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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.16.24 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: August 16, 2024 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. GO TRANSIT’S SPACE NEEDS ASSESSMENT IS COMPLETE: As reported in an earlier newsletter, GO Transit received a federal planning grant to assess and plan for current and future facility needs, which aligns with the City’s goal to assess, plan for and budget for facilities City-wide. The GO Transit Administration and Garage Facility Space Needs Assessment is now complete and available for review. GO Transit’s administrative and maintenance facility is currently housed at 926 Dempsey Trail, along with the City’s Electric, Signs, and Street Painting Divisions. The facility was built as the Oshkosh Municipal Incinerator in 1968. The City’s Transportation Department moved to the facility in the early 1980s and has done a good job making the facility functional. However, the study is demonstrating that the facility is inadequate to meet the Department’s current needs and has no room for growth. If you have not toured the Transportation Department, I encourage you to do so. It is anticipated that the study can be used as a basis to apply for future federal grant funding opportunities. If you have any questions about this study, please contact Transportation Director Jim Collins. 2. INVESTMENTS IN PRESERVATION SAFEGUARD MUSEUM: In consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office, exterior masonry work on the Historic Sawyer Home’s chimneys and gables has been completed. This important preservation work will continue this fall as deteriorated portions are repaired. Additional preservation activities will continue on the historic veranda, where damaged limestone will be restored. The vital preservation work taking place at the Museum will allow future generations of the public to enjoy and appreciate this treasured Oshkosh landmark. OPM is celebrating its centennial in 2024. As the original home and cornerstone of the Museum, the Historic Sawyer Home is a critical aspect of the Museum’s legacy and mission here in Oshkosh. It’s also a world-class treasure: the Sawyer Home is the last remaining publicly accessible original commission of interior design by the prestigious Tiffany Studios worldwide. If you have any questions about the preservation work, please contact Museum Director Anna Cannizzo. 3. 2024 EAA AIRVENTURE BREAKS RECORDS: This year’s EAA AirVenture broke multiple records, and organizers are considering the 71st anniversary aviation event a success. Approximately 686,000 people, representing 98 countries, attended AirVenture in Oshkosh, with 861 exhibitors. This breaks the previous record set in 2023 of 677,000 attendees. In addition, more than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. The build-up alone for this year’s convention suggested Oshkosh was in for more record numbers, especially after the ever-popular Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds made an early commitment to fly at AirVenture. The Frecce Tricolori, the military aerobatic team representing the Italian Air Force, was also a huge draw, while the crowds turned out to greet Miss America Madison Marsh, an active member of the U.S. Air Force. In addition, attendees were wowed by the state-of-the-art drone shows on Wednesday and Saturday nights. The City of Oshkosh Fire Department was happy to serve the community, and they look forward to seeing everyone next year! 4. OFD WELCOMES NEW FIREFIGHTERS: The Oshkosh Fire Department welcomes their newest firefighters, Christian Durkin and Isaac Zilles, who started on August 12th. They will begin their Fire Academy training in the middle of the month. 5. NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: On Tuesday, August 6th, organizers from 21 neighborhoods hosted block parties with activities, food, and friendship in celebration of National Night Out. Held on the first Tuesday of every August, National Night Out brings neighbors together with law enforcement to promote positive police and community partnerships in an effort to make our neighborhoods safer places to live. Several members of the Oshkosh Police Department and Oshkosh Auxiliary Police visited with neighbors throughout the evening. Our specialty teams – SWAT, Drone, K9 Unit, Motorcycle Unit, and our Command and Community Outreach Vehicle (CCOV) – provided demonstrations for participants. We want to thank all of the event organizers and neighbors who worked hard to make this National Night Out such a success. We look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s event, which will be held on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. 6. POLICE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS: The Police Lights of Christmas kickoff event was held at Culver’s for both lunch and dinner on Tuesday, August 13th, with Police supervisors and officers participating in the fundraising event. All proceeds from the event go directly to the Lights of Christmas NE Wisconsin to purchase gift cards for patrol officers in our communities to hand out to citizens in need during the winter and Christmas season. It was a great time and we enjoyed seeing community members and their families. We want to express our sincere appreciation to Culver’s for sponsoring this event, as well as to everyone who generously donated to this great cause. 7. OPD HAPPENINGS: During a Police and Fire Commission meeting on Tuesday, August 6th, Police Cadet Kaylee Raabe was hired as a police officer. Kaylee is originally from Onalaska, Wisconsin, where she graduated from Luther High School in 2020. She earned her associate degree in criminal justice in May 2023 from Western Technical College in La Crosse. On March 25, 2024, Kaylee was hired as police cadet and was enrolled in the Fox Valley Technical College Recruit Academy. She completed her Wisconsin Law Enforcement Certification on August 2, 2024. Prior to becoming a police officer, Kaylee was employed as an armed security officer with Paragon. Congratulations, and welcome to the OPD team! On August 12, 2024, the Police Department said goodbye to Detective II Dean Artus, who retired after proudly serving the Department and the City of Oshkosh for more than 32 years. During his tenure with the Department, he performed the duties of a patrol officer and was promoted to the rank of detective in 1995, where he has served for the past 29 years of his career. Detective Artus has been a member of the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force since August 2020, and has served as a MEG Unit investigator, a Drug Task Force investigator, a background investigator, and a member of the SWAT, Mobile Field Force, and Crash Investigation Teams. Throughout his career, he has received a Department Commendation Medal in 2007; Commendation Letters in 2004, 2014, and 2015; Department Commendation Awards in 2018 and 2019; Noteworthy Performance of Duty Awards in 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2023; a Police Officer of the Year Award in 2016; a Community Service Award in 2019; and numerous letters of recognition and Supervisor Logs for his commendable actions in the line of duty. We sincerely thank Detective Artus for his exceptional service and dedication to the Oshkosh Police Department and to the City of Oshkosh. Congratulations on your retirement Dean; we wish you the very best for a happy and healthy retirement! On Thursday, August 15, 2024, Sade Cortes joined the Oshkosh Police Department as a new part-time parking control officer. Sade currently resides in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Prior to becoming a parking control officer, Sade was most recently employed with Spectrum Cable Company. Congratulations, and welcome to the team! 8. 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 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Long Range Finance Committee Plan Commission Sustainability Advisory Board To learn more about the boards and commissions, or to complete an application to serve, visit our boards and commissions webpage. If you have questions about current openings, please contact the City Manager’s Executive Assistant, Kami Zuercher, at (920) 236-5002 or kzuercher@oshkoshwi.gov. 9. AGENDAS AND MINUTES FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Upcoming board and commission meeting agendas can be found on our Meeting Notices web page. All meeting minutes are uploaded to the City’s page for boards and commissions upon approval. 10. LOOKING AHEAD: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of August 19th include: on Monday at 3:00 p.m., I will meet with staff to discuss facility project updates. On Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., I will meet with Fire Chief Stanley to prepare for the in-meeting workshop planned for the August 27th Council meeting regarding the contract for EMS services outside of the city. On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., I will meet with Finance staff to prepare for the second budget workshop on August 28th, and at 1:00 p.m., I will attend the League of Wisconsin Municipalities’ Executive Committee meeting. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.