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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.19.21 Newsletter DATE: March 19, 2021 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. OSHKOSH STATE OF THE CITY VIRTUAL EVENT SET FOR MONDAY, MARCH 22: The annual Oshkosh State of the City Address and Awards Program will happen in virtual format on Monday, March 22nd. The event, which will also include the presentation of Community Partnership Awards, Citizen Service Awards, the Environmental Leadership Award, and Neighborhood Association Volunteerism Recognition will begin at 7:00 p.m. on multiple media platforms. The event will begin with the State of the City Address highlighting a look at the challenges the city has faced this past year, insights into what happens behind the scenes to deliver city services, acknowledgement of the “unsung heroes” who serve us every day, and a look at the collaboration that happens between city departments and the community. Following the Address, the Citizen Service Awards and Community Partnership Awards will be presented. The Citizen Service Awards honor individuals who have achieved various five-year milestones serving on city boards and commissions, and the Community Partnership Awards recognize organizations that have enriched the quality of life in Oshkosh through initiatives, programs and support. The video presentation will debut and be posted as an event on the Oshkosh Media Facebook page at 7:00 p.m. on March 22nd. The full video presentation will also be simulcast at 7:00 p.m. on Gov TV, seen on Spectrum channel 10, U-verse channel 99, the Oshkosh Media channel on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, and live streaming on www.OshkoshMedia.org. It will also be available for viewing later on the Oshkosh Media YouTube channel. For more information, contact Communications Coordinator Andy Radig at (920) 236-5269. 2. OFFICER OF THE YEAR RETIRES: On Friday, March 12, 2021, the Oshkosh Police Department celebrated the retirement of Officer Mike Wissink. Officer Wissink proudly served the Oshkosh Police Department and the City of Oshkosh for over 23 years where he most recently served as a School Resource Officer at Oshkosh West High School since 2017. Officer Wissink performed the duties of Patrol Officer, Tactical Team member, and Department Instructor before his assignment to the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG) Drug Unit in 2007. From 2012-2014, he also served as an Investigator with the Oshkosh Police Department Drug Task Force before returning to Patrol. Throughout his career, Mike was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during a structure fire, the Meritorious Medal for his service to a fellow officer in need, and twice received the Department Commendation Medal for his investigative skill. For his recent actions at Oshkosh West High School, Officer Wissink was awarded the Medal of Valor and recognized as the Oshkosh Police Department’s Police Officer of the Year and the City’s 2019 Employee of the Year. Thank you to Officer Mike Wissink for his many outstanding years of service and dedication to the Oshkosh Police Department and to the Oshkosh community. We wish Mike the very best for a happy and healthy retirement! 3. KIWANIS COPS AND KIDS READING PROGRAM: The Oshkosh Police Department kicked off the Kiwanis Cops and Kids Reading Program last week, March 8 and March 9, at the Boys and Girls Club and Jacob Shapiro School (after school program). The Oshkosh Kiwanis Club donated new books, providing officers an opportunity to connect with the elementary school children by either reading to the child or having the child read to them. The child is then able to keep the new book and take it home with them. Last week Cops and Kids was able to give away approximately 50 books!! This program will continue to occur on a weekly basis either at the Boys and Girls Club or at Jacob Shapiro’s after school program. There are also plans to expand this program with officers using the Oshkosh Police Command and Community Outreach Vehicle (CCOV) to drive to locations (parks) throughout the City where kids can come to the officers’ location and pick up a free book to read. We’re excited about this new program, which allows us another way to reach and connect with the youth in our community! 4. SUPERVISORS RETREAT: On March 8, 2021, Chief Dean Smith held a retreat for all supervisors of the Oshkosh Police Department at the Oshkosh Convention Center. The retreat opened with guest speaker Joe Hanson who is a current representative of the (CRG) Critical Response Group and former Special Operations Forces Commander. Joe presented on leadership – preparation of a leader – fundamentals of building a dynamic team – successfully executing the mission of your organization. The leadership presentation was followed by a demonstration of CRG’s GXP mapping software, which is used to efficiently and effectively coordinate emergency response both inside and outside of buildings. Several topics were discussed throughout the retreat to include: (1) Training (2) Career Development (3) Police Reform (4) Mental Health Resiliency (5) Strategic Plan Goals (6) Team Policing. The supervisory retreat provides an opportunity for the leaders of our department to come together to share information, to discuss ideas, and to develop a plan for successfully moving the organization forward. 5. WHITE CHRISTMAS COMING TO THE OSHKOSH PUBLIC MUSEUM: The beloved and iconic 1954 film, White Christmas, continues to be one of the most popular Christmas movies. A collection of memorabilia from the film has been turned into an amazing traveling exhibition White Christmas: The Exhibition. The exhibition's Midwest premiere will be at the Oshkosh Public Museum, opening November 13, 2021. The exhibition contains clothing, set props, film clips, music, photographs, posters, and other ephemera, that belonged to the Rosemary Clooney House Museum in Kentucky. “White Christmas: The Exhibition” is connected to a broader emphasis on helping veterans. Former Miss America, Heather French Henry, and her husband, Dr. Stephen Henry, owners of the collection, will be on hand to promote the exhibition and veteran's causes. “White Christmas: The Exhibition” is sure to make the 2021 Holiday season memorable. 6. CITY MANAGER’S TOP WEEKLY READS: please find below links to news articles that may be relevant to us.  Don’t screw up your ARP windfall 7. REPORTS ATTACHMENTS UPDATES AND LINKS: Attached is the weekly Museum Memo, a letter from Representative Glenn Grothman in response the Energy Innovation Carbon Dividend Act and a copy of a letter from Members of Congress (including Congressman Grothman) regarding their opposition to the proposal to reclassify MSA’s. 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 22 include the following: At 7:45 AM on Monday, I will be meeting with Mayor Palmeri to discuss Tuesday’s agenda. At 1:00 PM I will be attending a virtual WCMA Summer Conference planning meeting. On Wednesday at 8:30 AM I will be doing my monthly interview with Bob Burnell on WOSH radio. On Thursday At 2: 00 PM I am holding the 1st Quarter 2021 Virtual Employee Meeting. At 5:00 PM I will be attending the unveiling of the Festival Food Marquee Sign at The Grand Opera House. On Friday at 1:30 PM I will be participating in an ICMA virtual conference. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.