regarding our plantings, please contact Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 7. OPEN FOR BUSINESS – WITH A TWIST: It’s been sunflowers and smiles as the Oshkosh Seniors Center started their phased reopening in August. There have been 650 visits from community seniors participating in programs being offered at the Center and virtually. Painting sunflowers on the patio next to the Fox River was a definite highlight. The outdoor program let people safely socially distance as they painted amazing sunflowers. The morning exercise classes were elated to get back to working out. Groups of 10 or less exercised on the patio. The biggest thrill was being able to chat with their friends they had not seen in months. Per a participant request, we spread out the Fox Fitness equipment far and wide so people could use any piece of equipment they wanted to at safe distance from others. Connecting through Tech has helped quite a few people work through their issues with technology. We’ve helped people learn to video chat so they can stay in touch with friends and family! We are looking forward to progressing to the next phases of reopening the Center. One thing is for certain many of our participants were truly isolated during the pandemic and the Center offers a safe environment for them to stay active, stay social, and stay informed. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager at (920) 232-5300. The monthly newsletter is packed with information, highlights, current activities and offerings! Follow the link below to see what’s happening: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices/Newsletters/September2020.pdf 8. ONLINE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING NOW AVAILABLE AT PUBLIC LIBRARY: Patrons now have another convenient option to schedule appointments for curbside pickup and computer use at the Oshkosh Public Library. Using the scheduling tool, https://calendly.com/oshkoshpubliclibrary, library users can reserve a time slot that is convenient for their schedules. The process is easy: 1. From a computer, tablet or phone go to https://calendly.com/oshkoshpubliclibrary 2. Click on the menu item or items to reserve a time. 3. Follow the prompts to complete the process. Weekly Newsletter If you have questions, please call 236-5205, text 920-315-8838 or use the chat service at https://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/. For complete details on the expanded services currently offered at the library, visit https://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/. 9. FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO BROWSE: We salute you! The OPL understands that for those who like to browse the shelves and displays at the library to find that next great read, these are tough times! Never fear – your friendly neighborhood librarian is here! Shelf Selected is a new Facebook Live feature where Librarian Maggie Mueller showcases new books, DVDs and other materials that are on the shelves at the Oshkosh Public Library, ready to check out. Viewers can ask questions in real time about featured materials or any items that interest them. Join Maggie live every Wednesday or catch the archived videos at https://www.facebook.com/Oshkosh-Public-Library-182870055081288. 10. CITY WELLNESS COMMITTEE PROMOTES KINDNESS: September is time to shine and be kind. During the month of September the City Wellness Committee is challenging you to complete at least three random acts of kindness a week. It doesn’t need to be anything over the top, time intensive or expensive but something that really helps or impacts another person. Research shows that happy people are motivated to do kind things for others. Give it a try for the month and then take some time to reflect on September 30 to see if you feel any lighter and happier, and remember, spread kindness, not germs, wash your hands and choose happy! 11. FREE BIKE REGISTRATION: A team of city staff, led by Officer Tom Kopczyk, evaluated the current bicycle registration and brought forth an ordinance modification to remove the fees associated with registration. This ordinance change was brought to the Oshkosh Common Council on June 23, 2020 and approved on July 14, 2020. As a result, the city of Oshkosh has launched a new FREE service to register your bicycle if you live within the city of Oshkosh. Registration provides for bicycle identification, theft deterrence, identification of riders, and ability to return recovered stolen bikes to the registered owners. It is also required by municipal code section 27-64 and the city has made this registration easier to accomplish through the internet. The new bicycle registration has been added to the city of Oshkosh web site under Online Services & the “How do I?” menu. It also appears on the Oshkosh Police Department home page, as well as under the “I Want To…” menu option. 12. 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 Weekly Newsletter 13. ATTACHED REPORTS & UPDATES: Attached is the weekly Museum Board Memo. 14. 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/. 15. UPCOMING MEETINGS: At 8:30 AM on Monday I will be meeting with Chief Stanley to discuss various Fire Departments issues, including community risk reduction. At 9:30 AM I will be meeting with staff to discuss the city’s Citizen Survey for 2021. At 3:00 PM I will be meeting with Parks Director Maurer to discuss Seniors Center programming for October. On Wednesday at 12:00 PM I will be attending the Leadership Oshkosh Graduation at the Oshkosh Corporation Global Headquarters. At 7:30 AM on Thursday I will be attending the virtual United Way Leadership Council meeting. I will be on vacation Friday, September 4. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.