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HomeMy WebLinkAbout43. Future Agenda Items TO: Members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee FROM: John Fitzpatrick, Assistant City Manager / Director of Administrative Services DATE: May 12, 2021 RE: Chief Oshkosh Monument BACKGROUND As I mentioned at our last meeting, I did have the opportunity to meet with the City Manager and several department heads in order to develop some background for you on this subject. This memo is the product of that limited research. Prior to 2019, discussion had begun locally regarding the potential to update signage surrounding the Chief Oshkosh Monument located in Menominee Park. Former Mayor Cummings, who was also a board member for the County Historical Society, took particular interest in this project and worked with several groups and individuals to generate interest and begin raising funds for the project. The Monument was erected in 1911 largely through the efforts of Colonel John Hicks and has been maintained through the Hicks Trust which Colonel Hicks left for the purpose of maintaining municipal sculptures and monuments throughout the City of Oshkosh. The Hicks Trust is administered by the Oshkosh Public Library Board. The former Mayor also contacted members of the Menominee Tribe in regard to this project who provided information to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at the April 26, 2021 meeting indicating that they had formed a Chief Oshkosh Monument Project Committee. This committee consisted of members Mr. David Grignon, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Menominee Indian Tribe; Mr. Arnold Chevalier, a member of the Wisconsin Humanities Council; and Dr. Pascale M. Manning, an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. The proposed project being worked on envisioned five (5) plaques being added to the monument: a biographical plaque on the south side of the statue; a statesman plaque on the east side of the statute; a steward plaque on the west side of the statute; a land plaque on the north side of the statute; and a meta-plaque on the south side base of the statute. Dr. Manning had also provided some draft language for each of the proposed plaques. The monument is owned by the City of Oshkosh, having been donated to the City in 1911. As such, several of the City’s Boards and Commissions have interest and responsibility in relation to this matter. As noted previously the monument is located in the City’s Menominee Park, which is a consideration for the Parks Advisory Board and is maintained with funds from the Hicks Trust which is administered by the Library Board. In addition, the City has a Landmarks Commission which is responsible for safeguarding historical landmarks, and have an interest in providing a modern and historically accurate interpretation of Chief Oshkosh’s history at the statue. Finally, the Oshkosh Public Museum, also is responsible for preserving the history of our community and region. It is my understanding that the Museum had been asked by the Library Director to assist in the review of historical information and recommend interpretative signage that would acknowledge the need to correct history while also preserving museum quality interpretive signage for the monument. In addition, this committee, the City’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, has been approached in regard to this project and the matter fits within areas in which this Committee has been asked to give advice to the Council and City Manager. ANALYSIS At the April 26, 2021 meeting the DEI Committee received a presentation and copy of the draft language from the Chief Oshkosh Monument Project Committee that had been reviewed by members of the Menominee Tribe. Based upon that presentation, the Committee discussed bringing forward a resolution to Council about the Chief Oshkosh Monument. As noted in the Background information provided above, this proposed project may involve several city boards and commissions. In addition, typical practice is that advisory boards have provided recommendations but left formal resolutions to be drafted by staff based on the input from all advisory boards and commissions for presentation to the Council. Based on this, staff has included an agenda item for recommending that the Common Council and City Manager proceed with changes regarding the Chief Oshkosh Monument. As the department head assigned to the DEI Committee, after speaking with the City Manager in addition to the other city staff I mentioned about this proposed initiative, the City Manager and staff believe that this project is significant and are very supportive of reviewing the current monument and signage, in order to appropriately acknowledge the accomplishments associated with Chief Oshkosh’s life and his significant contributions to everyone connected to this region. Staff recommends that the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee approve the recommendation to the City Manager to review the proposed signage and provide samples of signage to this Committee and other appropriate Boards and Commissions of the City for their input, to obtain estimates on the cost of signage options and to identify current sources of funding that may be available to support this project. In addition they also provided the following observations & suggestions:  Staff had some concerns with the length and academic style of the proposed language. Experience suggests that the likely audience for these plaques will be the general public, including families with small children, and that the corresponding verbiage be constructed in a manner that is more likely to be read. With this in mind, staff recommends that professional staff or consultants with experience in this area review the language and form of the proposed signage to make sure that the signage is inviting and has broad public appeal. For example, the City has used a similar methodology with photos and coloring on other interpretive signs to catch the public’s attention and interest for signs along the Riverwalk. In addition, staff would like to explore the potential to link signs to supplementary information that might be made available through the Menominee Tribe, the Public Library, and / or the Public Museum through links or QR codes. In this way, it will be possible to provide even more in depth information and context for those who are interested. A sample could be provided to give boards and commissions an idea of the various options prior to making a final decision.  Consideration should be given to the any limitations that may affect the physical presentations that would augment the existing site (see the attached Wisconsin Historical Society Memorandum dated, 4/29/16)  Finally, if any modifications are made as a result of sharing this project with other groups, it would be appropriate to review final interpretative signage with the Menominee to ensure that the signage reflects their wishes for a historically accurate interpretation of Chief Oshkosh and the Menominee people. In summary, historically accurate information, creating pleasing museum quality signage, and correcting past misinterpretations, should be sought as the final products for this project. FISCAL IMPACT The Parks Department is currently holding $5000 that was donated from a now- deceased individual for this project. General estimates for this project based on similar initiatives are estimated at a cost upwards of approximately $20,000. Following the above recommended approach will help provide a more accurate cost estimate that will assist in any research, planning, and fund raising efforts. RECOMMENDATION Although I believe we are on our way to making significant progress with this issue, I also am now more aware of the interest that exists from other entities that wish to be part of this important project, and hope that this information can also be helpful to this committee as you consider future actions. With these thoughts in mind, staff recommends that the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee approve the recommendation to the City Manager to review the proposed signage and provide samples of signage to this Committee and other appropriate Boards and Commissions of the City in order to obtain estimates for the cost of signage options and identify current sources of funding that may be available to support this project. Please review these materials and let me know if you may have any additional questions in regard to this subject. Thank you. Respectfully Submitted, John Fitzpatrick Assistant City Manager / Director of Administrative Services Attachment: 4/29/16 Wisconsin Historical Society Memorandum cc: Michelle Behnke, Human Resources Manager Allen Davis, Community Development Director Jeff Gilderson-Duwe, Library Director Brad Larson, Museum Director Lynn Lorenson, City Attorney Raymond Maurer, Parks Director Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager Aaron Wojciechowski, Council Liaison to the DEI Committee Mayor & Common Council Members PURPOSE: RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF CHIEF OSHKOSH MONUMENT ENHANCEMENTS INITIATED BY: DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE WHEREAS, as referenced in Governor Evers Executive Order #50, the State of Wisconsin recognizes the cultural, historic, and contemporary significance of the Indigenous Peoples of this region, without whom the building of this state and its cities would not have been possible; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh created the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee in 2020 for the purpose of acting as an advisory body to the City Manager and Common Council in providing comment and support regarding appropriate strategies to develop activities, resources, and services that promote a positive community environment of equity and inclusion, and celebrate the diverse identities of the City of Oshkosh; and WHEREAS The existing monument to Chief Oshkosh in Menominee Park presents a generic, romanticized image of a stoic warrior rather than seeking to remember Oshkosh the person in particular; WHEREAS In focusing on the City of Oshkosh and limiting Chief Oshkosh’s legacy to lending his name to the city, defining it as his “greatest achievement in this life,” the existing plaque on the Chief Oshkosh monument participates in a history of devaluing and delegitimizing Indigenous peoples by subordinating them and their long history on the land to the interests of settlement; WHEREAS Together the physical representation of Chief Oshkosh and the plaque affixed to the monument participate in a long process of erasure, making settler encroachment and Indigenous and cession seem natural and even heroic; WHEREAS, August 12th, 2015, the City of Oshkosh Landmarks Commission listed the Chief Oshkosh Monument Burial Site Healthy Neighborhood Fund Request. “Great Neighborhood Fund Request – Chief Oshkosh Statue and “Burial Site” Update Mr. Buck stated that approximately 6-8 applications for Great Neighborhood Funds were submitted and that the Landmarks Commission application to install walkways, sitting area, educational and wayfinder signage and ADA crosswalks/curb cuts at or near the Chief Oshkosh monument and “burial site” had made it through the initial review process and will be going to Council for actual funding determination soon. The commission discussed the particulars of the requested project and pointed out that lighting should be considered as well. Mr. Buck responded that lighting would be looked at in the design phase of the project if it is funded.” WHEREAS, October 27, 2015, Common Council Unanimously Approved $50,000 in Great Neighborhoods Funding for “Upgrades to the Chief Oshkosh Statue and Burial Site…” The project has since received $5,000 in donations for the enhancement of the Chief Oshkosh Monument in Menominee Park. Subsequently in 2018, a subcommittee was formed for the purpose of drafting a plan to update the monument with additional language and plaques for the purpose of adding to the reductive statement regarding Chief Oshkosh’s contributions; and WHEREAS, in 2020, the Menominee Tribal Council reviewed and approved of the additional language, and Council Chairman Doug Cox, issued a signed approval of the final version as drafted in partnership and consultation with Tribal citizens David Grignon, the Menominee Tribe’s Historic Preservation Officer, and Arnold Chevalier, (in 2018) as well as with Dr. Pascale Manning of University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh; and WHEREAS The goal of the five proposed plaques is, first, to teach visitors about a Chief of the Menominee whose tenure as Chief spanned the years that saw the formalization of federal laws for Indian Removal, the ratification of Wisconsin’s statehood, and the ultimate displacement of the Menominee onto reservation lands; WHEREAS The goal of the five proposed plaques is, second, to create an opportunity for this city to embrace a public dialogue with its own history by adding to the existing monument in order to inform visitors, provoke questions, and enact forms of exchange and interchange that are part of the long and difficult process of reconciliation; WHEREAS The five proposed plaques provide the City of Oshkosh the opportunity to demonstrate leadership within the region and Wisconsin as a whole by expressing its willingness to confront its own complex history in the spirit of restitution and reconciliation; WHEREAS The language drafted by experts and Knowledge Keepers for the five proposed plaques has been approved by the Menominee Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and the sovereign tribal government of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED That the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the City of Oshkosh supports the creation of additional plaques be installed in proximity to the Chief Oshkosh Monument; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee will host a workshop aimed at presenting the Chief Oshkosh Monument Project as outlined above to relevant city stakeholders; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Oshkosh, through the City of Oshkosh Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, urges the Oshkosh Common Council and other responsible authorities to expeditiously approve and implement the project as a pressing matter of justice.