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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.25.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: August 25, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. PARKS DEPARTMENT CONSTRUCTION UPDATES:  Pratt Trail Reconstruction Project: Pratt Trail through Menominee Park is scheduled for reconstruction beginning Monday, August 28th. The project, which was included in the 2022 Capital Improvement Program, will include the entire section of Pratt Trail from Merritt Avenue, past the Community Playground and Lakefly Cafe, around the eastern side of the zoo, over and including the Cooper Wells bridge deck to the intersection with Siewert Trail. During reconstruction, Pratt Trail will be closed to traffic. Access to the parking area near the Community Playground will remain open as much as possible during the project; however, vehicular traffic will be prohibited beyond that. The project is expected to be completed before the Zooloween Boo event on Saturday, October 21st. The remaining Brews on the Bay beer garden events on Wednesday, September 6th, and Wednesday, September 20th will be held at the Leach Amphitheater from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. If you have any questions about this project, please contact Ray Maurer, Parks Director, at (920)236-5080.  Westhaven Circle and Teichmiller Park Tennis Court Reconstruction: The Sports and Fitness Industry Association states that pickleball is America's fastest-growing sport. The Oshkosh Parks Department is doing its part to meet the demand. The tennis and pickleball court reconstruction has begun at both Westhaven Circle and Teichmiller Parks. If the weather cooperates, both projects should be complete at the end of September. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920)236-5080.  Zoo’s Bear and Fox Exhibits Making Progress: The bear and fox exhibits continue to make progress at the Menominee Park Zoo, and we anticipate completion in late October. These exhibits were strategic initiatives defined in the Zoo’s Master Plan and represent the vision defined as the North Highlands Forest that includes the elk, eagle, wolf, and soon-to-be-completed bear and fox exhibits. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920)236-5080.  Four Seasons Building Updates: Progress continues on Lakeshore Park’s Four Seasons Building. Dates for opening the facility will be shared when all construction is completed. The facility will be a great place to host parties and events for up to 125 people anytime during the year. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920)236-5080. 2. POLLOCK WATER PARK CLOSED FOR THE SEASON: Pollock Community Water Park’s last day for the season was Friday, August 18th, as staff members return to college or begin fall sports programs at their high schools. Thanks for a great season, and we look forward to serving you again next year! 3. FALL PROGRAMMING COMING SOON: As the summer winds down, we are preparing to host the Oshkosh Parks Department’s fall events. There is nothing better than the beautiful fall weather in Wisconsin, and it is perfect for the exciting lineup of events we have planned for the Oshkosh community.  Snooze at the Zoo in Menominee Park is being held Saturday, September 9th – 10th. This event is excellent if you love the zoo and the outdoors. Camp overnight in the zoo and enjoy great educational programs and a movie under the stars. Space is limited, so get your registration in early. For only $15 per camper, each person will receive a T-shirt, water bottle, dinner, evening snack, and breakfast. Click here to register online or stop in the Lakefly Café to pick up a registration form.  Saturday, September 23rd is our Touch-a-Truck! event at Leach Amphitheater. This event is FREE to the Oshkosh community thanks to our generous sponsor, Oshkosh Corporation. This is a great community event where you can come down and check out all the different types of trucks and equipment from companies located in the Oshkosh area. There are interactive play areas, ride-on vehicles, a remote-controlled race track, bounce houses, games, food trucks, and more. Mark your calendars – you won’t want to miss this one! We are still looking for volunteers to make this event a success. Please contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at ksnell@ci.oshkosh.wi.us for more information about volunteering. If you have any questions regarding these events, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 4. UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER: Labor Day weekend starts a fun-filled fall with the Hmong National Labor Day Festival, UW-Oshkosh Move-in Days, and the Winnebago County Labor Council’s annual Picnic & Car Show. If you haven’t had a chance to catch the weekly Music on Main in Opera House Square or the Brews on the Bay series, there’s still time, as both will be hosted through the end of September. Due to construction in Menominee Park, the Brews on the Bay on September 6th and 20th will be relocated to the Leach Amphitheater. Those interested in participating in a few more walk/run events before the temperature change gets too drastic will have opportunities to do that while supporting various local non-profits. Solutions Recovery will once again host the annual Recovery Fest. UW-Oshkosh will partner with Special Olympics Wisconsin for the Run with the Cops. We will again welcome the Alzheimer’s Association as they host another Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in our community. Get all the details for these events and more online at https://visitoshkosh.com/ or contact Kathy Snell, Special Events Coordinator, at (920.232.5304) for more information. 5. SENIOR CENTER OFFERS EXPO, OKTOBERFEST, AND CANVA CLASSES:  Find Balance at the Senior Expo: Since the arrival of the Biodex Screening Equipment, the Oshkosh Seniors Center has screened over 150 older adults. The test helps people determine their risk of falling. It’s critical to have a starting point to measure improvements or setbacks. With that in mind, we are taking the equipment and our Fitness Coordinators on the road Tuesday, October 3rd to the Oshkosh Senior Expo taking place at the Oshkosh Convention Center from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, where the public can be screened for free. We are making it as easy as possible for anyone over 50 in our community to become more knowledgeable about their risk and what it takes to avoid falling. Please stop by the Oshkosh Seniors Center's booth at the Senior Expo to complete a free balance screening and to receive information on fall prevention.  Lass Uns Essen at the Oshkosh Seniors Center’s Oktoberfest: Oompa! Please join us for our annual Oktoberfest on Wednesday, September 27th. We will be serving soft pretzels, pulled pork with slaw, German potato salad, and apple dumplings for dessert. The Oktoberfest feast is just $12.00, and don’t forget the beer, root beer, and non- alcoholic beer! Das is good! Let’s celebrate the German heritage in our community.  Canva Classes Offered: The Connect through Tech program at the Oshkosh Seniors Center offers monthly classes that give people an overview of technology topics of potential interest. During the presentation, we give an overview of the topic and encourage those that want a deeper dive to meet with instructors for a one-on-one session. On Tuesday, September 19th at 10:00 AM, we will be presenting information about Canva. Canva is an exciting new design tool – it’s an intuitive and easy-to-use program that allows people without graphic design degrees to produce great-looking greeting cards, presentations, newsletters, and social media posts. If you want to use Canva to explore more of your creative side, this class is for you. Please contact Dan Braun, Senior Services Manager, at (920) 232-5300 for more information about the Oshkosh Seniors Center. You may find the Center’s program newsletter on our webpage. https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/SeniorServices/. 6. FIRE DEPARTMENT CONDUCTS PERFORMANCE DRILLS: The Oshkosh Fire Department performed company performance drills on hose-line deployment on August 21st, 22nd, and 23rd at the UW-Oshkosh campus. In this drill, companies were faced with arriving at a simulated automobile fire on the upper level of a parking garage. Companies arrived and positioned the apparatus to the best advantage. They provided a size-up to determine appropriate strategies and tactics. They deployed hose lines to access the fire area and flow water to extinguish the fire. Companies were in full personal protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus. 7. FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES PROMOTION: The Oshkosh Fire Department congratulates Battalion Chief Aaron Droessler for his promotion to Division Chief of EMS. 8. NEW SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING: Staff from Oshkosh Media were on hand to document the groundbreaking of a new school on the city’s east side. Menominee Elementary School broke ground on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Representatives from the Oshkosh Area School District, City of Oshkosh, Winnebago County, the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, and other local dignitaries were also in attendance to celebrate the event. To see coverage of the groundbreaking, click here to view the video on the Oshkosh Media YouTube page. For more information, contact Media Services Coordinator Jake Timm at (920) 236-5261. 9. 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/ 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. LOOKING AHEAD: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of August 28th include the following: on Monday at 9:00 AM, I will be meeting with staff to discuss inter- departmental cooperation on issues related to homelessness. On Tuesday at 9:30 AM, I will be meeting with staff and representatives of the various sanitary districts regarding our master sewer agreement; at 3:00 PM, I will be meeting with staff regarding a private road that is having challenges between the private owners; and at 5:00 PM, I will be attending the Council Budget Workshop. At 2:00 PM on Wednesday, I will be meeting with Fire Chief Stanley in advance of a meeting with various municipalities on Thursday evening regarding an updated contract for EMS services. I will be out of the office on a vacation day on Friday, September 1. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.