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Home My WebLink About10.22newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: October 22, 2021 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. WHO SAYS RETIREMENT IS EASY: The retired ambulance that OFD donated to the Rimac 21 Fire Department in Lima Peru has arrived and has been placed in service. The Rimac 21 Fire Department was ecstatic to receive it and are very grateful for the donation. The new department left the OFD logo and the name Oshkosh on the ambulance to show their gratitude and recognition of our department. The firefighters from the department sent a personalized thank you and well wishes. We hope to continue and foster a relationship with their department. 2. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN': Halloween is approaching and Celebration of Lights has begun its annual set up for the 2022 lights festival at Menominee Park. Time continues to move fast, and in the parks we are nearing completion for shutting down seasonal facilities and prepping for winter activities. Our crews will be working on project related items as the weather cooperates with concrete restoration at Leach Amphitheater and memorial benches throughout various park settings, aiding with Landscape Operations annual stump grinding maintenance, and completing items within the zoo so our furry residents will be comfortable for the seasons ahead. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of the wonderful colors and atmosphere in the parks throughout the fall season! Should you have any questions regarding these projects or the many wonderful parks in the City of Oshkosh, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 3. TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: The Landscape Operations Division is currently working on the installation of memorial trees, stump grinding and Ash tree removal. Private tree contractors will be assisting the division with the removal of Ash trees on terraces over the next several months. If you have any questions regarding the Memorial Tree program or a city owned tree, please contact Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 4. THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTIONS: The Friends of the Oshkosh Seniors Center mail a donation request to the community every year. The funds we receive are critical to the Center’s efforts to provide vital services to the older adults in our community. 2021 was all about the opportunity for older adults to reconnect at the Center. Connections to family, friends, and everyday life were put on hold for over a year because of COVID-19. As families and friends have reconnected in person, the smiles, hugs, and time together have become cherished gifts. While the pandemic affected all of us, no group has expressed a greater appreciation for “connections” than seniors living alone, widows and widowers, and those with limited access to ZOOM, FaceTime, and social media. The Oshkosh Seniors Center has become the connecting point for many of these older adults, with special events, technology support, and everything from puzzles and games to “take and make” activities to fill the many hours at home. The Center staff truly “stepped up to the plate” in supporting Oshkosh seniors during the pandemic and continues these efforts. If you are interested in finding more information about the Center, please call Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at 920-232-5300. The Center’s program newsletter may be found on our webpage. https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices/ 5. EVERY SEASON IS EVENT SEASON IN OSHKOSH: It’s humorous to hear individuals speak of an “event season” when they are discussing Special Events hosted in Oshkosh. Here, our “event season” begins in February and ends December 31! That’s right…Special Events approved by the Common Council that utilize public outdoor space actually occur 11 out of 12 months! As the weather turns brisk, event-goers in Wisconsin get out their winter gear and just add another layer of clothing. One will find event attendees still frequenting the Farmers Market on Saturdays through October 30, bundling up for UWO football games, participating in the last of the fall sport tournaments like the “Red Arrow Test Flight” disc golf tournament, and planning which of the last walk/run events they’ll sign up for…maybe they’ll register for the Turkey Trot AND the Race for the Light! Families can even get their little tikes excited for the holidays by planning their trip to the Celebration of Lights or to the new Reindeer in the Square event in December. For more information on these and other exciting events in 2021, check out the Visit Oshkosh website at: https://visitoshkosh.com/ or contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 6. INSPECTION SERVICES DIVISION SEPTEMBER REPORT: The city’s Inspection Services Division experienced a 49 percent drop in the total value of permits issued in September compared with the same period a year ago, though values from September 2020 were substantially higher as a result of permits issued for the new terminal building at Wittman Regional Airport and the new TownPlace Suites by Marriott hotel off of Oshkosh Avenue. The total value of the those two projects is near $11 million – omitting those two large projects, September 2021 permit totals would have been slightly higher than last year. Through the first nine months of 2021, the Inspections Department recorded total permit values of $117.5 million generating permit fees of $768,648. This represents an increase from permit values of $112.1 million recorded during the first nine months of 2020 and collected permit fees of $706,965 during that same period. If you have any questions, please contact Chief Building Official John Zarate. 7. ASSESSOR’S OFFICE ACTIVITY DETAIL FOR SEPTEMBER 2021: 237 Real Estate Transfers Processed 7 Parcel Combinations 7 Classification Shifts 16 Parcel Splits 1 Annexation Property Review 72 Residential Permit Reviews 128 Sale Reviews 167 Neighborhood Review 609 Permits Coded 7 Mobile Home Changes 20 Personal Property Contacts 12 Personal Property Accounts Entered 38 Mailing Address Changes The City of Oshkosh Assessor’s office continually strives to provide fair and equitable real estate assessed values. Please contact our office with any questions at 920-236-5070 or lalger@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. September Building Permits Plumbing Permits Electric Permits HVAC Permits Total Value of Permits Total Permit Fees Collected 2020 279 123 80 63 $20,953,129 $108,731.50 2021 251 84 73 59 $10,677,844 $73,003.50 8. 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: 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 10. UPCOMING MEETINGS: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of October 25 include the following: At 7:30 AM on Monday I will be meeting with Mayor Palmeri and Assistant City Manager John Fitzpatrick to discuss Tuesday’s agenda. At 10:30 AM I will be meeting with staff to discuss next steps and follow up regarding the proposed Clearwells. At 2:00 PM I will be attending the Joint Review Board meeting. On Tuesday at 9:30 AM I will be meeting with staff in regards to the development agreement for the City Center. At 1:30 PM I will be making a presentation at the Career Exploration Day event at Valley Christian School. On Wednesday at 2:30 PM I will be attending the virtual Be Well Fox Valley Leadership meeting. At 5:00 PM I will be attending the Leadership Oshkosh Alumni event. On Thursday at 9:30 AM I will be meeting with staff to discuss the recent ADA audit. At 2:00 PM I will be meeting with staff to discuss the upcoming 2023-2025 strategic plan design. If you have any questions about my schedule, please contact me.