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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWeekly Newsletter Date: May 27, 2010 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: 1.CITY AWARDED GRANT FOR JAMES ROAD DETENTION BASIN: We were informed this week by the State Department of Commerce that the city has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant-Emergency Assistance Program (CDBG-EAP) Grant in the amount of $1 million. The CDBG-EAP Grant was part of a federal flood recovery program for which the city qualified in the wake of the June, 2008 floods. These grant funds are intended to assist the city with the construction of the James Road storm water detention pond. Staff at the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission assisted the city in the preparation of our grant application. We will be meeting with East Central staff within the next week to discuss strategies for maximizing the use of these grant funds, and to minimize administrative costs so that we may use more of the grant for actual project costs. As I have previously reported, staff has been working with consulting engineers to refine the conceptual plan and identify a footprint for the detention basin that we may use to acquire property for this basin. We will update the Council as work progresses on site acquisition and the impact of this grant on project costs, as the CDBG Program places additional requirements on the city, which will increase some project costs. If you have any questions about this project, please contact Public Works Director Dave Patek. I appreciate the efforts of all staff in securing this grant award. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SAB 2.: Please find enclosed information relative to a request from the Sustainability Advisory Board that 1) Staff consider amendments to our purchasing policy regarding the purchase of Energy Star rated items and 2) The city develop policies related to energy efficiency in buildings receiving TIF financing. SAB Chair Ron Hardy had forwarded me a request with some supporting information that was prepared by the SAB. I responded to Mr. Hardy in an e-mail response. This information is also contained in the enclosed memo that I prepared for Council. I have directed staff to begin work on identifying criteria that may be incorporated into bidding language, and I have also asked staff to incorporate building efficiency as one of several criteria that the Council may wish to consider when you review a policy to evaluate various TIF proposals. If you have any questions regarding either of these items, please contact me. I have asked staff to make the TIF review criteria a priority for the next quarter. For that reason, I did not think it was necessary to bring the energy efficiency criteria for Council review in advance of the overall TIF criteria. If any Council Member feels otherwise and would like to add this to a future Council discussion, please contact me. Weekly Newsletter May 28, 2010 Page 2 USH 41 CONSTRUCTION UPDATE 3.: This week, I attended a meeting sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce with representatives of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT). The purpose of the meeting was to update businesses on the construction plans for USH 41, particularly the impact of construction at the USH 41/STH 21 interchange. The DOT reiterated that the northbound USH 41 ramps would be closed for 21 days in the fall of 2011 to construct a temporary road bypass so that construction may begin in 2012 with minimal delays. It th was pointed out that the ramps at STH 21 would be closed after the interchange at USH 41/9 Avenue was open to traffic. We were also informed that due to cost savings on bids for other sections of this project, the reconstruction of USH 41, from STH 44 south to STH 26 would, in fact, be reconstructed in 2014. At one point, it was believed that this portion of the project may be delayed for several years. This will effectively create six lanes along USH 41, from the STH 26 interchange all the way into Appleton. In my discussions with DOT representatives, I also inquired as to the DOT's need for additional dirt throughout the next couple of years. The DOT indicated that while the demand for dirt for the USH 41 Butte des Morts causeway will begin the th slow down shortly, the demand for dirt for the 9 Avenue and STH 21 interchange will maintain demand for dirt through 2012. As long as the DOT still demands dirt, it behooves the city to continue its efforts to construct storm water detention basins that are identified in our long range storm water management plan. As long as there is a demand for dirt by the DOT, we can continue to expect bid prices for dirt removal to remain inexpensive. Staff will continue to keep these potential cost savings in mind as we continue to plan future storm water management projects. Another concerned expressed by businesses at this meeting was the ability of the city to accommodate more liberal sign regulations during construction. We are already seeing the need to accommodate businesses who are impacted by construction along USH 41, as well as Main Street and the Jackson/Murdock intersection. Although the city's sign regulations restrict the placement of business signs, I do have some latitude as City Manager to permit signage in the right-of-way, provided that it does not negatively impact the safe flow of traffic. I am working with staff and businesses to try to accommodate these needs, as they will continue through the 2012 construction season. If you have any questions on how staff is approaching this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. ACCESS TO PROPERTIES ON MAIN STREET DURING RECONSTRUCTION 4.: As the Council is aware, a business owner on Main Street addressed the Council on Tuesday night regarding access to his business. Staff has been working with Mr. Andrei Biesinger on a continuous basis since this past Monday. Mr. Biesinger had made no previous plans for addressing access issues to his property until the past two weeks. As a result, he is somewhat "behind the eight ball" when it comes to being prepared for the impact of construction on this property. Please note the enclosed information that was provided to all property owners along Main Street back in March. While Mr. Biesinger indicates that he was promised full and complete access throughout the project, please note that the March 5, 2010 letter indicates that during the discussion of Phase I of the project that, "Vehicle access will be provided with minimal interruption" to serve properties, including his property in the 600 block of Main Street. Weekly Newsletter May 28, 2010 Page 3 I have indicated to Mr. Biesinger that we are more than happy to work with him, but he does need to cooperate with us in making sure that we have time to address the issues he raises. Specifically, his request that the "road closed" sign be removed or replaced is a valid point, and we have been working with the DOT and their contractors to replace a sign to indicate that there are properties in the 600 block that are accessible during construction. We have also given Mr. Biesinger phones numbers of people who he may contact should there be an immediate blockage to his property. However, we have not promised, at any time, that he would never have difficulty accessing his property. We have also encouraged Mr. Biesinger to attend the weekly contractors meetings that are held on Thursday mornings. Finally, we encouraged Mr. Biesinger to file requests with us for temporary signs in the public right-of-way. He provided that information to us late Wednesday and we will be processing his application and approving it so that he may get these signs out as soon as possible. If you have any questions regarding how we are dealing with Mr. Biesinger or any other business owner who has access issues during the project, please contact Assistant Public Works Director Steve Gohde. MOWING ALONG STATE HIGHWAYS 5.: In recent weeks, complaints have begun to come in from residents, Council Members, and other individuals regarding the condition of certain median areas along our state highways. Specifically, we have received complaints about the lack of mowing taking place on STH 44 near USH 41, and STH 21 west of USH 41. In the case of STH 44, the property in question is actually in the Town of Algoma and is the responsibility of Winnebago County. Unfortunately, the state provides the county with limited funds to perform maintenance on these highways, and the county is forced to ration the few dollars it receives to provide these maintenance services. Not only do we lack the jurisdiction to enter these areas, but the city also would be setting a precedent of mowing areas that are not within our jurisdiction. Similarly, the medians along STH 21, west of USH 41, are in the Town of Algoma, and fall under the same jurisdictional issues. DOT officials have indicated that the state's budget cuts and movement of transporation funds from state highway operations to other funds has resulted in cuts to their department and consequently, any reimbursement to the counties. They recognize that the counties are rationing their funds so that winter snow and ice removal remains the top priority. As a result, we will likely see these areas mowed once per season, in late June or July. While I recognize that this is not satisfactory, I am contacting our state representatives to make them aware of the situation and the fact that the public is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with this level of service. As we receive feedback from our state representatives, I will pass it along to Council. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES 6.: Other items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include the latest FOCUS newsletter from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. Also from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, I am enclosing the latest issue of The Wisconsin Taxpayer, which features an article on Wisconsin's rising public sector debt. Insofar as minutes th are concerned, I'm enclosing the minutes of the May 18 Plan Commission meeting, and the th minutes of the April 12 Housing Authority meeting. The last item I'm enclosing is a celebratory brochure from Chamco for its 50 years of serving the business community. Weekly Newsletter May 28, 2010 Page 4 st UPCOMING MEETINGS 7.: Meetings I have scheduled for the week of May 31 include the following: On Tuesday, at 10:00 a.m., I am meeting with Transportation Director Chris Strong and Council Member Bob Poeschl regarding a proposal to extend transit hours into the evening. You may recall that this was an item that was mentioned by some members of the public during the State of the City surveys. On Wednesday, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending the monthly OAEDC Board meeting. On Wednesday afternoon, Parks Director Maurer, Community Development Davis and I will be taking a boat tour of areas along the river and lakefront. Many issues have been brought to our attention regarding waterfront development and park development along the lake and river, and we are taking an opportunity to get a look at these areas from the water view to get a better understanding of these issues. On Thursday, at 8:00 a.m., I will be attending a meeting of the steering committee that is conducting the branding study for the city. th Finally, on Friday, June 4, at 11:00 a.m., I will be making a presentation to UW-Oshkosh staff at their Classified Staff Development and Appreciation Day. I will be providing them with some general information about how city government works. If you have any questions regarding my attendance at any of these meetings, please feel free to contact me. MAR/jdc