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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.31.24 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: May 31, 2024 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. STAFFING ISSUES AFFECTING PEER COMMUNITIES’ TRANSIT SERVICE: Staffing and recruiting issues are impacting peer transit agencies’ evaluation of fixed route service hours, as well as holiday and weekend service. Valley Transit, operated by the City of Appleton, is currently seeking public input on reducing their fixed route service hours and supplementing the service with “micro-transit/shared ride taxi service” after 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Valley Transit is also not running over the July 4th weekend. They will be closed July 4th, 5th and 6th to allow staff time to recover. As Council is aware, recruiting and retaining employees is increasingly challenging for many organizations and industries, and the Oshkosh Transportation Department is not immune from this challenge. GO Transit currently has 3 operator positions vacant that they are working diligently to fill. While GO Transit is not looking at reducing service or hours, the challenges facing our peer communities are a good reminder of how important adequate staffing is in meeting the needs of our own community. GO Transit will not be running on July 4th, but will return to regular service July 5th and 6th. To learn more about the changes proposed by Valley Transit, click HERE for the WBAY Action 2 News article. If you have any questions about GO Transit’s service, please visit GO Transit’s website at https://www.oshkoshwi.gov/Transit/ or contact Transportation Director Jim Collins. 2. OFD INSTALLS STUDENT ARTWORK AT STATION 17: The Oshkosh Fire Department continues to partner with Read Elementary School on fun and innovative projects. Over the last few weeks, the students in 3rd grade have been painting firefighting-themes on ceiling tiles. This week, the tiles were installed at Station 17, which is their neighborhood fire station. This project was capped off by the students coming to visit the station, see their artwork and meet the firefighters. Some photos have been included below, and you can find the Fire Department’s post about this collaboration on the OFD Facebook page. 3. OPD WELCOMES NEW OFFICERS AND STAFF: On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, during a Police and Fire Commission meeting, the Oshkosh Police Department celebrated the hiring of six new police officers, four of whom were Oshkosh Police Cadets: Garrett Dahms, Jeffrey Pennings, Zachary Radde, and Olivia Riley joined the Oshkosh Police Department as cadets on January 10, 2024. They completed their Wisconsin Law Enforcement Certification on May 17, 2024, through Fox Valley Technical College. Justin Krull and Elizabeth Lozano completed their Wisconsin Law Enforcement Certification on May 14, 2024, through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Congratulations and welcome to the OPD team! • Garrett Dahms is originally from Omro, Wisconsin, graduating from Omro High School in 2020. In June 2020, Garrett enlisted in the United States Army Reserves where he has been actively serving as a military police officer. Garrett attended Fox Valley Technical College, earning his associate degree in criminal justice in December 2023. Prior to becoming a police officer, Garrett was employed by the Oshkosh Police Department as a community service officer. • Jeffrey Pennings is originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, graduating from Neenah’s St. Mary’s Catholic High School in 2020. Jeffrey enlisted in the United States Army Reserves where he has been actively serving as a military police officer since January 2021. Jeffrey attended the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in Spanish in December 2023. Prior to becoming a police officer, Jeffrey was employed as a residence advisor and an ambassador for the criminal justice program while attending college. • Olivia Riley is originally from Franklin, Wisconsin, where she graduated from Franklin High School in 2021. Olivia attended Fox Valley Technical College, earning her associate degree in criminal justice in January 2024. Prior to becoming a police officer, Olivia was employed as a community service officer with the Oshkosh Police Department. • Zachary Radde is originally from Downer’s Grove, Illinois, graduating from Downer’s Grove South High School in 2015. Zachary attended the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh where he earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in June 2019. In March 2020, Zachary completed the Jail Officer Training Academy at Fox Valley Technical College. Zachary was previously employed as a corrections deputy with the Winnebago County Jail prior to becoming a police officer. • Justin Krull is originally from Nichols, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Seymour Community High School in 2017. Justin attended Fox Valley Technical College, earning an associate degree in criminal justice in December 2022. Prior to becoming a police officer, Justin was employed in various service industry jobs. • Elizabeth Lozano is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she attended Green Bay West High School. Elizabeth Lozano was employed by Guardian Life as an onboarding specialist prior to becoming a police officer. The Oshkosh Police Department also welcomed the hiring of Records & Reports Clerk Danielle Barger on May 28, 2024. Congratulations and welcome to the OPD team! • Danielle Barger currently resides in Oshkosh, WI. She graduated in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh with a bachelor’s degree in education. Prior to becoming a records and reports clerk, Danielle was previously employed with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. 4. ATTACHMENT: Oshkosh Public Library Calendar of Events for June 2024 5. 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 boards, commissions, or committees. There are current openings on the following boards and commissions: Board of Review Board of Zoning Appeals Long Range Finance Committee Plan Commission Sustainability Advisory Board To learn more about the boards and commissions, or to complete an application to serve, follow this link: oshkoshwi.gov/BoardsAndCommissions/. If you have questions about current openings, please contact the City Manager’s Administrative Assistant, Kami Zuercher, at (920) 236-5002 or kzuercher@oshkoshwi.gov. 6. 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: onboard.oshkoshwi.gov/ 7. LOOKING AHEAD: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of June 3rd include the following: much of the day on Monday through Thursday will be spent meeting with departments to discuss their proposed 2025-2034 capital improvement projects (CIPs). On Friday at 11:00 a.m., I will meet with a consultant for the Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation (GO-EDC) to discuss feedback on their economic development plans for the greater Oshkosh area. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.