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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.12.21 Newsletter DATE: March 12, 2021 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. OSHKOSH’S METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA (MSA) DESIGNATION IN JEOPARDY: The Federal government recently announced a proposed rule change regarding the definition of a Metropolitan Statistical Area. Oshkosh is currently designated an MSA because the population exceeds 50,000. The proposed definition would raise that population threshold to 100,000. Staff has been investigating the impact of the proposed rule could have on funding, regulations, and data collection. There do not appear to be any advantages to this proposed rule for the Oshkosh. There appear to be a range of disadvantages for Oshkosh including possible loss of federal and state funding based on MSA calculations, negative economic development and marketing impacts since many businesses use MSA data for their site analysis, and a loss in labor market statistics, since labor market information is reported at the MSA level. The Chamber of Commerce is also concerned about removing Oshkosh as an MSA, as it will have a negative impact on our marketing efforts. The Chamber has joined us in opposition to the rule change. I am preparing a letter of opposition for our Federal representatives. Staff has been working with like-minded organizations and municipalities to express our opposition to this rule change. Here is the link to the proposed rule: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OMB-2021-0001/document, and the link to the entire news article can be found in the “City Manager’s Top Weekly Reads” below. Please contact Community Development Director Allen Davis with any questions. 2. OSHKOSH MEDIA INFORMING THE ELECTORATE: This week Oshkosh Media added three more candidate forums to its Gov TV lineup. Teaming with the League of Women Voters of Winnebago County, Oshkosh Media co-hosted forums for Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education and Winnebago County Executive. Staff also worked with the Wisconsin Public Education Network and the statewide branch of the League of Women Voters to carry a live forum featuring the candidates for State Superintendent, with two candidates vying for the job to oversee Wisconsin’s public schools. If you missed any of these forums, they will air several times on Gov TV before the election on April 6. The forums for OASD Board of Education and Winnebago County Executive can be found on www.OshkoshMedia.org and the Oshkosh Media YouTube channel. You can also find Gov TV weekly schedules on the Oshkosh Media website. For more information, contact Jake Timm in Media Services at 236-5261. 3. TIS THE SEASON: The City of Oshkosh would like to notify residents that 2021 street construction projects will begin soon:  West 9th Avenue: The general contractor for the West 9th Avenue Reconstruction Project is Dorner, Inc. Dorner plans to begin construction the week of March 15th. Advanced warning signs were placed on Monday, March 8, 2021, seven (7) days prior to the closure. The work under this project is to reconstruct West 9th Avenue from Oakwood Road to Linden Oaks Drive and improve the storm sewer on West 9th Avenue from Oakwood Road to Sawyer Creek. Sanitary sewer and laterals, water main and laterals, and storm sewer and laterals will be installed, replaced, or repaired, as needed, prior to placing new concrete pavement. New sidewalk will be installed within the Project limits, and new concrete driveway aprons will be constructed. Additionally, a developer recently approached the City regarding a new residential development near the intersection of Clairville Road and West 9th Avenue. With this development, it has been determined the sanitary sewer and water main could be most effectively installed by Dorner while performing the West 9th Avenue reconstruction work. Work is anticipated to begin Monday, March 15th, for this phase of the Project. If you wish to sign up for e-mailed construction updates for Contract 21-04, please send a blank e-mail to contract2104-subscribe@lists.ci.oshkosh.wi.us. You will receive an e- mail stating your subscription request has been received with further instructions.  Oregon Street and Fond du Lac Road Sanitary Interceptor Sewer: The City of Oshkosh would like to notify residents that construction of a sanitary interceptor sewer construction project is beginning. The general contractor for the Oregon Street and Fond du Lac Road Sanitary Interceptor Sewer Construction Project is Advance Construction, Inc. (Advance). Advance anticipates closing Fond du Lac Road and beginning construction the week of March 22nd. Advanced warning signs will be placed seven (7) days prior to the closure. The purpose of this project is to construct a sanitary interceptor sewer on Oregon Street, from West 28th Avenue to West Waukau Avenue, and to relay a sanitary interceptor sewer on Fond du Lac Road, from the West 28th Avenue Pump Station to the Waukau Avenue Pump Station. This will eliminate the Waukau Avenue Pump Station. Sanitary sewer and laterals, water main and laterals, and storm sewer and laterals will be installed, replaced, or repaired, as necessary, prior to placing the concrete pavement patch. New sidewalk will be installed on Oregon Street (west side) from West 29th Avenue to West Waukau Avenue, and on West Waukau Avenue (south side) from Oregon Street to the Gallups/Merritts Creek Bridge. Additionally, this Project will construct a new Oregon Street Gallups/Merritts Creek crossing (culvert construction). Based upon subsurface exploration, limestone bedrock was encountered throughout the Project. Specialized excavation techniques and blasting will be required on the entire Project. SX Blasting has been hired by Advance to conduct an inventory of the condition of nearby properties to establish a baseline condition of the properties for which the Contractor will be held responsible. Technicians from SX Blasting will notify residents and visually inspect and document the exterior and interior of their property (including any underground areas). SX Blasting will work with the residents to schedule an inspection time that is convenient for the residents. Residents may accompany the inspector during the tour. This Project is expected to last through November 2021. If you wish to sign up for e-mailed construction updates for Contract 21-03, please send a blank e-mail to contract21-03-subscribe@lists.ci.oshkosh.wi.us. You will receive an e- mail stating your subscription request has been received with further instructions. If you have any questions, please contact Construction Management Supervisor, Mike Blank. 4. BE A VOTER: Staying informed and navigating the election landscape can be a challenge, so the Oshkosh Public Library has created a resource page designed as a first stop on the road to casting your ballot. From basics such as voter registration and polling locations, to deeper dives into campaign finance and fact-checking websites, you’ll find carefully curated, reliable sources to help you become an informed voter. Find deadlines for advance registration and absentee ballots, candidate information, links to candidate forums, information about what’s on the upcoming ballot and more at oshkoshpubliclibrary.org. 5. OSHKOSH STORYWALK®: Step out for a really special reading adventure with Oshkosh StoryWalk! Combining reading, exercise and the outdoors, StoryWalk is a book that’s presented page by page along a self-guided walking route. Read your way around The Shops at Oshkosh this month with our featured book, Duck, Duck Dinosaur by Kallie George. New stories coming in April and May. Pick up a map in the office at the outlet mall and start reading! More information is available on our website. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. 6. CITY MANAGER’S TOP WEEKLY READS: please find below links to news articles that may be relevant to us.  How 18 Million Americans Could Move Into Rural Areas – Without Leaving Home 7. REPORTS ATTACHMENTS UPDATES AND LINKS:  Attached is the weekly Museum Memo  Link to OFD March Hot Topics: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Fire/Hot_Topics.aspx  Link-COVID Vaccine Assistance Hotline info: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/news/releases/030421.htm 8. 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/. 9. COVID-19 RESOURCE LINKS AND INFORMATION: 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. UPCOMING MEETINGS: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of March 15 include the following: As a reminder I will be out of the office on Monday. On Tuesday at 10:00 AM, I will be meeting with staff to review what we know to date regarding the Federal COVID-19 relief package, and what it may mean to Oshkosh. At 11:30 AM, I will be meeting with staff to discuss possible code enforcement clean-up. At 2:00 PM I will be meeting with Transportation Director Jim Collins regarding an upcoming parking ordinance. At 3:00 PM I will be meeting with a UWO student doing research on public administration. On Thursday at 10:00 AM I will be participating in a virtual WCMA quarterly meeting. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.