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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.25.20 newsletterCity Manager • Mark A. Rohloff City Hall, 215 Church Avenue P.O. Box 1130 Oshkosh, WI 54903-1130 920.236.5002 DATE: September 25, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT OFFICE MOVING: On September 24th, The Downtown Oshkosh Business Improvement District (BID) announced that the BID Manager’s Office will relocate to the Oshkosh Visitors & Convention Bureau (CVB), 100 N. Main Street from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 120 Jackson Street. The Chamber assisted in the formation of the BID and for over 30 years provided office space and support to the BID Manager. Over the years the Chamber offered valuable guidance to the BID Manager in area of economic development for the downtown. The BID and Chamber have a strong relationship and their partnership will continue for years to come. The office move to the CVB gives the BID Manager a physical presence in the downtown which is an objective identified in their recently adopted BID 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. The move will provide BID members easier access to the BID Manager and allow the BID Manager to increase engagement with downtown business owners. The BID’s move is advantageous as it will allow increased collaboration with the CVB. Over the past decade the BID has dedicated more of its efforts towards marketing the downtown and promoting events making this move appealing. The chance for the BID to increase cooperation with the CVB and its established partnership with the Chamber will ensure Downtown Oshkosh will continue to be a regional destination for visitors. The BID Board approved the office move at its August 18, 2020 meeting. The BID Manager’s office at the CVB officially opens October 1, 2020. If you have any questions please contact Associate Planner Jeffrey Nau. 2. FREE FARE DAY: Each year, GO Transit declares one day a “free fare day” or a “try transit” day. Historically, this day is the Friday before school starts. It allows students and parents to ride for free to get familiar with GO Transit. We also use this as an opportunity to thank our current riders and encourage the public to discover how safe and convenient riding public transit is. This year due to COVID19 limitations and the implementation of the “free” student fare program, we did not have that day. Therefore, this year the Transit Advisory Board with the support of staff recommended that Election Day Nov. 3rd be our “free fare day”. All riders will be able to ride GO Transit’s fixed route service for free on Tuesday Nov. 3rd. We hope that citizens will take advantage of this day to not only get to the polls but also to experience the safety, security and convenience of public transit. If you have any questions about this, please contact Transportation Director, Jim Collins 3. JACKSON STREET CORRIDOR AND SAFETY STUDY UPDATE: The Planning Services Division is currently in the process of developing a Multimodal Traffic Safety and Quality of Life Study from Church Avenue to Murdock Avenue (Area 1) and a corridor plan to guide lane use and mobility development from Murdock Avenue to Interstate 41 (Area 2). Ayres Associates and RDG Planning & Design are facilitating the planning process in collaboration with the City of Oshkosh. The plan process kicked off in late 2019 and is planned to be finished in fall 2020. On September 21st 2020, the consultants presented their final recommendations to the public. Three different street alternatives were reviewed, one was minimal change keeping the roadway the same, the other two included variations of a roadway reconfiguration incorporating two drive lanes and one center turn lane. There were approximately 20 residents in attendance plus staff and consultants. Residents offered comments and opinions to the consultants. On October 13, 2020, the consultant will be presenting the project to the Traffic and Parking Advisory Committee. The full adoption schedule will be posted on the project website. This project consists of two areas:  Area 1, from Church Avenue to Murdock Avenue, serves an urbanized, residential area featuring older historic homes located near several community parks and schools.  Area 2, from Murdock Avenue to the Interstate 41 interchange, provides access to a wide range of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. For questions about the planning process contact Alexa Naudziunas Associate Planner anaudziunas@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. Below is the link to view the plan webpage: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/PlanningServices/JacksonStreetCorridorPlan/Default.aspx 4. “FALL” INTO A PARK NEAR YOU: The temperatures are changing and so are the leaves! What a better time to get out in the parks and trails and take in the beauty that fall has to offer. We encourage you to take advantage of the beautiful parks, and while on your walk, be sure to take a break near one of the many memorial benches that have been installed as part of the Parks Department’s Memorial Bench Program. For further information about the bench program, contact Stacy James, Administrative Assistant, at (920)236-5080. 5. GOING ELECTRONIC: With the success of the electronic pay stations that were installed at Rainbow Memorial Park, Fugleberg Boat Launch and 24th Avenue Boat Launch in July, the Parks Department has made the purchase of four more pay stations so all of our launches have debit/credit card capabilities. The final pay stations were installed at William Steiger Boat Launch, Mill Street Boat Launch and Menominee Park Miller’s Bay Boat Launch. The electronic pay stations are solar powered and allow patrons to use either cash or card to purchase either the daily, annual or multi-year permits. If you have any questions regarding the electronic pay stations or our boat launches, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 6. THREE KID FRIENDLY EVENTS ROLLED INTO ONE: Truck or Treat! Zooloween Boo and Touch a Truck have been combined for one exciting, family-friendly Fall event! Join us for a drive through safe trick-or-treating event in Menominee Park on October 17. Vehicles will enter across from Webster Stanley Middle School. Our familiar faces from our usual Fall events will join forces and be placed throughout the park for you to see and enjoy. Your family just stays in the vehicle and we bring the fun to you. Family tickets are $10.00 (per family/car load). There are two start times to choose from. Tickets are limited to the first 250 vehicles for each time slot so be sure to buy yours today! Tickets must be purchased online at the City of Oshkosh Parks Department webpage at: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/.../webtrac.../wbsearch.html. See the attached flyer for more information, and if you have any questions about this fun event or are interested in hosting a booth, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 236-5319. 7. POPULAR CONTESTS AT ZOOLOWEEN BOO GOING VIRTUAL: So families can still be part of the fun, Zooloween Boo will be hosting a virtual Costume Contest and virtual Pumpkin Carving Contest! See the attached flyer for information about the costume contest and keep an eye on our Facebook page where all the fun will be taking place: https://www.facebook.com/MenomineePark. If you have any questions regarding the virtual contests, please feel free to contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 236-5319. 8. STAYING CONNECTED: The Oshkosh Seniors Center is bringing connections to older adults in our community! The Connect through Tech program is up and running. Our goal is to help people use technology to connect with friends, family, and experiences. A six week editorial series has started to run in the Oshkosh Herald and it is about creating awareness of the effects of isolation and sharing community resources that can help older adults combat isolation and loneliness. The Oshkosh Seniors Center has started to offer Connect through Tech classes via appointments. The Center has taken many precautions to keep seniors safe when we meet to address their technology challenges. The successes have been transformational for some of the individuals taking advantage of the one-on-one technology sessions. We’ve met with people that have been homebound since April with no internet connection and only antenna TV. The program helped them through the daunting purchasing process to buy an iPhone and iPad with data plans. Now they are hooked up with internet access in their homes. They’ve started to video chat with friends, family, and participate in virtual programs at the Center. The next goal is to get comfortable ordering groceries to be delivered to avoid public places during COVID-19. You can’t imagine the joy people are experiencing when we show them how to stream the Packers game and access the Oshkosh Public Library’s digital platform! If you are 50 years or older and need help with technology or if you know a friend that would benefit from Connect through Tech have them contact the Oshkosh Seniors Center for an appointment at (920) 232- 5300. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at (920) 232-5300. 9. 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 10. ATTACHED REPORTS & UPDATES: Attached please find the weekly Museum Board Memo and the OPL September highlights. 11. 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/. 12. UPCOMING MEETINGS: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of September 28 include the following: At 5:00 PM on Monday I will be virtually attending the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee meeting. On Tuesday at 3:30 PM I will be meeting with staff to follow up and discuss a project we recently toured with the Morgan Partners. On Thursday, October 1, I will be presenting at a Chamber of Commerce virtual town hall meeting. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.