Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.24.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: March 24, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. SPRING ELECTION: The spring election will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Please visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ to find your voting location (polling place), district and ward, prior to the election – as they may have changed since the last election or since the last time you voted. The City of Oshkosh recently purchased “Badger Books,” which are electronic poll books, and will be utilizing them at a few of our polling places on April 4! Badger Books will replace the paper poll books used in previous elections, but will not change the voting process. A voter will still state their name and address to the Election Inspector (poll worker), show the Election Inspector their photo id, and then sign the (electronic) poll book. Once the voter has completed this process, they will be issued a ballot. Badger Books will make the process more efficient and less prone to human error. Please be patient with our Election Inspectors, as this will be the first election we will be using the new technology. Although Badger Books are new to us, they have been used very successfully by many communities throughout the state for several years. Early absentee voting is offered in person at the City Clerk’s office (Room 108) in City Hall (215 Church Avenue) now through Friday, March 31 from 8:00 AM to 4:30PM, Monday through Friday. Please call the City Clerk’s office at (920) 236-5011 with questions. 2. $25,000 URBAN FORESTRY GRANT AWARDED: The Oshkosh Parks Department was recently notified that we have received a $25,000 Urban Forestry grant from Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources. The funding submission was written to purchase a diversified stock of replacement trees to help restore the community’s public tree canopy that suffered major losses of ash trees because of the Emerald Ash Borer. The City of Oshkosh had over 1,500 ash trees located in the public spaces and terraces. Urban trees are a critical asset to cities. Trees reduce energy usage, remove air pollutants, filter storm water and cool hot city streets by providing shade and releasing water vapor. The Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry grant requires a 50-50 match. The Parks Department needed to demonstrate we could fund half of the project cost. It was the public/private partnership with the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation that stepped up and delivered on the funding. The Foundation developed the Taking Root II campaign to help the City mitigate the effects of Emerald Ash Borer. Matching funds were critical to securing the maximum amount of grant funding available. We thank everyone in the community that has donated to the Taking Root II campaign. There is still time to donate to help us reforest public spaces and terraces. Here is the link to make a donation. https://www.oshkoshareacf.org/fund/taking-root-fund/. If you would like further information, please contact Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920)232-5314. DON'T BE IN THE DARK ABOUT PREVENTING FALLS: The statistics are sobering - every 11 seconds, an older adult somewhere in the U.S. is admitted to an Emergency Department for a fall. The Oshkosh Seniors Center and the Oshkosh Fire Department want you to light up your home for safety and become more knowledgeable about fall prevention. The first 200 people to schedule and complete a FREE balance test at the Oshkosh Seniors Center will receive information on fall prevention and a three-pack of motion sensor lights. The test will help you determine your risk of falling. Exercise and making safety changes in your home are great strategies to avoid falling. Schedule your appointment today with Oshkosh Seniors Center by calling 920-232-5300. Funding for the "Don't be in the dark about falling" campaign comes from a grant received by the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging (WIHA). WIHA is an excellent resource for healthy aging and fall prevention. We encourage you to explore their resources at https://wihealthyaging.org/. 3. SPRING IS HERE: There are many exciting things going on in the parks this spring. At Menominee Park there will be the Pratt Trail reconstruction, the Bear & Fox Exhibit construction, and path paving within Menominee Park Zoo. At Roe Park, you will see the playground equipment being removed in the coming weeks to make way for a new structure and improved surfacing. Later in April the park restrooms, shelters, courts and athletic fields will be in full operation for the 2023 season. We are excited for all the new and improved amenities and services that are coming this season, and I look forward to seeing you outdoors enjoying our parks! If you have questions regarding Oshkosh parks, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 4. A WELL HONORED TRADITION CONTINUES: Tickets are now on sale for the Breakfast with the Bunny event at Sunnyview Expo Center; scheduled for Saturday, April 8 from 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Tickets can be purchased at the Oshkosh Parks Department office located at 757 W 3rd Ave, Festival Foods or on the Parks Department website. All tickets for the Breakfast with the Bunny event MUST be purchased prior to the event. There will be no ticket sales at the door. Tickets are also on sale for our Bunny in the Barn Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Sunnyview Expo Center. These tickets can be purchased at the same locations listed above and will also be available the day of the event. If you have questions regarding these events, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920)232-5319. If you are looking for volunteer hours and would like to help out at any of our great community events, please contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920)232-5304. 5. ERIN GO BRAGH: “Wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be with you,” is an old Irish proverb that rings true for everyone during St. Patrick’s Day. We take our Irish celebrations very seriously at the Oshkosh Seniors Center in March. It started with dinner and live music by Sheamus Fitzpatrick and the McNally Boys. The Center has never met an Irishman that didn’t love to socialize, and at the Center, we know the research says being social keeps you young. In fact, a study published on Feb. 20, 2019, in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, found that older adults who interacted with people beyond their usual social circle of family and close friends were more likely to have higher levels of physical activity, greater positive moods, and fewer negative feelings. – Reprinted from Harvard Health Publishing. It was not just about the Irish-themed dinner; the Center helped promote the Oshkosh Parks Department St. Patrick’s Day Bingo. It was another way older adults and their families could get together for some winter fun. If you know of anyone over 50 that seems lonely and isolated, please encourage them to visit the Oshkosh Seniors Center, where they can get involved in our social activities. Soon you will be hearing a spring chorus from the frogs and toads of Wisconsin. The Oshkosh Recreation Department and the Center have formed a great partnership hosting presentations with outdoors expert Rob Zimmer. The free presentation on the amphibians found in Wisconsin's wetlands, forests, and ponds is on April 19 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Rob has been sharing exciting topics with outdoor enthusiasts for the last year. Topics have included wildflowers, fungi (wild mushrooms for novices), and Tundra Swans. The programs with Rob Zimmer sponsored by the Oshkosh Recreation Department have become very popular, and attendance often reaches 100 people. Upcoming programs can be found in our monthly program newsletter that is available online at https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices/. If you want more information about the Center, please call Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager, at (920)232-5300. 6. GET INVOLVED: If you are interested in serving your community, please consider becoming a member of a Board, Commission or Committee. Follow the link for to apply: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/BoardsAndCommissions/ 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. LOOKING AHEAD: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of March 27, include the following: At 7:30 AM on Monday I will be meeting with Mayor Palmeri to discuss Tuesday’s agenda. At 10:00 AM I am meeting with Human Resource Manager Michelle Behnke. At 1:30 PM I will be meeting with Community Development Director Kelly Nieforth. On Thursday at 8:00 AM I will be attending the State of the Community Address / Chamber Business Expo at the Oshkosh Convention Center. At 2:00 PM I will be hosting the 2023 first quarter employee virtual meeting. At 4:00 PM I will be attending the Spring Joint Recruit Academy Graduation for OFD. If you have any questions about my schedule, please contact me.