Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.28newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: May 28, 2021 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. OSHKOSH LAUNCHES ONLINE WATER USAGE MONITORING SYSTEM: Beginning in June, the City of Oshkosh Water Distribution Division will be offering the AquaHawk service, which allows water customers to receive leak alerts and access water usage information online. By subscribing to this free service, customers can view water consumption, receive timely leak alerts and control water expenses. Customers can use the system to avoid unexpected high bills and costly water damage from leaks. AquaHawk can alert users if there is unusually high water usage at their location or if they are trending toward a high water bill. AquaHawk allows users to monitor their water use remotely, even when out of town because it is web based. The service will email, text or call users if they are experiencing higher than normal water use according to user-designated thresholds. The user interface also provides billing estimates and projections for customers. To register for AquaHawk, visit https://oshkwi.aquahawk.us/. The system is easy to use, but online help is available. For more information, contact the Oshkosh Water Utility at (920) 232-5336 or email waterdistribution@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. 2. OSHKOSH MEDIA BRINGS HOME HARDWARE FROM WCM MEDIA FEST: Oshkosh Media earned a Best in Show award and a top-tier Excellence award at the 23rd Wisconsin Community Media Best of the Midwest Media Fest on Thursday, May 27. The Best in Show honor was given in the category of Virtual Meeting Coverage for Oshkosh Media’s coverage of the Oshkosh Common Council’s hybrid meeting on August 25, 2020. WCM created new categories this year for virtual meeting coverage and pandemic-related public service announcements as community media centers around the country responded to covering government meetings and other aspects during the pandemic. Oshkosh Media also earned an Excellence award in the category of Pandemic-Related PSA for the Absentee Voting PSA that staff produced in collaboration with the City Clerk’s office ahead of the August 2020 primary election. Follow the link below to view the video. This year’s WCM Media Fest saw 194 total entries from producers in nine states across the Midwest. For more information, contact Jake Timm in Media Services at 236-5261. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHdb2yOVGY. 3. THE SUMMER SEASON IS HERE: Parks have been active with people eager to break the ties of winter and the pandemic. All park restrooms were opened for the season on April 16th. Shelter reservations are filling up for the season, boaters are on the water, and athletic teams are scratching the diamonds as we go into May. Over the next couple weeks you will see activity continuing at Westhaven Circle Park where projects for the athletic field reconstruction and play equipment replacement will be finishing up. In addition, South Park Tennis Court reconstruction will begin breaking ground soon. Don’t forget to visit Menominee Park Zoo which opened on May 1st. Gates open daily at 9 a.m. and our new residents (wolves and eagle) are anxiously awaiting visitors to showcase their homes and behaviors. Our Memorial Bench program has had excellent success with orders and they will be installed throughout the season at various locations. We are looking forward to seeing you in the parks as the temperatures improve. If you have any questions regarding projects taking place in the parks, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 4. FREE! YES FREE: The Leach Amphitheater is back into the swing of things for 2021. Be sure to check out the attached flyer for a listing of FREE Family Events at the Leach Amphitheater this year. From movie nights to fun-filled afternoons you won’t want to miss everything going on this summer. Keep watching our Facebook page for more information about Tuesday Night Concerts which will also be returning for summer of 2021! If you would like more information about the events or how you can help take part in them by volunteering please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 5. THIS BREWS FOR YOU: Be sure to head over to Menominee Park Kiwanis Shelter the second Wednesday of every month June through September to join us for our first annual Brews on the Bay from 5pm-9pm. There will be food trucks on site, beverages for everyone in the family, music starting at 6pm, and entertainment to keep you busy all night long. The Children’s Amusement Center will be open during these events so be sure to get your ticket to ride the train or spend some of your evening renting our water equipment. You won’t want to miss this great event, see the attached flyer for more information. If you would like more information about other events or how you can help take part in them by volunteering, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 6. TIS THE SEASON FOR PLANTING: The Landscape Operations Division has been very busy planting terrace trees in various residential locations and has been making Memorial Day preparations at Riverside Cemetery. Flower bed installation has been moving forward as well with most of the flowers now installed within Menominee Park and other locations. If you have any questions regarding the tree or floral plantings here in the City of Oshkosh please contact Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager at (920) 236-5080. 7. OH HAPPY DAY: Everyone is smiling at the Oshkosh Seniors Center! Each day more people return to the Center to find ways to stay active, stay social, and stay informed. Getting involved at the Center is a great way to age well. Thanks to the generosity and hard work of the Friends of the Oshkosh Seniors Center we are purchasing new equipment for the Fox Fitness Center. Funny names but they are designed to help work specific areas and improve balance. Falling is a major concern for older adults but if they commit to a well-rounded fitness program they can prevent falls. We encourage people to work with Alec Jensen, the Center’s fitness coordinator, to develop a plan designed specifically for you. Soon we will see the arrival of a Krankcycle, an upper body stationary cycle with independent crank arms. It allows users with a single arm or both arms to integrate their entire upper body to build aerobic capacity, functional strength, and endurance. We really are excited about the Connexus Perimeter, think of it as an adult “jungle gym”. It offers broad training opportunity using bars, bands, medicine balls, TRX straps, and more. The apparatus allows users to adjust to low, mid, and high attachment points. This piece of equipment offers a great deal of training flexibility. Beginning in June the Fox Fitness Center will reopen without requiring appointments. Drop-in for a workout between the hours of 7:00 am and 3:45 pm Monday through Friday. If you are interested in finding more information about the Fox Fitness Center please call Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at (920) 232-5300, or visit our website at https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices/ for more information. 8. RETURNING EVENTS: Everyone is excited to once again be able to offer community events! May was off to a busy start with the Oshkosh 5K for Mental Health & Suicide Awareness Walk, Bird Fest, and just this past weekend the Festival of Spring. The first week of June is jammed pack with events for the whole family. Catch music in the square on Friday the 4th followed by the first Oshkosh Farmers Market, Oshkosh Drag Races, Menominee Clan POW WOW, Father Carr’s Bridge Walk and more throughout the weekend. In addition, the first annual Sun Run and Solar Plunge will be held in Menominee Park on June 12 as well as the Food Cooperative’s first Birthday Bash. For more information of these and other events coming soon check out the Visit Oshkosh website at: https://visitoshkosh.com/ or contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator at (920) 232-5304. 9. REPORTS ATTACHMENTS UPDATES AND LINKS: Attached is the weekly Museum Memo, and May highlights from the Oshkosh Public Library. 10. 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/. 11. COVID-19 RESOURCE LINKS AND INFORMATION: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/ Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ Winnebago County Public Health Department: https://www.co.winnebago.wi.us/health/divisions-program-areas/communicable- disease/covid-19-coronavirus/wchd-covid-19-situation 12. UPCOMING MEETINGS: As a reminder, in observance of Memorial Day city offices will be closed on Monday, May 31. Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of May 31 include the following: At 8:00 AM on Tuesday, I will be attending the Destination Assessment presentation with the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau. On Thursday at 9:00 AM I will be meeting with Tammy McLaughlin to discuss the 2022 World Relief outlook. At 1:00 PM I will be attending the Salvation Army groundbreaking event. On Friday, I will be participating in the Oshkosh Convention Center Visitors Bureau stakeholder meeting related to the destination assessment. At 3:30 PM I will be meeting with Chief Stanley to discuss various OFD initiatives. On Saturday, June 5, I will be attending the Menomonee Clan Pow Wow at the Public Museum. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.