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Home My WebLink Aboutnewsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: April 22, 2022 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. PARKS FACILITIES NOW OPEN TO ENJOY: Your Oshkosh Parks are open for the season; restrooms, shelters, sport courts, playgrounds, trails and athletic fields officially opened this past week. We have seen much use to date even with the cooler weather. Be sure to get out and enjoy the season! If you have any questions regarding park operations, contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920)236-5080. 2. ZOO OPENING FOR THE SEASON: The Menomonee Park Zoo will open for the season on May 7th and will be open from 9am-6pm daily. We are looking forward to a great summer with lots of great educational programs planned for our guests. On June 1st we will kick off Wildlife Wednesdays that will run throughout the summer every Wednesday. Please check out the City of Oshkosh Parks Department website for more details on what we will be featuring each week as well as what time you can expect the program to run. The Lakefly Café, which is the zoo’s concession stand and gift shop, will be opening for the season on Saturday May 28, and will be open Monday-Friday from 11am-6pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-6pm. Stop in to check out the cool new merchandise we have for the summer! If you have questions about the Menominee Park Zoo and all that is has to offer, contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 3. “TREE CITY” FOR 41 YEARS: The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the City of Oshkosh for 41 consecutive years of attaining the Tree City USA designation. The Landscape Operations Division will be visiting Carl Traeger Elementary School to talk about all the wonderful things trees do followed by planting trees at Rusch Park in recognition of Arbor Day. If you would like to learn more about how you can celebrate Arbor Day, contact Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. Spring is here! For Landscape Operations that means it’s time to plant trees. Starting April 18th Ranger Services Inc. will be planting 34 trees on the terrace from 808 - 1380 Ceape Avenue as part of the Neighborhood Tree Diversification Program. A few of the different species being planting are Blue Beech, Mountain Frost Pear, and Ivory Silk Lilac for smaller, short stature trees. Yellow tree and Turkish Filbert will be planted for medium size trees, and an Exclamation Planetree will be our large shade tree. If you have any questions about terrace tree planting, contact Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 4. SENIOR CENTER SEEKS TO RENEW ACCREDITATION: The Oshkosh Seniors Center is renewing its accreditation with WASC, Wisconsin's Association of Senior Centers. The process takes place every five years. However, there was a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The Center has completed the documentation phase and expects the WASC Accreditation Committee to conduct a peer review this May. The Oshkosh Seniors Center has received this accreditation since 2000. In 1978 The National Institute of Senior Centers developed national standards for senior center operation and management. The Wisconsin Association of Senior Centers took those standards and, in 1987, adapted them for senior centers in Wisconsin. The process became one of the nation's first senior center accreditation programs. The WASC accreditation program is designed to allow all senior centers to go through the process, enabling even the smallest and most rural centers to strive to operate at the highest level of service. The self-assessment guides senior centers to review nine management areas to ensure the Center is operating at the highest of standards. The assessment can be invaluable in developing and implementing programs and services for older adults. This review also involves staff, participants, volunteers, and community members in the review process of the senior center. This is a critical step in building ties to the community and educating stakeholders about the senior center. Once the self-assessment is complete, a peer review is conducted through the WASC Accreditation committee. 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. SPRING SPECIAL EVENTS: April has kicked off the season of Run/Walks and other festivities here in Oshkosh! This Saturday the 10th annual 55 Mile “Run Away to the Bay” relay race will begin at Menominee Park and finish in Hagemeister Park in Green Bay. Some may be surprised to learn of this trail linking our communities. Next up will be the Oshkosh Half Marathon. Be advised, the event organizer has made a few changes this year. On Saturday, April 30, the participants will gather at the UW Oshkosh Culver Welcome Center for their 13 mile run. Not ready for these long distance events? Participants may also choose a 5K on this day, or gear up for the NAMI 5K for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness walk occurring the following weekend (May 7), beginning at Oshkosh North High School. If run/walk events are not your cup of tea, don’t worry. May will be filled with sporting events, art and craft fairs and more! For more information on these and other exciting events coming soon, check out the Visit Oshkosh website at: https://visitoshkosh.com/ or contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 6. STRONG VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT EFFORTS: With summer Parks Department programs and events being planned, the Oshkosh Parks staff are diligently working on a recruitment plan to fill the volunteer positions available. We are reaching out to past volunteers, schools, businesses, service organizations and more. Volunteer positions available include game and activities coordinators, food and beverage servers, greeters and more. Available hours vary as we have programs and events both days and nights and on weekdays and weekends. If you, your family and your friends enjoy our parks, please consider volunteering. The programs and events benefit the beautification efforts and maintenance of our park facilities. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with the Oshkosh Parks Department, contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 7. ASSESSOR’S OFFICE ACTIVITY DETAIL FOR MARCH 2022: 183 Real Estate Transfers Processed 2 Classification Shifts 9 Residential Permit Reviews 1 Sale Reviews 1 Review upon Request 672 Permits Coded 6 Mobile Home Changes 15 Personal Property Contact 769 Personal Property Accounts Entered 55 Mailing Address Changes Assessment Notices were mailed 4/8/2022  1,229 - Real Estate Change of Assessment Notices  1,471 - Personal Property Assessment Notices 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. 8. CONGRATULATIONS:  Battalion Chief Dan Mrochek retired on 4/19/22 after nearly 27 years  Equipment Operator Steve Stini is retiring 4/28/22 after 27 years  Lieutenant Aaron Droessler promoted to Battalion Chief on April 10, 2022  Lieutenant Scott Rasmussen promoted to Captain on April 10, 2022 9. LINKS:  OFD’s latest issue of Hot Topics: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/00f60f8eff.html 10. 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. LOOKING AHEAD: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of April 25 are: At 7:30 AM on Monday I am meeting with Mayor Palmeri to discuss Tuesday’s agenda. At 1:00 PM I will be leaving for the Urban Alliance Conference in Madison, returning Tuesday afternoon for the Council photo and meeting. On Wednesday I will be attending the Department Head and Supervisors Workshop to begin work on our 2023-2024 Strategic Plan update. At 7:30 AM on Thursday I will be attending the UWO Chancellor’s Executive Breakfast. At 9:30 AM I will be attending the Arbor Day event at Carl Treager Middle School. At 5:00 PM I will be attending the Townplace Suite Grand Opening. At 9:00 AM on Friday I will be attending the Whitburn Center Advisory Board meeting. A10:00 AM I will be attending the annual Oshkosh North High School Hall of Fame event. If you have any questions about my schedule, please contact me.