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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.15.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: September 15, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. CLEARWELLS PROJECT BEING REVIEWED BY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: At Monday’s Advisory Parks Board (APB) meeting, the APB heard from staff regarding the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Clearwells Aesthetics (Committee) on design issues immediately outside of the water filtration plant, which came up during a discussion of the design for the Clearwells building. The APB also heard from a representative of the Committee regarding recommendations for Lake Shore Drive and the park area immediately outside of the water filtration plant grounds along Lake Winnebago. The Committee had recommended a design that would eliminate approximately 25 (16 in the southern portion of Lake Shore Drive and 9 in the northern portion) parking spaces from the area immediately along the lake. The Committee argued that there needed to be more landscaping in the immediate area and advocated for the elimination of the parking spaces in favor of greater landscaping. Parks staff and members of the local fishing community pointed out that the elimination of these parking spaces would have a significant, negative impact on the surrounding area, as more vehicle and trailer parking would need to be moved into the surrounding neighborhoods if parking spaces are eliminated in this area. The APB also discussed planning for a new and improved beach bathhouse, which would increase the need for parking in the area. After discussion, the APB unanimously recommend the design that retained parking along the southern portion of Lake Shore Drive. Meanwhile, during their September 19th meeting, Plan Commission will be providing comments on the elevations and exterior building materials, but there will not be any formal action taken. Because the Committee was divided on building materials, designs, and elevations for the Clearwells building, staff believes that it would be appropriate for Council to decide these items; however, we hope that during their September 19th meeting, Plan Commission will be able to provide input on the options for Council to consider. With that said, please be reminded that maintaining a rectangular tank design, rather than circular tanks, will cost the City approximately $4 million more. The Public Service Commission must still determine if the additional $4 million cost should be borne by the Water Utility or by the City. Once the site plan and building elevations are finalized, the plan will be submitted to the Plan Commission, who will complete the architectural review for city buildings and review the full site plan. It will then go the Council for the final zoning approval. Both the Advisory Parks Board and the Plan Commission have different areas of jurisdiction for this project. The site plan, building elevations and building materials fall within the jurisdiction of the Plan Commission, while the street and landscaping design in the park falls within the jurisdiction of the APB; therefore, the Plan Commission is not being asked to comment on the street and park design, as these are not within their jurisdiction of site plan review. Members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Clearwells Aesthetics are attending meetings for both the APB and the Plan Commission to advocate for both site interior and exterior design issues, but the jurisdictions between the APB and Plan Commission are clearly defined. Recommendations from the various Boards and Commissions regarding design, building materials and elevations will be coming to the Council at their September 26th meeting for direction to staff. Meanwhile, if you have any questions regarding these issues, please contact Public Works Director James Rabe, or Parks Director Ray Maurer. 2. OSHKOSH BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) REQUESTING CITY FUNDS: City staff recently met with representatives from the Oshkosh BID to review their 2024 Annual Budget and Operating Plan. The Common Council is required to approve the BID’s operating plan, annual budget, as well as the BID’s separate property assessment, which is a separate tax on all BID properties to carry out its plan. During the meeting, BID representatives approved their plan with no increase in their annual assessment; instead, they indicated that they would like to request $100,000 from the City as part of the City’s 2024 Operating Budget to help fund another BID employee, assist with costs related to creating a non-profit and help with maintenance costs. The BID provided some statistics about how other cities support their BIDs. What has never been assembled by our staff is the significant costs already assumed by the City to support the BID, including staff support from Community Development and Police for BID meetings, parking costs recently assumed by the City that were previously funded by the BID assessment, as well as other items such as special street sweeping and snow removal from the BID. Staff is assembling these costs at the direction of the City Manager and will be prepared to provide this to Council as needed. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Community Development Kelly Nieforth. 3. OPD RECOGNIZES RECENT RETIREES: On Tuesday, September 12, 2023, during a Police and Fire Commission meeting, the Oshkosh Police Department presented retirement shadow boxes to retired Captain Kevin Konrad and Sergeant Todd Wrage. We also want to recognize retired Officer Randy Johnson, who will be presented with his shadow box at a future date. Thank you for your exceptional dedication and service to the Oshkosh Police Department and to the City of Oshkosh. We wish you all the very best for a happy and healthy retirement! • Captain Kevin Konrad retired on May 1, 2023. Captain Konrad proudly served the Oshkosh Police Department and the City of Oshkosh for 33 years, serving the last 2 ½ years as Captain of the Operations Bureau, which is comprised of the Patrol Division and the Criminal Investigation Division. During his tenure with the Department, he served as a Patrol Officer; Police School Liaison Officer; Crime Prevention Sergeant; Patrol Sergeant; Professional Standards Division Lieutenant, where he served for 8 years as the Department’s Accreditation Manager; and Patrol Lieutenant. Captain Konrad served as a Field Training Officer and a member of the Mobile Field Force and SWAT Teams. He was also a dedicated member of the Honor Guard Team for 28 years. • Sergeant Todd Wrage retired on February 21, 2023, after proudly serving the Oshkosh Police Department and the City of Oshkosh for 29 years. During his tenure with the Department, he performed the duties of Patrol Officer, Patrol Sergeant, as well as the Department’s Sergeant of Professional Development/Training, a role he served in for 12 years. Throughout his career, he served as a Field Training Officer and a member of the Bike Patrol Unit, SWAT Team, and Mobile Field Force Team. • Officer Randy Johnson retired on February 8, 2023. Officer Johnson proudly served the Oshkosh Police Department and the City of Oshkosh for 25 years. During his tenure with the Department, he served as a Patrol Officer, K9 Officer and, most recently, a Vice and Narcotics Unit Investigator. Throughout his career, he also served as a Field Training Officer, a member of the Mobile Field Force Team and a Department Armorer. 4. MARK YOUR CALENDAR – SEPTEMBER 19TH IS NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY: National Voter Registration Day is a national holiday celebrating our democracy. It was first observed in 2012 and has been growing in popularity every year. This year’s National Voter Registration Day will take place on September 19, 2023. The National Voter Registration Day organization wants to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote. More than 300,000 Americans registered to vote on the inaugural day of the observance in 2012. That number jumped to 800,000 in 2018. The day helps to ensure eligible voters register in their districts each year. Are you a registered voter? Still have questions? Visit MYVote Wisconsin at https://myvote.wi.gov/ OR scan the QR Code: 5. MUSEUM GEARING UP FOR BUSY FIELD TRIP SEASON: As the Oshkosh Area School District’s 2023-2024 academic year gets started, the Oshkosh Public Museum (OPM) is busy preparing for a bustling fall field trip season! All third graders in the Oshkosh Area School District visit the Museum as part of their social studies curriculum. Field trips explore the Museum’s award-winning People of the Waters exhibition, helping to bring students’ classroom learning to life. To prepare for these nearly 600 third graders, OPM recently welcomed a part-time Education Coordinator, Kimberly Straus, to join Curator of Education Neal Matherne. The Museum’s growing Education Program is set to welcome more students than ever before on field trips in the 2023-2024 academic year. 6. SAVE THE DATE FOR THE MUSEUM’S SECOND-ANNUAL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION, OCTOBER 28TH: The Museum will host its second-annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration on Saturday, October 28th. This event, held on the Museum grounds, will feature a community ofrenda (altar) and traditional mariachi and dance from Ballet Folklórico Xanharati, as well as food and fun for the entire family. Plus, enjoy two free community showings of Disney Pixar’s Coco at the Time Community Theater downtown. The Museum will also welcome the community with free admission on Saturday, October 28th, thanks to Marigold Sponsor The Taqueria. Don't miss out on this unique cultural experience and join us as we celebrate the rich traditions and customs of Día de los Muertos. 7. GET INVOLVED IN A BOARD OR COMMISSION: 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/ 8. 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/ 9. LOOKING AHEAD: Throughout the week of September 18th, I will be wrapping up the operating budget review process, meeting with department heads, staff and the finance department. The other meetings of note for the week include the following: On Sunday afternoon, I will be attending the Vel Phillips Middle School dedication. On Monday at 7:30 AM, I will attend Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Committee meeting. On Tuesday at 9:00 AM, I will attend a meeting of the Winnebagoland Housing Coalition, and at 11:00 AM, I will meet with Finance Director Russ Van Gompel to review American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects. On Thursday at 11:00 AM, I will attend the Wisconsin City/County Management Association’s Region 3 meeting. At 4:00 PM, I will be going to Elkhart Lake to greet the new Leadership Oshkosh class at their retreat. On Friday at 9:00 AM, I will meet with State Representative Lori Palmeri, and then will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the expansion of the Boys & Girls Club at 11:30 AM. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.