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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.8.21 Newsletter DATE: January 8, 2021 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROPOSED IN OSHKOSH: On average, approximately 350-360 individuals are struggling with homelessness in the Fox Valley area. The “continuum of homelessness” includes the need for resources such as the Day by Day Warming Shelter in Oshkosh, but there are other resources needed to fill voids in this continuum. COTS, Inc. (Community Outreach Temporary Services) is a nonprofit organization helping individuals to move past acute solutions to homelessness by providing transitional shelter to individuals. Transitional housing refers to a supportive – yet temporary – type of accommodation that is meant to bridge the gap from homelessness to permanent housing by offering structure, supervision, support (for addictions and mental health, for instance) and life skills. COTS serves over 60 individuals on a daily basis in the Fox Cities. 88% of program participants have been able to maintain safe, stable independent housing after completing the COTS Aftercare Program. COTS is seeking to serve Oshkosh with a transitional housing facility. As you may be aware, COTS worked with OACF in an effort to purchase a local facility, but that deal fell through. I expect that OACF and COTS will continue to seek a local option. More information will be coming forward as opportunities for this become available. 2. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT CARES FUNDING UPDATE: The City has been allocated $494,757 in Round 1 funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help address community needs due to the COVID pandemic. This allocation is the first of three rounds the City will be allocating. City staff solicited projects and needs from the community and received applications in November, 2020. As with other CDBG program years, representatives from the community, Community Foundation and United Way reviewed the proposals in December and allocated funding from CDBG and other private sources. The CDBG CARES Round 1 funding is largely programmed to prepare, prevent and respond to individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, or to prevent homelessness. Public hearings at the Plan Commission and Redevelopment Authority in January will lead to final action by the City Council at their January 26, 2021 meeting. Staff anticipates reviewing and allocating additional funds in the 1st and 2nd Quarters of 2021 for Round 2 funds from the State and Round 3 funds from HUD. Attached is a summary of the Round 1 distributions. Please contact Community Development Director Allen Davis or Grants Coordinator Darlene Brandt with any questions. 3. STATE OF THE CITY 2021: Save the date for State of the City 2021, Monday, March 22, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this will be a virtual event this year and more details will be forthcoming about the specifics on how to join us. This year we’re showcasing the resiliency of city staff and community members that work to serve our community every day throughout the pandemic and beyond. Even though we won’t be gathered in person, we’re looking forward to an informative and engaging presentation. If you have any questions, contact Communications Coordinator Andy Radig at 236-5269. 4. CONGRATULATIONS TO A NEW ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF: I am happy to announce that on January 5, 2021, the Police and Fire Commission approved the appointment of Brian Bending to the rank of Assistant Chief. Brian will assume the role of the Assistant Chief of Prevention and Preparedness for the Oshkosh Fire Department. This promotion is effective January 17, 2021. Brian will continue in his role of Fire Marshal and will now also oversee the Training Division. Congratulations! 5. OPD RETIREMENTS: On Friday, December 18, 2020, the Oshkosh Police Department celebrated the retirement of Captain Kelly Kent who proudly served the Oshkosh Police Department and the Oshkosh community for more than 30 years, including the last twelve and a half years as a Captain. During his tenure with the Department he served as a Patrol Officer, DARE Instructor, MEG Unit Investigator, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain where he was successively in charge of the Investigative, Patrol, and Administrative Bureaus. He also served as a Crisis Negotiator for ten years and was the team’s leader for the past twelve and a half years. On Friday, January 1, 2021, the Oshkosh Police Department celebrated the retirement of Detective April Hinke. April proudly served the Oshkosh Police Department and the Oshkosh community for nearly 25 years, serving as a Detective for the past 16 years. Detective Hinke performed the duties of Patrol Officer, School Resource Officer and Detective. During her tenure with the department, she served as a member of both the Tactical and Drone Teams. For her performance in the line of duty, April received numerous Supervisor’s Logs, Letters of Commendation, a Noteworthy Performance of Duty in 2018, and was awarded two Departmental Commendation Medals, one in 2007 as well as one for a multi-million dollar fraud investigation that spanned the time frame of 2015-2017. Captain Kent and Detective Hinke will be presented with their retirement shadow boxes during a PFC meeting in the spring of 2021. We sincerely thank Captain Kent and Detective Hinke for their exceptional service and dedication to the Oshkosh Police Department and to the City of Oshkosh. Congratulations on your retirements Kelly and April; we wish you the very best for a happy and healthy retirement! 6. OPD WELCOMES NEW HIRES: On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, during a virtual Police and Fire Commission meeting, the Oshkosh Police Department celebrated the hiring of 5 new Police Officers; Jadon Solis, Alex Canfield, Daniel Pessoa, Austin Magedanz, and Kayla Mesko. Congratulations and Welcome to the OPD Team! Jadon Solis is originally from Amherst, WI. He earned an Associate degree in Criminal Justice in May 2020. On August 10, 2020, he was hired as an Oshkosh Police Department Cadet where he graduated from the Fox Valley Technical College Recruit Academy on December 18, 2020. Prior to becoming a Police Cadet, Jadon was employed at the Oshkosh Police Department as a Community Service Officer since 2018. Alex Canfield is originally from Jackson, WI. While employed as a Machinist, he earned his Associate degree in CNC/Tool and Die Technologies in May 2019 from Moraine Park Technical College. During this time, he also earned his Fire Fighter1/Hazmat Materials Operations Certification through Waukesha County Technical College. On August 10, 2020, he was hired as an Oshkosh Police Department Cadet where he graduated from the Fox Valley Technical College Recruit Academy on December 18, 2020. Prior to becoming a Police Cadet, Alex was previously employed at Signicast as a Machinist and continues to serve as a volunteer fire fighter for the Jackson Fire Department. Daniel Pessoa comes to us from Janesville, WI. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Marquette University. On August 10, 2020, he was hired as an Oshkosh Police Department Cadet where he graduated from the Fox Valley Technical College Recruit Academy on December 18, 2020. Prior to becoming a Police Cadet, Daniel was most recently employed as a Guest Service Attendant at Kwik Trip. Austin Magedanz is originally from Butler County, IA. After relocating to Wisconsin, he earned his Associate degree in Criminal Justice from Fox Valley Technical College in May 2019. He then graduated from the Fox Valley Technical College Recruit Academy on December 18, 2020. Prior to becoming a Police Officer, Austin was previously employed as a Laminator at Custom Fiberglass Molding. Kayla Mesko currently resides in Neenah, WI. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee on August 24, 2019. She then graduated from the Fox Valley Technical College Recruit Academy on December 18, 2020. Prior to becoming a Police Officer, Kayla was employed as a Communications Technician at the Neenah Police Department. On Wednesday, January 6, the Oshkosh Police Department welcomed new Police Officer Cadets Andy Baltadano and Austin Wunnicke. Andy and Austin are attending the 18-week Fox Valley Technical College Police Recruit Academy in preparation for their career in law enforcement. Congratulations and Welcome to the OPD Team! Prior to becoming a Cadet, Andy served with the Oshkosh Police Department for 3 months as a Parking Control Officer before transitioning to a Community Service Officer where he has served for nearly 2 years. Andy graduated in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. Prior to becoming a Cadet, Austin served as a Community Service Officer with the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh Police Department. Austin will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh in May 2021. 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 8. ATTACHED REPORTS & UPDATES: Weekly Museum 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: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of January 11, on Monday at 3:30 PM I will be meeting with Community Development staff to discuss utility service to a potential residential subdivision. At 4:00 PM I will be meeting with Mayor Palmeri to discuss Tuesday’s Council agenda. On Tuesday at 7:30 AM I will be (virtually) attending the Community Sounding Board meeting. At 11:00 AM I will be meeting with Parks Director Ray Maurer to discuss the Lakeshore 4 Seasons project. At 2:00 PM I will be meeting with Molly Butz of Day by Day, to discuss collaboration initiatives with her. On Wednesday at 3:00 PM I will be meeting Community Development staff to discuss potential city developments. At 8:00 AM on Thursday I will be attending the Chamber of Commerce virtual Town Hall meeting with local public officials. At 10:00 AM I will be attending a virtual WCMA regional meeting. At 2:00 PM I have a meeting with staff on preparations for the 2021 State of the City event scheduled for March 22. At 11:00 AM I will be meeting with staff to discuss topics for the upcoming employee virtual meeting. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.