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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.08.24 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: November 8, 2024 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. BLACK BEAR WELCOMED AT MENOMINEE PARK ZOO: The Menominee Park Zoo announces the arrival of its newest resident, Mr. Reeves, a young black bear from Alaska. Mr. Reeves is taking residence at the new Black Bear and Fox Exhibit. Zoo staff worked with several accredited organizations to find a bear needing relocation. Mr. Reeves is a playful, pudgy, and mischievous 107-pound black bear who will soon turn one year old. In Alaska, he was considered a nuisance bear, which means he lost his fear of humans and started to associate with people as suppliers of food. These bears can be dangerous to the public, and relocation was the best solution for this young Alaskan black bear. The recently constructed bear exhibit has all the features a bear needs to thrive in captivity and call home. The new exhibit includes many enrichment elements, such as a water feature, hollowed logs, and a den. Mr. Reeves will grow to be as much as 500 pounds and may live 30 years or more in captivity. His favorite foods are tender roots, vegetables, tubers, fish, berries, fruit, and nuts. Mr. Reeve’s personality is very engaging and we look forward to the public having the opportunity to get to know him. In anticipation of his popularity, the Menominee Park Zoo has extended its season to be open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm, now through December 30, 2024. The Zoo will not be open on weekends or holidays. Admission is free. We thank Tom and Penny Harenburg for their continued support of the Zoo and the addition of the Bear and Fox Exhibit. Questions about the new black bear and Menominee Park Zoo may directed to Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director, at (920)236-5080. 2. “WELCOME TO OSHKOSH” GATEWAY SIGNS TO BE REFRESHED: The final component of the roundabout rejuvenation project is modifying the lower bases of the “Welcome to Oshkosh” gateway signs. Improving the look of the lower bases is part of the beautification project that the City partnered with the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation to complete. The project goals have been to improve first impressions of our community and to make it easier for Parks Department staff to maintain the landscaping surrounding the roundabouts. The new, blue metal wrap for the sign bases will replace the weathered faux stone bases. A rendering of this improvement is shown at right. Also as part of this project, a fifth “Welcome to Oshkosh” sign that has been in storage will have the same blue metal wrap added to the base and will be installed on the City parcel northwest of the Murdock Ave./Jackson St. roundabout. Funding for this improvement is available from the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation as part of the roundabout rejuvenation project. The total cost for the entire project is approximately $25,500. If you have questions about the roundabout rejuvenation project or forestry-related topics, please contact Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920)236-5080. 3. 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: BID Board Board of Review Board of Zoning Appeals Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Landmarks Commission 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. 4. 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. 5. LOOKING AHEAD: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of November 11th include the following: on Monday at 9:00 a.m., I will attend the Veterans Day Ceremony at Oshkosh North High School; at 1:30 p.m., staff and I will meet with Winnebago County’s Housing Grants Specialist, Lu Scheer, to discuss issues related to homelessness; and at 2:30 p.m., staff and I will meet with a consultant to discuss services they may be able to provide us with respect to improving financial processes with the Library and other departments. On Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., I will attend the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce’s Community Sounding Board meeting, and at 9:30 a.m., I will meet with Transportation Director Collins and Oshkosh Area School District leadership to discuss our student transportation agreement. On Wednesday, I will participate in the Chamber’s Leadership Oshkosh Government Day before traveling to Milwaukee for Wisconsin Policy Forum’s Salute to Local Government event. On Thursday at 7:30 a.m., I will attend Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Committee meeting, and at 3:00 p.m., I will meet with staff regarding facility space needs. I will be out of the office on Friday. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.