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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.23newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: July 23, 2021 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. RED ARROW PARK PARKING LOT: AECOM recently completed a storm water management feasibility study for the parking lot at Red Arrow Park. This is the main parking lot for the baseball diamonds at Red Arrow Park. The parking lot has a PASER rating of 1 and was identified as the worst city owned parking lot in the 2020 update to the Assessment of Municipal parking lots near Jewell Engineers. Most of Red Arrow Park was built on a former landfill. The City hired AECOM to evaluate the area and options for parking lot reconstruction. AECOM concluded the parking lot could be safely reconstructed. The estimated cost conservatively is approximately $1,000,000 as there are some unknowns such as exactly how much fill will need to be removed and transported. The Red Arrow Park ball diamonds are very heavily utilized. They are booked solid throughout the spring, summer and early fall by organizations such as Oshkosh Youth Baseball and the YMCA. The complex also hosts tournaments attracting many visitors. Based upon this usage, it is important to maintain the parking lot. We plan to discuss this potential project further at the upcoming CIP meetings. If you have any questions on the reconstruction and maintenance of city owned parking lots, please contact Transportation Director Jim Collins. If you have any questions on the usage of Red Arrow Park, please contact Parks Director Ray Maurer. 2. JACKSON STREET SAFETY STUDY IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE: As you may recall, Common Council awarded Vinton Construction Company (Vinton) a contract which included the removal and restriping of Jackson Street from Church Avenue to Murdock Avenue. We expect that part of the project to be complete by the end of August. The project also included the installation of speed feedback signs and Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) by city staff. The speed feedback signs have arrived and staff plans to have them installed by the end of August as well. Unfortunately, the RRFBs are on back order. The current estimated arrival date is mid-August but that appears to be optimistic. Staff plans to complete as much of the project as possible before the start of the school year and finish as equipment is received. If you have any questions on this project, please contact Transportation Director Jim Collins. 3. YOU CAN BE A VIP: If you thought personal training was only for the stars, guess what! The Oshkosh Seniors Center has affordable options for you to get that same VIP treatment as a Hollywood big shot! Anyone over 50 years old can book personal training sessions with Activities Coordinator Alec Jensen. He is a certified personal trainer and you are going to see results after your sessions. Your starting fitness level does not matter. After a thorough assessment, he will tailor a fitness program for you. The fees are as follows: 6 sessions for $75, 12 sessions for $120, or 18 sessions for $150. So, if you are noticing your fitness level is not quite what it used to be, consider signing up! Don’t let your strength, flexibility, and stamina decline. We’re here to help you achieve healthy aging by staying active, social, and informed. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at (920) 232-5300. 4. COMING SOON - SPECIAL EVENTS APPLICATION ENHANCEMENTS: The Special Events Review Committee has done a significant amount of research on software programs to enhance the Special Events permit application process. In 2019, staff began working with the City of Oshkosh IT Department to find an affordable and effective software solution. Instead of investing in another software company to provide such a system, it was determined that a software system already being utilized within the City could be utilized for special events as well! We are happy to announce that our first test Special Event application has been added to the software module and that staff has already been able to utilize the new program to enter comments and recommendations for event organizers. There is still work to be done but staff is excited at the opportunity to more effectively process application requests. More information will be coming soon! If you have any questions regarding the Special Event process, please contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 5. PARK VOLUNTEER SERVICES: It is no surprise that this year has proved to be a challenging year for finding employees. The same has been true for finding volunteers. The Parks Department has been thrilled to once again be able to provide free and/or affordable programming and events for our community. Each year the Parks staff rely heavily on both seasonal staff as well as volunteer support. We want to take this opportunity to thank those who have stepped up these last several weeks to assist with the Pollock Community Waterpark, Menominee Park Zoo, Leach Amphitheater and Children’s Amusement Center programs, as well as the first Brews on the Bay events hosted in Menominee Park! The volunteer support has been greatly appreciated and has allowed us to get back to providing these opportunities to our community! If you know someone that may be interested in volunteering for a program or event, please have them contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232- 5304. 6. REPORTS AND ATTACHMENTS: Attached is the weekly Museum Memo. 7. 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/. 8. 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 9. UPCOMING MEETINGS: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of July 26 include the following: On Tuesday at 7:00 AM I will be meeting with Mayor Palmeri and John Fitzpatrick to discuss Tuesday’s agenda. At 10:00 AM I will be attending an Oshkosh Area United Way grant meeting. At 11:00 AM I will be meeting staff to discuss transportation updates. At 2:00 PM I will be attending a virtual meeting with Senator Dale Kooyenga to further discuss the Municipal Services Payment Program. At 4:00 PM I will be attending the virtual DOT meeting. At 5:00 PM I will be joining Council and staff for the CIP budget discussion. On Wednesday at 11:30 AM I am meeting with staff for an update on the Downtown Transit Center. At 2:30 PM I will be attending the virtual Be Well Fox Valley Leadership Committee meeting. On Thursday at 11:30 AM I will attending a meet-n-greet with city staff visiting and attending AirVenture from Buckeye Arizona. At 2:00 PM I will be attending a virtual meeting with Chief Smith, to run through our presentation on “Policing in 2021” scheduled for the WCMA Summer Conference in August. On Friday at 9:00 AM I will be attending an Oshkosh Area United Way meeting. If you have any questions about my schedule, please contact me.