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HomeMy WebLinkAboutnewsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: October 28, 2022 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. CITY BOARD & COMMISSIONS REVIEW: At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Palmeri suggested that Council may wish to review the number and make up of our current Boards, Commissions, and Committees (BCCs). Based on the consensus of Council at the meeting, this item will be on the next agenda for discussion and direction. One suggestion I had was that perhaps a Council subcommittee may be needed to further study this subject. The reason for that suggestion is that Council had set a goal for me in 2017 to conduct a review of the BCCs. At that time, staff conducted a good amount of data for council to consider. For reference, I am providing you with a link to the June 2017 report: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/BoardsAndCommissions/Documents/ReviewOfCityBoar dsCommissionsAndCommittees.pdf. This report provides a great deal of background on the boards and commissions that existed at that time. It also identified many options for the council to consider. Some of these options were implemented (such as the consolidation of the Parking and Traffic Committees, along with the absorption of the Grand Opera House Advisory Board into the Landmarks Commission), while other options were not considered at that time but may still have merit. Additionally, as times have changed, perhaps some other options may now be available. I encourage you to review this report in advance of the discussion on November 9. If you want any additional background to this report, please let me know and I will be happy to see if it is available. 2. ELECTION NEWS: The General Election is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Polls will be open from 7AM to 8PM. To find your polling location, see what will be on your ballot, or request an absentee ballot be mailed to you, go to https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/. In person, absentee voting is now available in the Clerk’s Department (first floor of City Hall, 215 Church Avenue), Monday – Friday from 8AM to 4:30PM through Friday, November 4, 2022. If you requested an absentee ballot be mailed to you, please return it as soon as possible – ballots may be mailed to the Clerk’s Department (the provided return envelope/Absentee Ballot Certification is addressed to the City Clerk and the postage has been paid) or brought in to the Clerk’s Department by the voter during office hours until 6PM on Election Day. Absentee ballots must be received by the Clerk in time to get them to the Polls on Election Day in order for them to be counted (6PM on Election Day or prior). 3. ACCESS TO JOBS GOING UP: Access to Jobs Potentially Going Up – Council may be familiar with GO Transit’s employment transportation program called “Access to Jobs”. This service is a shared-ride, demand response transportation service designed to assist low income individuals get to and from work. The current one way cost for a ride is $4. The service is available when the bus is not in service or does not provide reasonable access (walking distance from the bus stop is not reasonable). To qualify for Access to Jobs you must: live and work in the City of Oshkosh, work at least 30 hours per week, have a work assignment for a minimum of 2 weeks and have a household income that is at or below 225% of the federal poverty level. The federal poverty level is updated at the beginning of each year. Currently, 225% of the federal poverty level equates to an hourly wage of $14.70 for a family of one. The level is adjusted by family size. Over the last year or so, starting hourly wages have increased to $15 or more for many entry level jobs. Therefore, some entry level employees don’t qualify for this program. To address this, GO Transit applied for a 2023 grant with the Oshkosh United Way that would enable us to increase the qualification level for the Access to Jobs program to 275% of the federal poverty level. The grant application was successful and if accepted would allow those earning less than 275% of the federal poverty level to be eligible for this program. Acceptance of this grant will be brought to the Transit Advisory Board in November and then Council for approval. This new qualifying wage equates to approximately $17.97 per hour for a family of one (based on 2022 levels). This program is consistent with GO Transit’s mission to provide reliable, affordable and accessible public transportation to support our community’s mobility needs. The program also matches nicely with Oshkosh United Way’s goal to help citizens find and maintain employment that offers a family-sustaining wage. If you have questions on GO Transit and/or Access to Jobs, please contact Transportation Director, Jim Collins. 4. SEASONS CHANGE: As autumn arrives, all park restrooms, shelters, seasonal water features and facilities have been winterized. We continue to move forward with the Bear/Fox Exhibit planning and utility construction at Menominee Park Zoo to be fully ready for exhibit construction in the spring. Walking path work within the zoo has been prepped for spring paving as well. We look forward to you seeing the improvements to the zoo when we open in 2023. Reetz Softball diamonds were recently edged and laser graded with additional field material added in conjunction with the Oshkosh Recreation Department. Navigation season for rivers and lakes has come to a close, and buoys have been removed through the Oshkosh corridor. If you have questions regarding park projects or facilities, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 5. BOOS AND BREWS UPDATE: On October 15th and 16th the Oshkosh Parks Department celebrated Halloween with festivities in the Menominee Park Zoo. On Friday night the department hosted the 1st Brews in the Zoo, with an adult costume contest, activities and a band. In spite of the weather not being ideal, we welcomed approximately 300 people to the event. A great time was had by all. On Saturday the department celebrated the 20th annual Zooloween Boo! It is hard to believe we have been doing this event for all these years. We welcomed over 3,000 people into the zoo for trick or treating, games, activities, bounce houses and of course a whole lot of candy. We would not be able to host these wonderful community events without the support of the Oshkosh area community businesses and organizations. Thank you to all of our sponsors as well as the numerous volunteers that make these events possible. If you have questions regarding our Halloween events or volunteering for upcoming events, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 6. TIS’ THE SEASON – JUST ABOUT: The Landscape Operations Division in partnership with the Downtown Oshkosh Business Improvement District (BID), got a jump start on the holiday season this year by getting a new Holiday Tree for Opera House Square. The existing tree, a Balsam Fir, was moved by a tree spade and transplanted in Menominee Park. The new tree, a Serbian Spruce, was selected for its resistance to insects and diseases. It will also fit the space nicely with a mature spread of about 20 feet wide and reach 50-60 feet in height eventually. It has glossy needles with a silvery underside and what some describe as a graceful shape. Look for it to be decorated and lit up toward the end of November. If you have questions regarding the new Holiday Tree, please contact Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 7. NAMASTE (GREETINGS TO YOU): The Oshkosh Seniors Center is excited to be adding two new yoga classes in November. Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits. It is perfect for individuals looking to increase strength and flexibility and reduce stress. Yoga can become an integral part of your treatment if you’re going through an illness, recovering from surgery, or living with a chronic condition. A primary goal of the Center’s fitness offerings is to help people improve their balance to avoid falls. Yoga is an excellent choice for those working on their balance. Our new yoga instructor, Cathy Huybers, wants to help people lead happier and healthier lives. She will be teaching Chair Yoga for those without prior experience and Yoga Gold for people with more experience and ability. Both classes are free of cost to individuals with Medicare fitness reimbursement plans such as Renew Active and Silver Sneakers. If you don’t have Medicare supplement insurance with fitness benefits, the cost per class is $2.50 for residents and $3.75 for non-residents of the City of Oshkosh. The class rate includes the use of the Fox Fitness Center on that same day. If you are interested in finding more information about the Center, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at 920-232-5300. You may find the Center’s program newsletter on our webpage - https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices. 8. DOT TO REINSTATE LIMITS OF STATE HIGHWAYS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS: When permitting special events, staff evaluates the impact each event has on the surrounding area. We evaluate parking, vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and truck routes. Each route impacting a State highway that navigates through Oshkosh entails a request be sent to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for approval of a highway detour. The DOT regulates the number of special event requests that are approved annually for each municipality. That number is typically limited to four (4) special event highway detour requests each year. With the closure of the Jackson Street Bridge it has been inevitable that we have had to find alternative routes for several of the run/walk events hosted in Oshkosh that typically would utilize the Jackson Street Bridge. This has resulted in six (6) requests for highway detours in 2022. As the DOT is aware of the challenges we’ve faced with the closure, they have granted us an exception for this year and are allowing the approval of all of our requests. In 2023, we will go back to only being allowed four (4) requests for State highway closure/detours for special events each year. We will continue to work with special event organizers to limit the impact on our City streets by offering routes that not only incorporate our Riverwalk, but limit the use of major right-of-ways. If you have questions regarding special events, please contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 9. VOLUNTEERS ASSIST PARK STAFF THROUGHOUT 2022: While the Parks staff will capture all of the successes in the 2022 Impact Report, with events and programming wrapping up for the year, we wanted to share a few highlights of our Volunteer Program. In 2022, over 120 volunteers provided 796.50 hours of service for events and programs hosted by the Oshkosh Parks Department. This is double the number of volunteers and hours from the previous year. Staff have focused on a variety of recruiting methods that have proven to be successful. We look forward to continuing to grow our volunteer team and opportunities throughout the winter months. If you would like to volunteer with the Parks Department in the future, please contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 10. EMS EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED: Each year the Wisconsin EMS Association (WEMSA) honors individuals or departments throughout our great state. This year WEMSA is honoring the Oshkosh Fire Department with one of its Excellence in Service awards (copy attached). The link below provides the full article and recognizes all the 2022 awardees: Wisconsin EMS Association® (WEMSA®) honors 2022 EMS Excellence in Service Awards Winners 11. FREE EVENT AT THE OSHKOSH PUBLIC MUSEUM TOMORROW: Join the Oshkosh Public Museum for a free, community celebration of Día de los Muertos celebration on Saturday, October 29th! The fun begins at noon, with music and dance performances from Ballet Folklórico Xanharati. Throughout the afternoon join in the celebration with family crafts, a taco truck, and face painting from Whimbubble Studios! Crafts will include making paper marigolds, decorating masks, and more! Ballet Folklórico Xanharati will perform again at 3 PM at the Museum. At 1:30 PM, doors open downtown at the Time Community Theatre for the Spanish matinee of Disney Pixar’s “Coco.” Families can also catch the free 7 PM showing of “Coco” in English at the Time Community Theatre. Before the event, you are welcome to share in the celebration by submitting a photo of a lost loved one for display on our community ofrenda. The community altar will be accessible to view and visit every day during Museum open hours through November 3. Submissions can be made online here: https://forms.gle/ha43WVd2CXuW2bNf8 or by emailing your photo (under 10 MB) to museum_info@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. 12. LOOKING AHEAD: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of October 31 include the following: On Tuesday at 8:00 AM I will be meeting with the consultant conduction our wage and compensation study. Our goal remains to bring forth the recommendation to Council in advance so that implementation occurs on 1/1/23. At 2:00 PM on Tuesday staff will be meeting with area Sanitary District representatives to discuss a new Master Agreement with all districts for sewer service. At 2:00 PM on Wednesday. I will be meeting with BID Leaders to follow up on the DORA pilot program. If you have any questions about my schedule, please contact me.