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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.28.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: July 28, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. CITY RECEIVES GRANT FOR NEW ABSENTEE BALLOT DESIGN: The City of Oshkosh has been awarded $7,109.35 as part of the 2023 Absentee Ballot Envelope Subgrant Program, issued by the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The purpose of the subgrant is to help improve election security of federal elections across the state by providing Wisconsin cities, villages, and townships with funds to safeguard and secure the integrity of the voting process. The Clerk’s office will be applying the grant funds to the cost of printing the newly-designed absentee ballot envelopes. The new design will be available in August. 2. 2024 CIP INFORMATION PROVIDED TO PROPERTY OWNERS: Informational letters regarding the 2024 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) have been sent to owners whose property is adjacent to the street reconstruction and utility replacement projects that have been included in the proposed 2024 CIP. These projects include: Street Reconstruction Projects  Nicolet Avenue – Bowen Street to Shorewood Drive  Cherry Street – West Irving Avenue to West New York Avenue  East 7th Avenue – South Main Street to 300’ east of East 7th Avenue  Grand Street – East Parkway Avenue to East Irving Avenue  Iowa Street – West 5th Avenue to West 6th Avenue  Michigan Street – West 5th Avenue to West 7th Avenue  West 5th Avenue – Michigan Street to Iowa Street  West 7th Avenue – Michigan Street to Iowa Street  Waugoo Avenue – Mill Street to North Main Street Utility Relay/Installation Projects  Oregon Street – West 35th Avenue to Ripple Avenue  Linden Oaks Drive/Meadowbrook Road – 350’ south of West 9th Avenue to Heidi Haven Drive  West 9th Avenue – Clairville Road to 780’ east of Clairville Road  Prospect Avenue – Elmwood Avenue to Cherry Street The property owners are also being asked to sign a construction access agreement (CSA). The CSA allows the City and its contractors to perform investigation and construction activities on private property. These activities will include, but are not limited to, televising of laterals; installation of new or relayed storm, sanitary, or water laterals; removal and installation of sidewalk and driveways; root pruning; grading operations; lawn restoration; and installation of sidewalk curb, if necessary. Access onto the property for investigation allows for more accurate construction plans, reducing costs and construction time. Access onto the property during construction will also allow for the installation of new laterals beyond the right-of-way. This will reduce the likelihood of property owners needing to remove and replace concrete in the right-of-way if they need to perform work on their private laterals. If you have any questions about these letters, please contact Engineering Division Manager / City Engineer, Justin Gierach. 3. PROGRESS CONTINUES ON PARKS’ PROJECTS: July is nearing its end as planes begin to fill the sky for EAA 2023! The Parks Department continue to make progress on a variety of projects including:  The new Administration & Operations Facility is progressing well and we are planning for the office area to be completed later in August. The fleet and shop areas are on track to be completed later in September.  Menominee Park Zoo’s bear/fox exhibit is taking shape and we are planning for completion this fall. Staff continues to work on relationships with organizations for locating bears for the exhibit.  South Park’s pickleball courts now have wind slats on the perimeter fences to improve playability. Thank you to the Oshkosh Pickleball Club for donating time and funds for this improvement. If you have any questions regarding park projects, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920) 236-5080. 4. GREAT PARKS PROGRAMMING CONTINUES IN AUGUST: Although we are almost to August, there is no need to worry: the Parks Department has a TON of great family events in store for you! In August, we will have three Brews on the Bay events in Menominee Park. On August 2nd, we host The Josh Calhoun Trio; on August 16th, Fork in the Road performs; and on August 23rd, we welcome the band Tuesday@5. These events are great for the whole family. Come down to Menominee Park and listen to great music, get food from the various food trucks, and sit back and relax with a craft beer from our local breweries. The concerts are held from 5:00 – 9:00 PM at the Kiwanis shelter. August also brings our yoga sessions at the Leach Amphitheater. These classes are held on August 9th and August 23rd at 7:00 PM. There is no need to register; just come on over to the Leach for some relaxation brought to you by Inner Sun Yoga Studio. Don’t forget to bring a friend! On August 8th, we will host our last free LIVE at the Leach concert event. Don’t miss this great night. Star Six Nine is sure to entertain. Gates open at 5:30 PM for some family fun, including a bounce house and face painting, followed by the band from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. If you have any questions regarding these events, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 5. SENIOR CENTER WELCOMES NEW MANAGER: Please welcome Dan Braun to the Oshkosh Seniors Center as the Senior Services Manager! Dan is going to be a great addition to the Center. He earned his bachelor's degree from UW-Oshkosh in exercise and fitness and has over 20 years of experience at the Oshkosh YMCA. He managed the YMCA’s "Active Aging" programming and helped people find ways to be healthy, active, and social. Dan is well-known in the community and passionate about serving older adults. He’s a perfect fit for leading the Center into the future. 6. FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY ON AUGUST 11TH IN SOUTH PARK: As your summer winds down, don’t miss out on Oshkosh's biggest food truck rally. 18 food trucks roll into South Park for the Friday, August 11th event that runs from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM. There’s live music with Got Wisco, cold beverages, raffles, and many family-friendly activities for the kids. Speaking of raffles, how does winning $100 worth of groceries each month for a year sound? You can’t win if you don’t get a ticket. One big winner will enjoy $1,200 of free groceries from Red’s Piggly Wiggly. Tickets are on sale at the event and at the Oshkosh Seniors Center. Tickets are just $10 and you don’t have to be present to win. “Food Truck Fridays” are fundraising events organized by the Friends of the Oshkosh Seniors Center, and 100% of the proceeds help to fund programs and services at the Center. 7. TECH HELP AVAILABLE AT SENIOR CENTER AUGUST 10TH: The Oshkosh Seniors Center is hosting the Oshkosh Police Department's Leadership Camp on Thursday, August 10th. High school students participating in OPD's camp will be at the Center to answer tech questions. There will be an emphasis on apps because the younger generation knows more about X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and Snapchat than anyone. To make this successful, we need the community to attend, so please plan on coming with your device and questions. Please call (920) 232-5300 to let us know you will be attending. If you want more information about the Center, please call Dan Braun, 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. LANDSCAPING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The Parks Department continues to recruit volunteers for summer programs and events. However, this year we are also seeking volunteers interested in landscaping projects. So far this year, we have had 51 volunteers donate almost 240 hours of service! Volunteers have helped with beverage service at evening concerts, overseeing games and activities at various kids’ programs, and light cleaning of multiple parks and facilities. Opportunities for landscaping (weeding, mulching, etc.) and excellent team-building morning/afternoon projects are available. If you or someone you know would like to support these or other park programs by volunteering, please contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920) 232-5304. 9. SUMMER EVENTS ARE JUST HEATING UP: It’s hard to believe it’s already the end of July – we hope you are enjoying your summer. There are still opportunities to enjoy arts & crafts, airplanes, music and more, this weekend and beyond! Don’t miss the chance to visit your favorite vendors all summer long at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market on North Main Street every Saturday. And you can find your groove almost weekly at Waterfest on Thursday nights at the Leach Amphitheater. Check out all the exciting events available in Oshkosh online at https://visitoshkosh.com/ or contact our Special Events Coordinator, Kathy Snell, at (920) 232-5304 for more information. 10. GET INVOLVED: If you are interested in serving your community, please consider becoming a member of a Board, Commission or Committee. Follow the link below to apply: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/boardsandcommissions/ 11. 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/ 12. ATTACHMENTS: Oshkosh Public Library’s August Calendar 13. LOOKING AHEAD: Some of the meetings I have scheduled for the week of July 31st include the following: on Monday at 11:00 AM, I will meet with Fire Chief Mike Stanley. On Tuesday evening, I will be participating in National Night Out block parties at various locations throughout Oshkosh. On Wednesday at 2:30 PM, I will be meeting with Kelly Nieforth, Director of Community Development. On Thursday at 10:30 AM, I will be attending training for our new agenda-preparation software. Beginning Friday afternoon, I will be on vacation, returning to the office on August 14th. I will not be at the August 8th Council meeting; Assistant City Manager Fitzpatrick will be attending in my absence. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding my schedule.