HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-104APRIL 13, 2010 10 -104 RESOLUTION
(CARRIED 7 -0 LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN )
PURPOSE: APPROVE STREET NAME CHANGES FOR PORTION OF WEST
SNELL ROAD (TO WALTER STREET) AND FOUNTAIN AVENUE
(TO WEST SNELL ROAD)
INITIATED BY: CITY ADMINISTRATION
PLAN COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Approved
BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Oshkosh that the
following streets are hereby renamed as follows:
FROM
West Snell Road
(that portion running north /south
from West Fernau Avenue)
TO
Walter Street
Fountain Avenue
(from USH 45 easterly to existing
West Snell Road)
West Snell Road
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said street name changes shall be in effect
upon completion of the street improvements, the streets are opened for use and
placement of appropriate signage.
QfHK IH
ON THE WATER
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council
FROM: Darryn Burich /2'b
Director of Planning Services
DATE: April 8, 2010
RE: Approve Street Name Change for Portion of West Snell Road (to Walter Street) and
Fountain Avenue (to West Snell Road) (Plan Commission Recommends Approval)
BACKGROUND
W. Snell Road to Walter Street
The subject 4,800 -foot street segment runs mostly parallel to U.S. Highway 41 from W. Fernau
Avenue north to where the north -south segment of Snell Road transitions into an east -west street. The
Wisconsin Department of Transportation is nearing completion of an overpass that will connect
Fountain Avenue with an extended east -west segment of W. Snell Road. This results in the north -
south segment becoming an independent street but still possessing the W. Snell Road street name.
Renaming the north -south segment is necessary as the two streets sharing one name will cause
confusion to motorists and emergency services.
Fountain Avenue to W. Snell Road
The subject 2,700 -foot street extends from U.S. Highway 45 east over the newly constructed U.S.
Highway 41 overpass connecting to the east -west portion of W. Snell Road. The proposed name
change would completely eliminate Fountain Avenue in favor of a continuation of W. Snell Road from
its current east -west terminus to U.S. Highway 45. This name change will avoid confusion of a sudden
street name change on the same roadway.
ANALYSIS
The street name changes are needed to accommodate the new overpass as Snell Road will be extended
westerly to U.S. Highway 41. It was decided that renaming the north -south section versus the east -
west section was logical because of the much larger number of properties that name change would
affect. The change from Fountain Avenue to W. Snell Road makes logical sense as the entire street
will have a homogeneous name from Sherman Road to U.S. Highway 45. At the June 16, 2009 Plan
Commission meeting, the Commission asked the city to determine if any viable options could be
found. One suggestion was to rename the north -south section of Snell Road to North Snell Road. This
proposal is unfavorable for many reasons as there would be two streets in a city with the same names.
Additionally, the addressing of the north -south section of W. Snell road does not match Winnebago
County's addressing grid. Regardless of what name the Common Council ultimately approves,
property owners will still be affected by an address change, be it number or street. The City of
Oshkosh Police and Fire Departments and the Winnebago County Sheriff s Department all support the
street name change as proposed citing safety and efficiency concerns. Additionally, the Town of
Oshkosh Town Board approving the street name change of the north -south portion of W. Snell Road to
Walter Street at its February 22, 2010 meeting.
The street name changes are not proposed to become effective until completion of the improvements
and the streets are opened for use. Staff feels the street name changes are necessary and is the best
option affecting the least number of property owners.
FISCAL IMPACT
None anticipated.
RECOMMENDATION
The Plan Commission approved of this request at its April 6, 2010 meeting.
Approved,
City Manager
ITEM: STREET NAME CHANGES — W. SNELL ROAD CHANGED TO WALTER
STREET FROM FOUNTAIN AVENUE/U.S. HIGHWAY 41 OVERPASS TO U.S.
HIGHWAY 45 (ALGOMA BOULEVARD), & FOUNTAIN AVENUE CHANGED
TO W. SNELL ROAD
Plan Commission meeting of April 6, 2010
GENERAL INFORMATION
Petitioner: City Administration
Action(s) Requested:
Street name change in association with improvements to the U.S. 41 and 45 interchange and Fountain
Avenue/U.S. Highway 41 overpass. The north -south segment of W. Snell Road is proposed to be
changed to Walter Street and Fountain Avenue is proposed to be changed to W. Snell Road.
(Note: this item was tabled at the June 16, 2009 Plan Commission meeting for further consideration of
other alternatives due to concerns from property owners)
Applicable Ordinance Provisions: N/A
Property Location and Background Information:
W. Snell Road to Walter Street:
The subject 4,800 -foot street segment mostly runs parallel to U.S. Highway 41 from W. Fernau Avenue
north to where the north -south segment of Snell Road transitions into an east -west street. The
Wisconsin Department of Transportation is nearing completion of an overpass that will connect
Fountain Avenue with an extended east -west segment of W. Snell Road. This results in the north -
south segment becoming an independent street but still possessing the W. Snell Road street name.
Renaming the north -south segment is necessary as the two streets sharing one name will cause
confusion to motorists and emergency services.
Fountain Avenue to W. Snell Road:
The subject 2,700 -foot street extends from U.S. Highway 45 east over the newly constructed U.S.
Highway 41 overpass connecting to the east -west portion of W. Snell Road. The proposed name
change would completely eliminate Fountain Avenue in favor of a continuation of W. Snell Road from
its current east -west terminus to U.S. Highway 45. This name change will avoid confusion of a sudden
street name change on the same roadway.
ANALYSIS
The street name changes are needed to accommodate the new overpass as Snell Road will be extended
westerly to U.S. Highway 41. It was decided that renaming the north -south section versus the east -
west section was logical because of the much larger number of properties that name change would
affect. There are six properties that use the subject section of W. Snell Road for address purposes
including one City property and five Town properties.
The change from Fountain Avenue to W. Snell Road makes logical sense as the entire street will have a
homogeneous name from Sherman Road to U.S. Highway 45. The name change will affect five city
properties and one town property, much less than if the name change was made from Snell Road to
Fountain Avenue.
At the June 16, 2009 Plan Commission meeting, the Commission asked the city to determine if any
viable options could be found. One suggestion was to rename the north -south section of Snell Road to
North Snell Road. This proposal is unfavorable for many reasons. Having two streets in a city with
the same names may cause confusion for motorists and emergency services. Additionally, the
addressing of the north -south section of W. Snell road does not match Winnebago County's addressing
grid. The addresses along this section of Snell Road are in the West 1800 to 1900 blocks whereas once
the name change is implemented, the street will be in the North 3100 to 3700 blocks. So regardless of
what name the Common Council ultimately approves, property owners will still be affected by an
address change, be it number or street.
Attached are letters of support from the City of Oshkosh Police and Fire Departments and the
Winnebago County Sheriff s Department; all primarily citing safety and efficiency concerns for
approving the street name changes. Additionally, attached is Resolution 02 -10 from the Town of
Oshkosh Town Board approving the street name change of the north -south portion of W. Snell Road to
Walter Street at its February 22, 2010 meeting.
The street name changes are not proposed to become effective until completion of the improvements
and the streets are opened for use. Staff feels the street name changes are necessary and is the best
option affecting the least number of property owners.
RECOMMENDATION /CONDITIONS
The Department of Community Development recommends approval of the street name changes as
requested.
The Plan Commission approved of the street name change as requested. The following is the Plan
Commission's discussion on this item.
Mr. Nau presented the item and reviewed the area to be affected by this proposed change. He stated
that the item was laid over last summer and that the change was initiated by the reconstruction of U.S.
Highway 41 and the reconfiguration of the streets in the area. He reviewed a map of the entire area and
stated that changing Fountain Avenue to Snell Road would provide a contiguous street name avoiding
confusion with a sudden street name change on the same roadway. The Plan Commission had
requested last summer that the city look into other viable options for the street name change from W.
Snell Road to Walter Street and it was determined that changing it to N. Snell Road was not viable as it
would create two streets with the same name and the address numbers would not match the Winnebago
County's addressing system. He reviewed letters from the Fire, Police and Sheriff s Departments
supporting these street name changes as well as a Town of Oshkosh resolution supporting the renaming
of W. Snell Road to Walter Street.
Mr. Thorns inquired how long the street had the name of W. Snell Road and if the change was initiated
by it being too confusing in the past and questioned the need to fix the issue by changing the name
now.
Mr. Nau responded he believed that the north/south portion of Snell Road had retained that name for
decades and that the road reconstruction was the best time to address the situation.
St Name Change -Snell Rd/Walter St /Fountain Av 2
David Patek, Director of Public Works, added that Snell Road had previously been County Highway JJ
and that the change to Snell Road had been instituted when access was stopped back in the 70's due to
the construction of Highway 41.
Mr. Thorns reiterated what the necessity was to change the street name now.
Mr. Patek responded that emergency services would like consistency with the designation of street
names and having an east/west street with the same name as a north/south street was not consistent.
Also, to change it to N. Snell Road would create incorrect property addresses as the current addresses
are in the 1900's whereas the correct numbering system would place those properties in the 3000's.
The scenario is not good for public safety.
Mr. Thorns stated that he still did not see the need to change the names of the streets.
Steve Gohde, Assistant Director of Public Works, stated that he had met with emergency services
regarding the issue and calls to Snell Road have a delayed response time due to the current system and
since the roads are being reconfigured with the highway reconstruction project, it is optimal to clean up
a bad situation. It is confusing to travelers to make a 90 degree turn but still remain on the same street.
Mr. Hinz questioned how many properties would be affected on the north/south portion of Snell Road.
Mr. Nau replied that there would be six properties affected, five commercial and one residential.
Mr. Nollenberger requested to hear statements from the Oshkosh Fire and Police Chiefs.
Tim Franz, Fire Chief, stated that the old Snell Road was a curved street with no stop sign and with the
new configuration; it would come to a "T" intersection with a stop sign. When 911 dispatchers are
dealing with emergency calls, they are often times receiving them from cell phone callers which makes
locating the area more difficult. It is more confusing now as the road will pass over Highway 41 and it
will be difficult to determine where Snell Road ends and Fountain Avenue begins. The reconstruction
project has created a major change in the geography and the situation needs to be cleaned up to avoid
delays in critical response time.
Scott Greuel, Chief of Police, commented that a controlled point at a "T" intersection is a natural
designation for a change in street name and reiterated Mr. Franz's concerns regarding response time in
emergency situations. He also commented about the confusion for travelers who are not from the area
comprehending why the street name changes from one point to another on the same road or why a
street comes to an intersection and does not change names when a 90 degree turn is made.
Mr. Hinz stated he would like to work this out for the best of the businesses on Snell Road and
suggested that the north/south portion of Snell Road be changed to Snell Street instead.
Mr. Greuel stated that public safety and the traveling public should be more of an issue of concern
particularly in emergency situations when response time is critical.
Mr. Hinz commented that he was looking for some common ground to compromise on the situation to
avoid unnecessary costs to the businesses on this road with changing the street name.
St Name Change -Snell Rd /Walter St /Fountain Av 3
Mr. Thorns questioned how many properties were affected on Fountain Avenue.
Mr. Gohde responded there were four properties affected in this area.
Jim Erdman, Town of Oshkosh Supervisor, 2492 Hickory Lane, stated that Tom Buchholz from the
Department of Transportation had suggested this change years ago. He further commented that the
Walters family lives on the corner of Snell Road and own land in both the city and the town.
Mr. Hinz stated that several business owners were present and objected last time this item came before
the Plan Commission however they are not present today and since both the Fire and Police
Departments support the request, he would be in favor of it.
Ms. Propp agreed.
Mr. Thorns commented that he was not in favor of it previously, but after clarification from staff for the
necessity to make this change and no objections from business owners on the affected streets, he would
be in favor of it as well.
Mr. Fojtik commented that he appreciated the various city departments that worked together on this
project to come up with the best solution to a confusing situation.
Motion by Monte to approve the street name changes from W. Snell Road to Walter Street and
Fountain Avenue to W. Snell Road as requested.
Seconded by Thoms. Motion carried 9 -0.
St Name Change -Snell Rd/Walter St /Fountain Av
City of Oshkosh
Police Department
420 Jackson Street
Oshkosh, WI 54901
Tel: 920 -236 -5720
Fax: 920 - 236 -5087
sgreuel @ci.oshkosh.wWs
www.oshkoshpd.com
PROFESSIONALISM • PRIDE • INTEGRITY • TEAMWORK Scott D. Greuel
Chief of Police
February 25, 2010
Steve Gohde
Assistant Director of Public Works
City of Oshkosh
215 Church Avenue
Oshkosh, WI 54901
RE: Renaming of W. Snell Road and Fountain Avenue
Dear Steve Gohde:
I have reviewed and strongly support the proposed W. Snell Road and Fountain Avenue
name changes as part of the USH 41 and surrounding area roadway re- construction project.
Specifically, I support changing the name of Fountain Avenue to W. Snell Road to create an
east/west through corridor from Stearns Drive to CTH A, and changing the north/south
section of existing Snell Road to Walter Street. Besides the fact the proposed name changes
make sense from the standpoint of ease of navigation for the motoring public, my support for
the proposal is based primarily on the most effective means of delivering emergency police
services to stakeholders in the area.
Expanding Snell Road to the west of the highway, and creating Walter Avenue with a
corrected "3200 to 3600 block" designation to match the numerical addressing in the area
will help officers find the location in a more direct, timely and effective manner when
needed. A quick and direct response by my police officers to emergency situations and
locations is critical to protecting the lives and property of our stakeholders, and to the
successful resolution any incident.
I am available to further discuss my position and support of the proposed changes as needed.
Sincerely,
9rroA/"
Scott D. Greuel
Chief of Police
City of Oshkosh
The Mission of the Oshkosh Police Department is to promote public safety and to enhance the
quality of He in our community through innovative policing and community partnerships
5
Sheriff
Michael E. Brooks
Chief Deputy
William P. Tedlie, Sr.
To: Oshkosh City Plan Commission
From: Sheriff Michael E. Brooks
Winnebago County Sheriff
www.co.winnebago.wi.us
4311 JACKSON STREET
OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN 54901
(920) 286 -7300 (920) 727 -2888
JAIL (920) 236 -7380
ADMINISTRATION FAX (920) 236 -7333
RECORDS FAX (920) 236 -7302
Ref: Renaming of W. Snell Rd and Fountain Ave.
Date: 02/15/10
RECEIVED
FEB 18 2010
DEPT. OF PUBLIC `NO?KS
OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN
The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office is in support of changing the name of the north /south
portion of Snell Road, between Algoma Boulevard to the new intersection, to Walter Street.
Furthermore, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office agrees with the proposal of changing
Fountain Avenue to Snell Road.
This proposal is advantageous to both the general public for convenience in navigating these
roadways and for emergency service reporting and response capabilities. Additionally, this
change will allow addresses of properties impacted to be in compliance with Winnebago
County's uniformed addressing system.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.
Michael E. Brooks
Sheriff of Winnebago County
6
101 court street
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
54901
City of Oshkosh Fire Department
920/236 -5240 Fire Chief, Timothy R. Franz
Of HKOV H
ON THE WATER
MEMO - OSHKOSH FIRE DEPARTMENT
DATE: March 22, 2010
TO: City of Oshkosh Plan Commission
FROM: Tim Franz, Fire Chief�,�
SUBJECT: Renaming of W. Snell Rd. and Fountain Ave.
This memo is in support of the proposed street name changes for
W. Snell Rd. and Fountain Ave in correlation to the construction of the overpass at Hwy 41 and
realignment of streets in this area.
In the matter of public safety a clearly defined a road system is important for the public to
accurately report their location and for emergency vehicles to locate and respond to the correct
location. Adding the overpass over Hwy 41 in this area directly in alignment with Snell Rd and
Fountain Ave would definitely lead to confusion by having a street name change at some point on
or before the overpass. In addition to retain the Snell Rd name for the north/south section of Snell
creates yet another area of confusion in this same area, as Snell is most identified by it's east/
west section and has east/west addressing numbers on the north/south segment. With the re-
alignment of Snell to the overpass the north/south segment will connect to the east/west section
presumably with a stop sign on the northbound lane creating the intersection of Snell and Snell.
This probably sounds confusing by description and the answer to that is, because it is.
The public if involved in an incident in this area would most likely be confused in this era of
many emergencies being called in by cell phone relies on the .public clearly knowing their
location. As emergency responders we rely not only on street names but the address numbering
system to first, put us in the right direction and second accurately pinpoint the location. It is true
that there are some streets in Oshkosh that change names as they cross Main Street and the river,
which cannot say is not a point of confusion particularly to visitors. Although a moot point, had I
been given the opportunity to recommend the naming and layout of these areas I would not have
C�.A
supported this configuration. However, it is different in that at Main Street the name changes are
at a controlled intersection giving the person a point of orientation and the river provides a
significant landmark break as well. These streets also follow the proper address numbering
sequences.
The clearest solution would be to continue the Snell Rd name to the west over the overpass and
rename Fountain to Snell Rd. In regard to the north /south section of Snell Rd. the proposal to
name this section as Walter St. with the proper north/south addressing would provide clear
addressing for the public and responders to assure proper response
66
#02 -10 RESOLUTION Renaming Snell Road
Whereas, the town board of the Town of Oshkosh does not object to renaming the North /South portion of Snell
Road to Walter Street;
Whereas, the town board does not object to renaming all of Fountain Avenue to Snell Road,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Oshkosh Board of Winnebago County does hereby
approves these statement by motion at a regular town board meeting.
Adopted this 22 day of February, 2010 by the Town of Oshkosh Board of Winnebago County.
I hereby attest that the board approved this document
This 22 daYO
f F rua0
Jeanne Merten, Town of Oshkosh Clerk
Carol Kaufmann, Supervisor (absent)
Jim Erdman, Supervisor
VA
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STREET NAME CHANGE
W SNELL RD TO WALTER ST
FOUNTAIN AV TO W SNELL RD
PC: 04 -06 -10
ZILLGES THOMAS L /FAYE A
1800 FOUNTAIN AVE
OSHKOSH WI 54904 1045
RE 1738 & 1800 FOUNTAIN AV
OMNI GLASS & PAINT INC
3530 OMNI DR
OSHKOSH WI 54904 8512
RE VACANT LOTS OMNI DR
DOWLING DANIEL E
PO BOX 3045
OSHKOSH WI 54903 3045
RE 3630 STEARNS DR
HH &M LEASING LLC
2850 JACKSON ST
OSHKOSH WI 54901 1516
RE 1944 W FERNAU AV
SAMMONS ETAL B MICHAEL
522 W MURDOCK AVE
OSHKOSH WI 54901 2298
RE 3156 ALGOMA BLVD
LEINWEBER WILLIAM /THERESA
731 ELM ST
WINNECONNE WI 54986
RE 1975 W SNELL RD
WH DEVELOPMENT GROUP LLC
PO BOX 170872
MILWAUKEE WI 53201 0872
RE 1700 FOUNTAIN AV
LOREN'S 41 TRUCK PLAZA LLC
3000 OREGON ST
OSHKOSH WI 54902 7140
RE 1701 FOUNTAIN AV
WALTER KENNETH /MARY ANN
5275 CHANNEL VIEW DR
OSHKOSH WI 54901
RE VACANT LOT W SNELL RD
WINNEBAGO COUNTY
PO BOX 2808
OSHKOSH WI 54903 2808
RE 1955 W SNELL RD
WALTER ROBERT /MARY KAYE
1879 W SNELL RD
OSHKOSH WI 54901
DCR PROPERTIES INC
PO BOX 1502
OSHKOSH WI 54903
RE 1945 W SNELL RD
WHC PROPERTIES LLC
1571 SLEEPY HOLLOW LN
GREEN BAY WI 54311
RE W SNELL RD LOT
WISCONSIN DEPT OF TRANSPTA'.
944 VANDENPERREN WAY
GREEN BAY WI 54304 0080
RE FOUNTAIN AV /W SNELL RD LOTS
RUSCH THOMAS /GABERT RICHARD
PO BOX 3808
OSHKOSH WI 54903
RE 1846 W SNELL RD
CITY OF OSHKOSH
PO BOX 1130
OSHKOSH WI 54903 1130
RE 1751 FOUNTAIN AV
WISCONSIN DEPT OF TRANSPTN
1701 N 4 TH ST
SUPERIOR WI 54880
RE 3266 ALGOMA BLVD
CAREW CONCRETE /SUPPLY CO
1811 W EDGEWOOD DR
APPLETON WI 54913 9708
RE 1900 STILLMAN DR
ALTMANN TRST GORDON /ELAINE
1960 WALNUT ST
OSHKOSH WI 54901
RE 1960 W SNELL RD
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DISCLAIMER STREET NAME CHANGE
This map is neither a legally recorded map nor W SNELL RD TO WALTER ST N
a survey and It Is not Intended to be used as one. lr O,f HK f H
data
This drawing is a compilation of records,
and Information located in various city coun FOUNTAIN AV TO W SNELL R D 4N THE WATER
and state offices and other sources affecting
the area shown and it is to be used for reference City of Oshkosh
purposes only. The City of Oshkosh is not re- Department of
sponsible for any inaccuracies herein contained.
If discrepancies are found, please contact the Community Development
City of Oshkosh. Scale. 1" = _ 03/25/10
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DISCLAIMER
This map is neither a legally recorded map nor
a survey and it is not intended to be used as one.
This drawing is a compilation of records, data
and information located in various city, county
and state offices and other sources affecting
the area shown and it is to be used for reference
purposes only. The City of Oshkosh is not re-
sponsible for any inaccuracies herein contained.
If discrepencies are found, please contact the
City of Oshkosh.
Created by - dff
STREET NAME CHANGE
W SNELL RD TO WALTER ST N
FOUNTAIN AV TO W SNELL RD
Scale: 1 " = 600'
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OfHKOlH
ON THE WATER
City of Oshkosh
Department of
Community Development
03/25/101