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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWeekly Newsletter Date: July 15, 2011 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: REPAVING OF POBEREZNY ROAD 1.: As Council may recall, EAA has approached the city on several occasions regarding the repaving of Poberezny Road. As it is a main entrance into the EAA grounds, particularly for AirVenture, EAA has always been concerned about the appearance of Poberezny Road to visitors. While we certainly share EAA's concerns over the condition of Poberezny Road, we have pointed out to EAA that virtually all of Poberezny Road is actually in the Town of Nekimi, over which we have no jurisdiction. In the past year, a portion of Poberezny Road, in front of the FVTC Welding Center, has been annexed into the city. However, this represents only a few hundred feet of the entire length of Poberezny Road. In discussions between the Town of Nekimi and the Wisconsin DOT, the DOT has indicated a willingness to assist in the partial funding of Poberezny Road as a key component of the frontage roads along the USH 41 corridor. They're willing to consider some funding for this much in the way that the state has provided funding for Koeller and Washburn along USH 41 in the city. The concern with the Town of Nekimi has been that these areas are very likely candidates for annexation into the city at sometime in the near future. They are concerned that should they pave the road and the areas in question be annexed, the town will have paid for road improvements that will actually be in the City of Oshkosh. I certainly understand the concern they have, and when this was brought to my attention, I suggested that it would be appropriate for the city to consider having an agreement with Nekimi in which we would reimburse them a prorated share of the remaining life of the road as areas are annexed into the city. This would give Nekimi the certainty of only paying for roads in which their community is directly benefitting. The city would benefit by having the road paved and avoiding the perception that the city is not interested in paving gateways into the city. With this information in mind, the Nekimi Town Board will be discussing th this matter at their upcoming Town Board meeting on Monday, July 18. I have been asked to attend this meeting so that I can explain what I would be willing to recommend to the Council in this regard. I truly view this as one of those "win-win" propositions that can be easily achieved with minimal risk by the city. Should our discussions prove to be fruitful, I will likely be coming back to the Council with some recommendations in the coming months. If you have any questions or concerns regarding my approach to this issue, please feel free to contact me. Weekly Newsletter July 15, 2011 Page 2 PARKING CONFLICTS AT MENOMINEE PARK 2.: Council Members may have received some e-mails or phone calls from a gentleman who contested a parking ticket that he received in the Menominee Park parking lot. In short, this person was complaining about receiving a parking ticket for having parked in an area that he has otherwise been able to park in recent years. Because of the popularity and success of Menominee Park in both boating and softball activities, there are natural conflicts built in when both activities are in full swing during the summer. Mr. Maurer has taken care of the short term problem and recommended waiving the ticket in question. However, I think the situation points out the larger problems that exist with these conflicts at Menominee Park. The dilemma is that when both softball and boating events are taking place, there is inadequate parking space available to accommodate both groups. For example, boaters with trailers have traditionally parked their vehicle and trailer in two parking spaces. This results in two spaces that would otherwise be taken up by softball users and leave them to look for parking elsewhere, often resulting in illegal parking when no other options are available. Similarly, softball attendees often try to park in the boating areas, often taking up a spot for a boat trailer and its vehicle. Mr. Maurer has received complaints from both boaters and softball players that parking is very difficult in these areas. Mr. Maurer has been trying to accommodate both users of the facility by trying to be flexible in allowing parking at both locations at given times of the day and week. Unfortunately, in our efforts to try to accommodate everyone, not everyone pays attention to some of the new signs that may be posted in unfamiliar areas. I wanted to bring this to Council's attention as I suspect that other people may be contacting you about parking tickets and the relative injustice in receiving them. While the simplistic solution would be to create extra areas for parking, that solution goes against trying to maintain as much green space as possible in our public parks. As you can see, there is no easy solution to this situation, as both user groups have legitimate concerns. I can assure you that Mr. Maurer is working at trying to develop long term solutions. If you have any questions regarding this information, please do not hesitate to contact Parks Director Maurer. th STREET CONSTRUCTION AROUND UW-OSHKOSH 3.: Beginning next Monday, July 18, High Avenue, from Congress Avenue to Wisconsin Street, will be closed to thru-traffic. Access to local businesses and residences will be maintained and a detour route will be posted. High Avenue will have one lane open for the week of EAA's AirVenture. The proposed work includes spot repairs to sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main, sidewalk, and curb and gutter. The existing asphalt surface will be milled off and a new asphalt surface will be placed. This work is scheduled to be completed by the middle of September. If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to contact Assistant Public Works Director Steve Gohde. NOTICE OF INTENT TO CREATE NEW QUIET ZONE 4.: Please find enclosed a Notice of Intent to Create a New Quiet zone in the City of Oshkosh. This is the quiet zone that has been petitioned by residents on the north side. Transportation Director Chris Strong is spearheading this effort to restrict the use of locomotive horns at highway-rail grade crossings on Snell Road, Butler Avenue, and County Highway Y. As you can see from this notice, the proposed improvements to these crossings are listed. This notice has been sent to the Federal Railroad Administration, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Winnebago County Highway Department, the Canadian Northern Railroad, East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, and the Safety Investigator at the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads. The next step in this process is a special administrative review by the Federal Railroad Administration. We are working to complete this paperwork so their formal review can begin. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact Transportation Director Chris Strong. Weekly Newsletter July 15, 2011 Page 3 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES 5. : Other items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include an informational brochure from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on the upcoming construction activities at the WIS 21 interchange. The next item I'm enclosing is a notice from City Clerk Pam Ubrig concerning the Plan Commission Workshop to be held next th Tuesday, July 19, at 4:00 p.m., to discuss site plan alternatives for the proposed CVS Pharmacy. I am also enclosing a map from the organizers of the Saturday Farmers' Market, which gives you the layout of the Market, from Parkway Avenue to Algoma Boulevard. Mr. Leatherman reports lots of positive feedback about the relocation of the market. I am also enclosing the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Performance and Evaluation Report from Principal Planner Robin Leslie. As Robin explains, this item is required by our CDBG Citizen Participation th Plan and will be reviewed by the Plan Commission on July 19. Insofar as minutes are concerned, th I'm enclosing the minutes of the July 5 Plan Commission meeting, and the minutes of the June st 21 Downtown BID Board meeting. The last item I'm enclosing is the meeting notice, agenda and th background material for the July 20 Transit Advisory Board meeting. th UPCOMING MEETINGS 6.: Meetings I have scheduled for the week of July 18 include the th following: On Monday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m., I will be attending a Town of Nekimi Board meeting regarding the possible repaving of Poberezny Road. On Tuesday, at 11:00 a.m., I will be meeting with Museum Director Brad Larson to discuss the project report on economic planning st for the Oshkosh Public Museum. On Thursday, July 21, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending a nd Chamco Strategic Planning meeting. On Friday, July 22, I will be attending a meeting of the Wisconsin Urban Alliance in Watertown. I suspect the main topic of this meeting will be implementation of provisions in the state budget, particularly implementation of the employee contribution to WRS. If you have any questions regarding my attendance at these meetings, please do not hesitate to contact me. 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