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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.13.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: October 13, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. WISCONSIN STREET PARKING DISCUSSED WITH TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: Council received a petition at its September 26th meeting regarding parking along Wisconsin Street, which the Transportation Committee reviewed at its October 10th meeting. The request was to allow parking on both sides of Wisconsin Street from New York Avenue to Bent Avenue. This section of road was reconstructed this year, and the reconstruction plan maintained the same level of on-street parking as prior to construction, which allowed for parking on the west side of the street only. Wisconsin Street, from the bridge to its terminus, is in the City’s Bike and Pedestrian Plan as a bike route. Although physically possible to allow for parking on both sides, doing so would make passage along the road very tight, allowing only 20’ for vehicular and bicycle traffic in an area that does see parking demand from the University and other users. After considerable citizen input through email and in person, the Transportation Committee did not support the request to allow parking on both sides of the street (5-0); therefore, the request will not be coming to Council from the Committee. The Committee agreed with staff’s recommendation to install shared-lane markings, or sharrows, indicating a bike route on this section of the road and to work to continue to install bike facilities on Wisconsin Street per the City’s Bike and Pedestrian Plan. If you have any questions about this, please contact Transportation Director Jim Collins at (920) 232-5342. 2. UNITED WAY GRANT FUNDS ACCESS TO JOBS PROGRAM: GO Transit applied for and was awarded a grant to continue to offer expanded eligibility for their Access to Jobs Program (ATJ). ATJ is a demand-response cab ride for the purpose of going to and from work. It is intended to assist low-income individuals with transportation needs related to employment. Previously, Oshkosh residents earning 225% or less of the federal poverty level were qualified for service; this grant reduces the income requirement so that those earning 275% or less of the federal poverty level qualify. The program is designed to allow low-income individuals working 30 hours a week or more to access their employment site when the bus is not in service or when the walking distance from the bus stop is not reasonable. The program provided 753 rides per month to city residents last year. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Transportation Director Jim Collins at (920) 232-5342. 3. OFD INSPECTS SMOKE DETECTORS ON SOUTH SIDE: In recognition of National Fire Prevention Week this past week, the Oshkosh Fire Department canvassed a south-side neighborhood and offered to check residences for working smoke detectors. The boundaries for this project were in the neighborhood bordered by South Park Avenue and 16th Avenue (north/south) and South Main Street and Ohio Street (east/west). If the number of smoke detectors in each home was less than ideal, or if the batteries were missing or non-functional, our firefighters either installed detectors or replaced batteries at no charge to the homeowner. This event took place October 9th – 11th from 4:30 – 6:00 PM. All of the funding for this project comes from donations with no city tax dollars being used. In the 10 years that the Oshkosh Fire Department has been doing this program, they have installed almost 800 detectors and over 900 batteries. 4. HALLOWEEN EVENTS MOVE TO LEACH AMPHITHEATER: The Oshkosh Parks Department will be moving two upcoming special events to the Leach Amphitheater due to ongoing road construction taking place in Menominee Park. Brews at the Leach is a Halloween craft brew party on Friday, October 20th from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with FREE admission. Conscious Pilot will be rocking the stage. The event features local craft beers, food trucks, and live music. Costumes are encouraged, and prizes will be awarded. It’s a great night out for the adults. The next day, on October 21st, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, is Zooloween Boo. Bring the kids to trick-or-treat throughout the Leach Amphitheater grounds. Community volunteers and businesses will line the Leach Amphitheater with treat stations and games. Families can expect costume contests, games, food trucks, and family entertainment. We recommend that you purchase your Zooloween Boo tickets in advance at the Oshkosh Parks Department office (805 Witzel Ave) or online at https://tinyurl.com/bdezxk2z. On the event day, tickets will be available at the gate. Please do not purchase tickets from unknown sources. Zooloween Boo Ticket prices: Age 13 years and older: $5 Children (2-12 years): $3 Infants (1 year and under): FREE For updates about Oshkosh Parks Department events, follow the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OshkoshParks. If you have additional questions, please call the Oshkosh Parks Department at (920) 236-5080. 5. FINANCE DIRECTOR AND CITY MANAGER RECENTLY RECOGNIZED BY ICMA: Recently, Finance Director Russ Van Gompel and I attended the International City/County Management Association (ICMA)’s annual conference in Austin, Texas, where we were each recognized with a Local Government Service Award for 40 years of public service in local government. It was very meaningful experience for me, not only because I received the award alongside a current colleague, but also because one of my former assistants from my time serving in California was on stage to congratulate me in her current role as a vice president in ICMA. 6. GET INVOLVED IN A BOARD OR COMMISSION: If you are interested in serving your community, please consider becoming a member of one of the City’s citizen advisory board, commissions or committees. There are a number of openings, including on the following: Board of Zoning Appeals; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; Landmarks Commission; and Plan Commission. To learn more about the boards and commissions, or to complete an application to serve, follow the link below: 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 October 16th include the following: On Monday at 8:00 AM, I will attend the Joint Review Board meeting, at which the Board will review the annual report of Tax Increment Districts (TIDs) as required by state law. At 4:00 PM, I will attend the Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation’s (GO-EDC) celebration marking the 5th anniversary of Oshkosh’s Transload Terminal. On Tuesday at 8:00 AM, I will attend the Business Improvement District (BID) Board meeting to discuss their request for $100,000 in City funding for the BID using property taxes. I am not recommending this request. Wednesday through Friday, I will be attending the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Annual Conference in Green Bay. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.