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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.09.26 Newsletter : TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Rebecca Grill, City Manager DATE: January 9, 2026 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. 2025 WAS A STANDOUT YEAR AT THE OSHKOSH PUBLIC MUSEUM! As we reflect on the remarkable achievements of 2025, we are filled with gratitude and inspiration. The support of donors, members, sponsors, volunteers, staff, artists, and visitors has enabled us to advance our mission to preserve and celebrate the vibrant history, art, and culture that unites us. Together, we are building a legacy for the future. • The traveling exhibition Tiffany Gardens in Glass, organized by the Neudstadt, directly drove the substantial increase in 2025 visitors and revenue at the Oshkosh Public Museum by attracting new audiences and broadening the museum’s appeal. • Thanks to this exhibition, visitor numbers grew by 258%. Funding from the Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant Program through Travel Wisconsin and strong marketing support from Discover Oshkosh were instrumental in this success. • Museum Store sales reached $51,252 (435% increase over 2024). The achievements were driven by a new merchandise mix featuring Tiffany-related items and a fresh strategy to stock the store with gift items not available at Target. • The 2025 stretch goal for membership subscriptions was $20,000, and at year-end, we reached $19,029. • Visitor admission revenue reached $64,775 (214% increase over 2024). • For the year, all revenue sources totaled $212,733, up from $188,936 in 2024. As we enter 2026 as part of the new Cultural and Enrichment Services Department, we are excited to continue this momentum. For questions, please contact Anna Cannizzo, Director, at 920.236.5799. 2. ICE SKATING AT THE MENOMINEE PARK ZOO LAGOON CLOSED THROUGH WEEKEND: Due to the recent weather, ice skating at the Menominee Park Zoo Lagoon will be closed through the weekend (January 10th and 11th). The extended forecast for next weekend (17th and 18th) is looking favorable for rink improvements, and Park staff will update the status of the rink on January 16th. Check out the Oshkosh Parks Facebook page for the latest information. 3. PASSPORT PARKING UPDATE: The city has made a few changes over the last couple years to make city parking more efficient and effective, and has added new requested offerings. The city partnered with Passport Parking last year for parking permit sales and enforcement. Attached is a permit sales snapshot for 2025. Permit sales revenue for 2025 was almost identical to 2024 at approximately $63,000 The report shows that the vast majority of permits are now purchased online with a credit card. Previously, the majority were purchased in person. This demonstrates that the implementation of Passport Parking software has increased customer convenience and staff efficiency. Parking citation revenue was down slightly in 2025. Citation revenue was approximately $396,000 in 2025 vs. $438,000 in 2024. This was mostly due to a parking control officer staff shortage. However; the Passport software has made enforcement and reporting more efficient. Secondly, the city implemented sales of 24 hour leased stalls in city parking lots. A report is attached that shows 18 parking stalls have been leased under this program. Additionally, there are 62 stalls leased for daytime only. Leased parking stalls accounted for approximately $30,000 in revenue. There are still plenty of permit and leased parking stalls available. Finally, a reminder that the majority of parking stalls in city lots are still free 2-hour parking. If you have any questions about this, please contact, Transportation Director, Jim Collins. 4. AGENDA PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKS: Staff has been working on some internal process improvements related to the Common Council agenda; these improvements are designed to use staff time more efficiently and should allow us to publish the agenda more quickly for upcoming meetings, as the changes are implemented. While some of these will be invisible to Council and members of the public, you may notice some changes in upcoming agendas, such as changes to our ordinance and resolution numbering. Going forward, ordinances will be numbered separately from resolutions. In addition, they will not always appear on the agenda in numerical order. If you have any questions, either about the changes or about the agenda more generally, please reach out to the City Manager’s Office at citymgr@oshkoshwi.gov or 920-236-5002. 5. “REMARKABLE” ARPA GRANT RECIPIENT GRATEFUL FOR CITY SUPPORT: In July 2024, Council approved a grant to support Remarkable’s (formerly Lakeside Packaging Plus) vision to create an outdoor courtyard for their clients. Thanks to these grant funds, they were able to construct their courtyard in 2025. Attached is an update Remarkable recently shared with us about their progress and plans for the future. We are proud to support their impact in our community! 6. GET INVOLVED IN A BOARD OR COMMISSION: If you are interested in serving your community, 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 Landmarks Commission Plan Commission 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, the process of appointment, or need more information about a particular board, please contact the City Manager’s Executive Assistant, Kami Zuercher, by email (kzuercher@oshkoshwi.gov) or call (920) 236-5002. Permit Sales Snapshot Start Date is previous year Permit Count by Status active Permit Type Count of Permits 1 Annual Lot Parking 31 2 Annual Street Parking 95 3 Monthly Lot Permit 55 4 Monthly Street Parking 88 5 Municipal Vehicle 32 6 University Area Overnight Street Parking (1 Month)2 7 University Area Overnight Street Parking (9 Month)37 Permit Status Payments ∅ Payment Type Count of Permits 1 card 1,412 2 cash 176 3 check 51 4 credit 1 Permit Payment Source $63,322.66 Dollar Value Payment Source System Source Count of Permits 1 Web 266 2 Import 59 3 Back Office 15 Generated on January 7, 2026 at 1:16 PM PST Estimated QTR YEARLY Revenue Misc: Convention Center Lot 12,240.00$ 8th Avenue Lot - 132 W. 8th Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 25 26 9th Avenue Lot - 210 W. 10th Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 14 21 10th Avenue Lot - 133 W. 10th Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 28 29 30 P01 - 300 West Lot - 115 Algoma Blvd. Permit or Lease Stalls: 1 x 525.00$ 2 3 4 x 1,575.00$ 5 6 7 8 9 -$ 2 3 4 10 11 12 13 14 15 P03 - 400 East Lot - 443 Jefferson Street Permit or Lease Stalls: 29 30 Harmony Wellness x 1,050.00$ 31 x 500.00$ 32 x 525.00$ 56 x 525.00$ 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 P05 - Grand South Lot - 125 High Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 66 67 P09 - Otter Lot - 115 Otter Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 5 6 x 720.00$ x 9,360.00$ 16 17 P10 - 200 East Lot - 205 State Street Permit or Lease Stalls: 24 25 26 27 x 2,100.00$ P11 - 200 West Lot - 10 Pearl Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 23 24 25 P12 - Recreation Department - 425 Division Street Permit or Lease Stalls: 25 26 27 28 **157.50$ P14 - State Lot - 306 State Street Permit or Lease Stalls: 4 P15 - 300 East Lot - 17 Washington Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 20 21 P16 - 400 West Lot - 17 Church Avenue Permit or Lease Stalls: 21 22 23 24 25 154 155 156 157 158 159 29,277.50$ updated 1/7/26 jew Art Haus US Postal Service Rusch Properties TERM Mojo's - Sara Brewer INTI Invetments LLC - Michael Goudreau 26 stalls Winnebago County Reserved ($9360) 34 stalls Winnebago County Reserved ($12,240) LEASE AUDIT BY LOT Franki Moscato Foundation Jenna Nourse Stall 25 - short term lease/resident did not renew term OPD Staff Parking Availablefor Lease Term Leased -24 hrs Leased-Daytime only Oshkosh Courtyard: Project Update Prior to the project... Our clients were able to get outside, but conditions were not ideal. We would transport portable tables, chairs, and supplies through our warehouse to the side parking lot. With the dumpsters, there were always a lot of bees buzzing around, and very little shade. However, our property on the north side of Oshkosh presented opportunity. We had green space on the east side of our facility that had potential for open-air space where our clients could enjoy activities, take breaks, and learn about concepts related to outdoor recreation, gardening, etc. Oshkosh Courtyard: Project Update (continued) In 2025... Left: We installed gutters to channel water way from the side lot. Center: We began excavating the land to prepare for concrete walkways. Right: We constructed a pavilion to provide shade for activities. Left: Gravel walkways, plants, and sod were installed, completing the main components of the project. Using the Courtyard We held a community art festival in June as an initial celebration of the project’s (near) completion. Our clients LOVE Halloween, and they created a fun, spooky path to celebrate this holiday! We plan to start gardening in raisedbeds this spring in order to grow healthy produce that supports nutrition education for our youth and adult clients. Left: Our youth program participated in the summer art festival, displaying projects they created during our program. Center and Right: Groups of participants enjoy the fall weather, putting together a Halloween display in the courtyard. Thank you, City of Oshkosh, for supporting our project!