Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWeekly Newsletter Date: January 29, 2010 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: SNOW REMOVAL ENFORCEMENT 1.: Following the article in this week's Oshkosh Northwestern about the city's enforcement of snow removal regulations, we have received calls and questions from residents regarding the city's policy. You may recall that last year when staff proposed changes to the ordinance, the main focus and controversy centered upon the city's "grace period" for property owners to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks. After a great deal of discussion, the Council decided to maintain its current practice of a 24-hour grace period. What largely went unnoticed and/or undiscussed were two other provisions in the ordinance, specifically, placing the ultimate responsibility for snow and ice removal on the property owner, and clarifying that property owners are also responsible for snow removal at corners, and ramps at corners. Some of the calls that we've received over the past few days have been questions about the policy on removing snow from corners. Some residents are still under the mistaken belief that the city removes snow from corners. The reality is that we have been clearing snow from corners when we've notice violations, and we have billed the property owners accordingly. There are some who believe that city representatives have stated that the city continues to remove snow and ice from corners. Obviously, there is some confusion about something that may have been said in the past. It is quite clear in our ordinance that we did change our policy to clarify that snow and ice removal at corners is the responsibility of the property owner. I wanted Council to be aware of these comments in the event that you receive any calls or questions about this matter. As you know, one reason that the city no longer removes snow and ice from corners is that as we have reduced Public Works and Parks staff over the years, we had to let up on some services. The result is that snow and ice removal from corners is one of those services that was eliminated. If you have any questions about the policy, please contact Public Works Director Patek or me. Weekly Newsletter January 29, 2010 Page 2 HIGHWAY #41 RECONSTRUCTION UPDATE 2.: This week the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) held public meetings regarding the two bridge projects in Oshkosh this th year. The projects scheduled are the reconstruction of the bridges on Witzel Avenue and 20 Avenue over U.S. Highway #41. The DOT held one meeting for the business community and another meeting for the general public. The information at both meetings was essentially the th same. The DOT indicated that work on the 20 Avenue Bridge would begin approximately nd February 22. The idea is for bridge removal to take place the first three nights of th construction. As a result, U.S. Highway #41 will be closed, between 9 Avenue and South ndrdth Park Avenue, the evenings of February 22, 23, and 24, from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. These dates are subject to change based upon weather conditions and other factors. Similarly, work nd on the Witzel Avenue Bridge will begin approximately March 2. Along those lines, U.S. th Highway #41 will be closed between State Highway #21 and 9 Avenue during these same th hours. This, too, is subject to weather and other factors. The goal is for the 20 Avenue Bridge nd to be replaced and in operation on or about July 2. The Witzel Avenue project is due to be completed in September. The DOT will be providing informational updates to the public through the media as the project approaches and continues throughout the spring and summer. If you have any questions about these projects, please pass them along to Public Works and they will work with the DOT to get answers. OTHER 2010 ROAD CONSTRUCTION NEWS 3.: During this week's public meetings on U.S. Highway #41 construction projects, I had an opportunity to speak with DOT representatives about other projects that are coming up this summer. For reference, I am enclosing a portion of the DOT's U.S. Highway #41 Project Newsletter, which identifies projects in Winnebago County for 2010. In addition to the bridge replacements on Witzel and th 20 over Highway #41, the Jackson/Murdock roundabout is scheduled to begin at the beginning of April, with completion expected by the end of June. Meanwhile, as the Newsletter indicates, the ramps at U.S. Highway #41 and State Highway #76 will also be under construction during that time period. Additionally, as we all know, Main Street construction is scheduled to begin at about that same time and continue into the fall. For traffic traveling north th on U.S. Highway #45 through the city, the DOT will redirect traffic from Main Street to 9 Avenue, west to U.S. Highway #41, and back onto Highway #41 to bypass all of the construction zones in this area. There will be no formal detour route once these vehicles have crossed the bridges into the north side of the city. It is expected that vehicles that make it this far will be familiar enough with the area that they will have the ability to make their own detour route around these construction areas. Through our communication tools (cable TV, press releases, etc.), we will provide information to the public that they should be aware of these construction zones and encourage them to make alternative plans. Meanwhile, we continue to work with the DOT on other design issues related to U.S. Highway #41 construction. From a design standpoint, the DOT has asked us for input on what decorative features we may want on the retaining walls at the intersection of State Highway #21 and U.S. Highway #41. We have taken note that the Department of Transportation will be adding artwork into the bridge over Lake Butte Des Morts. This design will incorporate lake features and Native American heritage in this area. Along these lines, I have asked Museum Director Brad Larson to assist Public Works staff in pulling out some historical ideas that we may build into the retaining walls. Weekly Newsletter January 29, 2010 Page 3 While there may be some temptation to use current city and regional logos, because this construction work will be here for several generations, we felt it would be more appropriate to incorporate historical references that will be more timeless through the life of this project. With these design issues and detour issues, there are no right or wrong answers. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on these ideas, please contact me and I will pass it along to the appropriate staff and DOT representatives. STATE HIGHWAY #26 CORRIDOR PLANNING 4.: This past week, I was invited to a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee regarding the status of planning for future expansion of the State Highway #26 corridor between Oshkosh and Waupun. At this meeting, we were joined by representatives of the Wisconsin DOT, as well as the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin. The local business and government representatives were overwhelmingly supportive of widening Highway #26. However, it appears as though the DOT's official position is that the designated route from the Madison area to the Fox Cities is U.S. Highway #151 to U.S. Highway #41. It was pointed out that the time difference in going north to Oshkosh from Waupun is about six minutes more going through Fond du Lac than it is directly on Highway #26. With that said, the concensus was still that we needed to recognize the realities of the motoring public, who primarily use Highway #26 to access the Fox Valley. The dilemma with any long range highway planning project is getting the project on a long range plan, followed by a long range financial plan. Neither of these is the case with respect to Highway #26. In fact, there are many projects, including the reconstruction of the U.S. Highway #41/U.S. Highway #10/State Highway #441 interchange in Menasha that are not even on the DOT's planning radar for the long term future. As a result, projects such as Highway #26 are going to remain behind these larger projects until they are officially planned by the DOT. Similarly, any planning of the Highway #21 corridor to the west will also be delayed as long as higher priority projects are in front of it. The group asked if the city and Winnebago County would be willing to adopt a resolution of support to perform an updated study and analysis of the Highway #26 corridor. Once the city and county get on board with support, we could ask other jurisdictions who are impacted by this change to support it as well. Representatives from the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission were also supportive of these efforts, and asked that I work with them to perhaps draft a resolution that may be used here and elsewhere. I wanted to make Council aware of this in the event that we bring this before the Council at some time in the near future. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please contact me. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES 5.: Other items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include Museum Director Brad Larson's weekly memorandum to the Museum Board, updating them on the Museum's activities over the past week. I am also enclosing the latest publication from the Wisconsin Taxpayer's Alliance, their FOCUS Newsletter, which features an article on the basics of property taxes. I believe that this is one of the best analyses put out by WTA, as it tries to simplify the complex world of property values, property assessments, and corresponding taxes. I urge you to read and save this article for future reference. Weekly Newsletter January 29, 2010 Page 4 th Insofar as minutes are concerned, I'm enclosing the minutes of the January 19 Plan th Commission meeting, the minutes of the January 4 Sustainability Advisory Board meeting, th and the minutes of the December 28 Housing Authority meeting. I am also enclosing the final, adopted version of the 2010-2014 Capital Improvements Program. The last items I'm enclosing are the Monthly Reports for the months of October, November and December. These will be the last Monthly Reports that you will be receiving as we are working on different ways of put these figures together and communicating them to you. UPCOMING MEETINGS 6.: Some of the meetings that I have scheduled for the week of st February 1 include the following: On Monday, at 7:30 a.m, Mayor Esslinger and I will be on WAUH and WOSH Radio Stations with our monthly interviews. On Monday, at 1:00 p.m., I will be meeting with representatives of the Winnebago Apartment Association to follow-up on issues I've previously reported to Council. At 4:00 p.m. on Monday, I will be attending a meeting of the SustainabilityAdvisory Board. I had spoken with SAB Chairman Ron Hardy and I wanted to assist the Board in working with staff on some informational brochures that they want to put together for the public. They've also asked that storm water staff meet with them at a future meeting to discuss our storm water programs and how we plan to educate the public on issues of this nature. At 5:30 p.m. Monday, I'll be attending the neighborhood meeting regarding the Quarry Park landfill at Jacob Shapiro School. On Wednesday, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending a meeting of the Fox Valley Technical College Advisory Committee. On Thursday, at 8:00 a.m., I will be meeting with a representative of Fox Valley Technical College that will be writing an article regarding the city's efforts on strategic planning and our customer service training program that we have begun to provide to city employees. On Friday, at 9:00 a.m., I will be attending a meeting at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute th regarding their Community Relations Board. Finally, on Saturday, February 6, at 1:00 p.m., I will be at Professor Nollenberger's class to brief his students on the upcoming budget survey that his class will undertake this semester. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding these meetings. MAR/jdc