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HomeMy WebLinkAboutnewsletter DATE: December 18, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. VACANT BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT: Currently there are several hundred vacant buildings in Oshkosh and many more may become vacant in the next year. Media Services and City Inspections Services will be communicating with the public and the owners of the vacant buildings to remind them they need to register their vacant building at no cost, and existing property maintenance regulations are in place to manage these properties. Inspections Services will be pro-actively enforcing this requirement and vacant building property maintenance beginning in 2021 to ensure owners maintain the vacant buildings as code requires. With the exception of historic buildings and landmarks, any building that is completely vacant is subject to vacant property maintenance code. The vacant building owner must register the property and file with the city of Oshkosh a written statement with the names, phone numbers, and addresses for all persons who are in control of the property and building. There are no fees collected for this program. The building owner can provide all this information on-line through the City’s website beginning in January. There are also requirements for owners based on the amount of time the building remains vacant, including signage removal, maintenance reviews that may require the owner to meet property maintenance standards, and ultimately, unmaintained properties may be required to be razed. For more information about vacant building code enforcement, please contact John Zarate, Chief Building Official. 2. ROUTES TO RECOVERY DOLLARS: The City of Oshkosh received notification from the Department of Administration (DOA) that unused Routes to Recovery dollars, roughly $12.3 million not spent by other communities, would to be reallocated to municipalities that submitted expenses over the allocated amounts. The Finance Department submitted about $500,000 over our initial award. On December 17th we received an additional $115,951.76 in a supplemental Routes to Recovery Payment. I appreciate the cooperative work of Finance and other city departments who provided all the information necessary that resulted in this supplemental recovery payment. 3. GARBAGE AND RECYCLING POLICY CHANGES FOR 2020: The following changes were made in 2020 to the garbage and recycling policies of Winnebago County Solid Waste and Recycling, which is where everything from our recycling bins goes (see attached brochure from Winnebago County): Takeout pizza boxes can now be recycled. New data shows that minimal grease and small amounts of cheese in pizza boxes has no effect on the recyclability of the boxes. So, please put your relatively-clean pizza boxes in your recycling bins, not the garbage. Shredded paper is now considered garbage. It should no longer be put in your recycling bins. Through trial and error, the Municipal recycling facility, along with many other recycling facilities throughout the nation, has learned that bags of shredded paper have a tendency to break open while being loaded in the recycling collection trucks or during the sorting process. The shredded paper then sticks to other recyclables and sorting equipment and cannot be effectively baled with recycled paper. The most recent guidelines recommend taking confidential papers to a shredding event for shredding and recycling. Some office supply stores, shipping stores, and financial institutions also offer shredding services. If you have any questions, please contact Public Works Sanitation Division Manager, Robert Salm. 4. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT TOP 10 OF 2020: The annual City Manager’s Report Top 10 countdown show with highlights from 2020 is airing now on GovTV. The show is also available on-demand on OshkoshMedia.org and the Oshkosh Media YouTube channel. You’ll have to check out the episode to see which big topics landed where, but the show is full of great events, developments and additions to the community from the past year. You can find the GovTV schedule on OshkoshMedia.org, and you can see CMR Top 10 at this link: https://youtu.be/OYmwaLHB950. 5. 2021 POLAR PLUNGE TURNS OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: The Special Olympics Polar Plunge committee members have been contemplating what their event would like in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One particular logistic that would pose additional oversight during the pandemic was the constant need for individuals participating to utilize tents as changing stations. We were recently notified that they have decided to host “outdoor adventures” in place of “plunges”. Instead of a Polar Plunge, participants who choose to attend in person will be able to select various activities in a number of locations. As there is not a locally owned skiing/tubing business in Oshkosh, they decided to partner with Nordic Mountain in Wild Rose. Activities throughout Wisconsin will range from snowshoe racing to sledding and tubing events. Individuals may also choose to participate virtually as well should they choose. Ms. Sarah Graper, Special Olympics Director of Development for Special Events, shared that they hope to be able to bring the Polar Plunge back to Oshkosh in 2022! 6. PRUNING RIGHT ALONG: The Landscape Operations Division has now started the 2021 tree pruning cycle which will cover the entire area west of I-41 and includes over 1,900 terrace trees. During the cycle, we will also be performing tree removals in the area to include any Emerald Ash Borer mortality that is identified. If you have any questions regarding the annual pruning cycle or Emerald Ash Borer mitigation please contact Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 7. THE HUNT CONTINUES! Ernie the Elf will be going back to the North Pole at the end of December, but keep your eyes open for Flaky Francine as she plays hide and seek with the residents of Oshkosh at various parks around town! Clues will continue to be posted on Tuesdays and Fridays on the Oshkosh Parks Department Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OshkoshParks/. Park patrons have been having fun tagging #FindErnietheElf and we hope they will continue along on the fun as we #FindFlakyFrancine. Special thanks goes out to Oshkosh Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for chipping in for prizes and helping to promote this program. If you have any questions regarding this family friendly winter time fun please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 8. PUZZLED? DON’T BE: Instead, come and pick up a puzzle from the Oshkosh Seniors Center on Thursdays from 10 am to Noon in the South building. Puzzles help improve memory, concentration, problem-solving skills, processing speed, creativity, and reasoning. While you pick out a puzzle feel free to check out a book from our library, we even have some DVDs available for you to take home. We ask that you return materials so we can share the puzzles, books, and DVDs with other participants. All returned materials should be left in the bin at the West entrance of the South building. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager at (920) 232-5300. 9. CONNECTIONS COMPLIMENTS OF OSC: Connect at the Oshkosh Seniors Center with our WiFi! On Thursdays you can make an appointment to come to the Center to use our WiFi. Call 232-5310 to register for an appointment time. Bring your device and find a cozy spot in the great room to explore the internet, listen to music, or catch up on emails. You can also find the latest programs and newsletter on our website at https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices/ . If you have any questions, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at (920) 232-5300. 10. WHAT’S ALL THE HOOPLA: Did you know that you have an amazing resource available to you for FREE just by having an Oshkosh Public Library, library card? Could you use a little guidance to help quiet your mind? Are you looking for another workout video option? The library’s Hoopla app can help! Streaming content is as easy as 1, 2, and 3! 1. Download the app from your device store or visit the library website: https://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/downloads 2. Type in your search words (mindfulness, yoga, meditation, fitness or whatever meets your needs) 3. Tap the title to borrow Borrow up to ten titles a month with your library card, and the best news is that it is completely FREE! 11. ‘TIS THE SEASON TO STAY SAFE: The holidays are a very busy time for Fire Departments here in Oshkosh and nationwide. Please take some time during your decorating and celebrating to keep safety in mind. There is never a good time for a fire, but the holidays are, obviously, the worst time. Follow the link below for more information and check out OFD’s Novembers issue of hot topics: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/fire/Resources/HotTopics/Hot_Topics_November_2020.pdf 12. COVID-19 RESOURCE LINKS AND INFORMATION: 1. Citizen Covid-19 Information Site:  https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/covid19.aspx 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  https://www.cdc.gov/ 3. Wisconsin Department of Health Services:  https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ 4. Winnebago County Public Health Department:  https://www.co.winnebago.wi.us/health/divisions-program- areas/communicable-disease/covid-19-coronavirus/wchd-covid-19-situation 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://onboard.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/. 14. UPCOMING MEETINGS: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of December 21 include the following: At 10:00 AM on Monday, I will be meeting with GOEDC and Economic Development staff regarding 2021 opportunities. At 8:30 AM on Wednesday I will be on WOSH radio doing my monthly interview with Bob Burnell. Immediately following the interview, I will be out of the office on vacation through the holidays, returning on Monday, January 4. I will be in town and can be reached at any time if needed. Please note this is the last newsletter of 2020. If staff has any materials that need to get to you, my office will send electronic or paper packets if applicable. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.