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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.11.25 Newsletter : TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Rebecca Grill, City Manager DATE: July 11, 2025 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! The Oshkosh Public Library is inviting the Oshkosh community to share feedback about their experiences with the library and what they would like to see OPL offer in the future. This important input will help to guide ongoing improvements to services, programs and spaces. Whether you visit the library often or haven’t been here in years, we would like to hear from you. The survey takes about five minutes and can be taken online at bit.ly/OPL_Survey, or via the pop-up link at oshkoshlibrary.org. Paper copies are also available at the library. Surveys need to be completed by July 22. We appreciate the continued support of the Oshkosh community and hope that you’ll take a few moments to let us know how the library could better meet your needs in the future. Thank you! 2. CITY PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS EVENT SEASON: There’s always something going on in Oshkosh, and the “Let’s Talk Events” podcast is bringing that message to the community. Oshkosh Media’s Andy Radig and the City’s Special Events Coordinator, Kathy Snell, team up about once a month to record a new episode that serves as a one-stop-shop for city events. July’s episode includes info about the Music on Main concert series, Brews by the Waterside, fishing events Lake Winnebago, and of course, EAA AirVenture. Click here to listen to the July episode of “Let’s Talk Events” or find it by searching “Oshkosh Media podcasts” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Contact Media Services Coordinator Jake Timm at 920-236-5261 for more information. 3. PSC ISSUES AUTHORIZATION TO CONSTRUCT CLEARWELLS: On June 30, 2025, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) issued their Final Decision authorizing the City of Oshkosh to proceed with construction of the Clearwell Replacement Project at the Water Filtration Plant. That decision went into effect on July 1, 2025. The Final Decision includes a finding of fact that states “Completion of the proposed project would not provide facilities unreasonably in excess of the applicant’s probable future requirements.” This finding indicates the PSC has approved the entire project cost to be recovered by Water Utility Rates, and is not requiring a contribution from another funding source. This approval is the culmination of over a decade of work between the Department of Public Works staff and our consulting engineering team, with countless workshops and public meetings. Now that this approval has been received, the design team can get to work on getting the plans and specifications ready for bidding. The design team needs to incorporate all comments from the reviewing agencies during their review, and obtain final permits. There were some permits that had been applied for, but were withdrawn due to the length of the PSC review. Please contact Director of Public Works James Rabe or Assistant Director of Public Works / Utilities General Manager Steve Gohde with any questions. 4. START OF CONSTRUCTION FOR UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS AND STREET RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: The City of Oshkosh would like to notify residents that construction is beginning on two projects: a. Contract 25-12 (Water Main Replacements, Various Locations): The general contractor for the Water Main Replacements – Various Locations Project is David Tenor Corporation (DTC). DTC plans to begin construction on July 10th. The purpose of this project is to reconstruct water main, water lateral relays, and concrete patch work on North Lark Street from Witzel Avenue to Southland Avenue, Faust Avenue from North Lark Street to North Sawyer Street, National Avenue from North Lark Street to North Sawyer Street, and work in the North Sawyer Street and Witzel Avenue intersection. Water main and corresponding laterals will be replaced as needed, along with replacing concrete pavement in disturbed areas. Expected phases of construction: o North Lark Street (Witzel Avenue to Southland Avenue) – Starts July 10th. o Faust Avenue (North Lark Street to North Sawyer Street) – Estimated start date of August 11th. o National Avenue (North Lark Street to North Sawyer Street) – Estimated start date of September 2nd. All of the work in these phases is weather dependent. The substantial completion date for this project is October 31st. b. Contract 25-04 (Bay Shore Drive and Bay Street Reconstruction): The general contractor for the Bay Shore Drive and Bay Street Reconstruction Project is Carl Bowers and Sons Construction (Bowers). Bowers plans to begin construction on Bay Shore Drive the week of July 14th. Construction on Bay Street will begin a few weeks later. The purpose of this project is to reconstruct Bay Street, from Bay Shore Drive to the Fox River, and Bay Shore Drive, from Broad Street to Mill Street. Sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, and corresponding laterals will be installed, replaced, or repaired, as needed, and any electrical work will be completed prior to placing new concrete pavement, sidewalks on Bay Shore Drive, driveway aprons, and landscaping. All of the work is weather dependent. Expected phases of construction: o Bay Street (Bay Shore Drive to the Fox River) and the Broad Street Outfall (Bay Shore Drive to the Fox River) ▪ Construction Window = Seven (7) Consecutive Weeks. o Bay Shore Drive (Broad Street to Mill Street) ▪ Construction Window = Ten (10) Consecutive Weeks. The substantial completion date for this project is October 24th. If you would like to sign up for e-mailed construction updates for these or any other current projects, please visit our Public Works Email Distribution Lists webpage and follow the instructions found there. If you have any questions, please contact Construction Management Supervisor, Craig Ramthun. 5. WEST 15TH AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION UPDATE: The reconstruction of West 15th Avenue is nearing completion. The contractor intends to complete the construction and clean-up work this week. Provided the weather cooperates, West 15th Avenue, from Ohio Street to Oregon Street, is scheduled to open by the end of the day, Friday, July 11th. Tree installation is scheduled to be done in the near future. If you have any questions, please contact Construction Management Supervisor, Craig Ramthun. 6. OFD WELCOMES NEW STAFF: The Oshkosh Fire Department would like to welcome their newest firefighters, Levi Eifolla and Jake Ketter, who started with OFD on Monday, July 7th. 7. 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 Landmarks Commission Long Range Finance Committee Plan Commission Transportation Committee 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, by email (kzuercher@oshkoshwi.gov) or call 920-236-5002.