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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWeekly Newsletter Date: October 8, 2010 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: TH SIGNAL AT 9 & WESTHAVEN I previously reported that the signal at the intersection of 1. : th Westhaven Drive and 9 Avenue was being de-activated due to the reopening of the Witzel Avenue overpass. Because city staff has fielded numerous calls about this intersection since that time, I wanted to provide Council some history on this intersection. This intersection has been considered as a candidate for a traffic signal by the Traffic Review Advisory Board for a number of years, but has never satisfied the warrants for traffic volumes or safety, so the Board has not recommended the installation of a permanent signal. In response to citizen concerns, the city contracted with Strand Associates last year to examine the intersection from a variety of perspectives, such as safety, delay, and cost, to make recommendations on the best method of controlling traffic. I've attached a copy of the Strand Report for your review, which looked at how the intersection would handle projected traffic volumes through the year 2030. Based upon the Strand Report, city staff recommended that neither a signal nor a roundabout be installed at this location. The Strand Report's analysis was based upon typical traffic volumes and reasonable th growth projections. However, this year's reconstruction of Witzel Avenue and the 20 Avenue overpasses, and the 2012 reconstruction of the STH 21 interchanges, was projected to result in th unusual traffic volumes on 9 Avenue. For this reason, we worked with the State of Wisconsin to secure funding for a temporary signal at this intersection. However, we recognized that public outcry over removing the signal would occur once the signal was taken away for this temporary use. The Traffic Review Advisory Board will discuss this year's experience with the temporary signal at its December meeting. Staff will also continue to monitor traffic volumes and crashes at this intersection to see if a signal may be warranted in the future. If you have any questions concerning this signal, please contact Transportation Director Chris Strong. COMPLIMENT FOR OUR INSPECTIONS DIVISION : Please find enclosed an e-mail from 2. a citizen to our Chief Building Inspector, complimenting one of our building inspectors on his cooperation and professionalism in dealing with a construction project the citizen was performing. Also enclosed is the response from our Chief Building Inspector, Kevin Ciabatti, who explains that he is "striving for a division that responds to customer needs, yet balances the necessity to meet the currently adopted codes". It is always nice to receive this kind of feedback from the citizens we serve. Weekly Newsletter October 8, 2010 Page 2 SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL GRANT : I received word this week that the City of Oshkosh 3. was awarded a grant of $102,635 through the Safe Routes to School Program. I am enclosing the letter and further information received concerning this grant. This federal transportation program, created in 2005, is focused on increasing the number of children who walk or bicycle to school. Communities and/or school districts apply to their respective state for grants for planning or projects related to education, engineering, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation. The city submitted an application on behalf of the Oshkosh Safe Routes to School Task Force, which includes representatives from the city, several Oshkosh schools, and other interested citizens. The grant focuses on the student populations attending Jefferson Elementary School, Smith Elementary School, South Park Middle School, and Elizabeth Seton Catholic Elementary School. The grant funding will go toward improved warning signage, speed boards, higher visibility crosswalk markings, bike racks, additional law enforcement, and a part-time coordinator position. This particular program requires no local matching funds. This successful grant reflects the results of an ongoing partnership between the Oshkosh Police Department, Transportation Department and area schools over the last several years. We're hopeful that this grant will help to encourage more children to walk and bike to school, and to keep them safe when doing so. If you have any questions about this grant, please contact Transportation Director Chris Strong. WISCONSIN COMPETITIVENESS & POSITIONING STUDY : Last week, I attended a 4. meeting sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce at which Dan Schwartzer, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) gave a presentation on behalf of a group known as the Wisconsin Competitiveness and Positioning Study Steering Committee. The purpose of this study was to benchmark Wisconsin against various regional and national competitors, create concensus with economic development stakeholders across the state, and recommend improvements to the existing economic development strategies to promote growth throughout the state. The Steering Committee consists of a bipartisan cross-section of representatives of state and local government, as well as business interests from throughout the state. The group was also assisted by the University of Wisconsin System, labor organizations, and a private consulting firm. The presentation from Mr. Schwartzer and the executive summary of the Wisconsin Competitiveness Study are enclosed for your review. Among the ambitious goals for this group is to rank Wisconsin among the top ten states for starting or expanding a business by 2016. In order to do this, the group is recommending a restructuring of the Department of Commerce, reposition the state's brand, and address the misconception that Wisconsin offers an uncompetitive environment for business expansion. They also recommend aligning economic development strategies and stakeholders around a common outcome, proactively working on business retention efforts, developing "shovel ready" sites with expedited permitting procedures, developing new incentives for start-up projects, and enhancing technology efforts. Much of what is being proposed is easier said than done, but the group of government and business leaders in attendance agreed that the state needs to take a proactive role in encouraging economic development throughout the state, much like other states doing. You may hear more about this initiative as the Steering Committee makes presentations throughout the state, and certainly after a new Governor is sworn in this January. Weekly Newsletter October 8, 2010 Page 3 MAIN STREET UPDATE : I had previously reported that final work was being done on Main 5. Street, particularly the 100 through 300 block. The on-site project manager indicated that he had resolved the outstanding issues with respect to traffic signals, lighting, and street markings. He felt that the work could be completed within a two week period. However, the contractor remains under no obligation to complete the work until November, and the incentives that the contractor is th eligible for do not start to be reduced until after October 29. Therefore, the contractor has no th incentive to complete the project prior to October 29, despite assurances he made last spring that he would try to open up the 100-300 blocks earlier. Similarly, the subcontractors have not returned to the site to begin work on street lighting and signals. Although these appear to be relatively cosmetic improvements, they remain key features of traffic safety in this corridor, and the streets cannot be opened until this work is completed. As of this date, the electrical contractor has not returned to finish this work. Should the contractor return, the work could easily be finished within a two week period. However, until he returns, we can only expect that the work th will not be completed until the incentive date of October 29. I wish I could be providing you with more optimistic news, but the contractor is exercising his maximum rights to complete the project. We remain hopeful that the electrical contractor will return soon so that this work may begin. If you have any questions regarding the completion of this project, please contact Assistant Public Works Director Steve Gohde. REGIONAL MEETING WITH COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE GROUP PRESENTS 6. OSHKOSH IN POSITIVE LIGHT :On Wednesday, I had an opportunity to attend a meeting of the Northeast Wisconsin Board of Realtors Commercial Committee, at which communities from throughout northeast Wisconsin gave presentations to commercial brokers about economic development opportunities that exist in our respective communities. One of the items that the Board of Realtors requested was that we discuss incentives that are available in our respective communities. Each of the communities gave presentations regarding unique features about their communities that make them an attractive place to do business. The common theme was that the economic development tools that exist within each of our communities are similar and remain limited. The primary tool of choice is TIF financing, with more emphasis being placed on "PAYGO" TIF projects as opposed to direct assistance grants, although they remain a possibility. The group was encouraged by the development opportunities along our riverfront, in part due to the efforts to put a riverwalk in place. I believe this feature was one of the more attractive amenities that was presented to the group. However, the overall concensus of this group was that the limited availability of capital for commercial-type projects was a major obstacle to commercial and retail investment at this time. As a whole, the commercial realtors were pleased with progress that has been made in Oshkosh in improving the development process, as well as the investment in downtown, the riverfront, and street improvements, including the USH 41 corridor. I encouraged the group to give us strong consideration for future development opportunities, and they seemed interested in doing so once the capital markets open up a little more. Weekly Newsletter October 8, 2010 Page 4 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES 7.: Other items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include the hotel/motel room tax report for the month of August. I am also enclosing thth the minutes of the September 13 Advisory Park Board meeting; the minutes of the September 8 Landmarks Commission meeting; the meeting notice, agenda and background material for the th October 12 Traffic Review Advisory Board meeting; and the meeting notice, agenda and th background material for the October 13 Parking Utility Commission meeting. The last item I'm enclosing is another copy of the City of Oshkosh telephone directory. The last directory that was sent out to you had some incorrect numbers listed. This directory is updated and should serve you well until a new one is printed after the elections in April, 2011. If you have any questions on any of this material, please feel free to contact me. th UPCOMING MEETINGS 8.: Meetings I have scheduled for the week of October 11 include the following: On Monday, at 7:30 a.m., I will be making a presentation to the Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee on the 2011 city budget. I will be accompanied by County Executive Mark Harris and School Superintendent Don Viegut, who will also be presenting information regarding their respective proposed budgets. At 3:30 p.m. on Monday, I will be meeting with a Ms. Robin Anderson and other student representatives from UW-Oshkosh who will be presenting me with some information about initiatives that the students feel the city should be looking into. I will report to Council about this information after I review it. On Tuesday, at 9:00 a.m., I'll be meeting with Public Works staff regarding the status of storm water projects for 2010 and 2011. On Wednesday, at 1:30 p.m., I will be attending a meeting of the Economic Development Committee for East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. th Finally, on Friday, October 15, I will be attending the grand opening ceremony for the Oshkosh Corporation E-Coat facility. I also want to make the Council aware that beginning Saturday, thth October 16, through Wednesday, October 20, I will be attending the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) conference in San Jose, California. I will have a Newsletter for the Council next week, but if there are any items or issues that you would like me to address prior to my departure, please let Jackie or me know. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. MAR/jdc