HomeMy WebLinkAboutWeekly Newsletter
Date: September 16, 2011
To: Mayor & City Council
From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Subject:
1.QUIET ZONE UPDATE
: I wanted to provide Council with an update on recent progress for the
proposed new railroad "quiet zone" toward the northern end of the city. City staff has been
working with a consulting firm to develop some designs and cost estimates for upgrading three
crossings (Snell Road, Butler Avenue and County Highway Y) to comply with Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) requirements. The 2011 Capital Improvements Program included $45,000
for construction costs for the quiet zone, which was based upon FRA estimates and included some
contingency funds. The construction cost estimates are currently around $90,000, primarily due to
grading and widening work that would be required at the Snell Road and Butler Avenue crossings
to accommodate the proposed design. Some cost savings may be achievable by tying this
construction in with existing construction contracts, but not enough to keep the project within the
funding approved by the Council. City staff is exploring options that may reduce the additional
cost for which the city would be responsible through deisgn modifications and potential
participation by other jurisdictions. We have yet to spend money on construction until staff gets a
better sense of the most economical way to achieve compliance with the quiet zone requirements.
If you have any questions concerning this railroad quiet zone, please feel free to contact
Transportation Director Chris Strong.
2.CIGARETTE SMOKING AROUND WEST HIGH SCHOOL
: After last Tuesday's Council
Meeting, Police Chief Scott Greuel reported to me that Dr. Dan Lynch's facts in reporting on the
enforcement of cigarette smoking around West High School were somewhat skewed. Although
enforcement of the smoking ordinance is not the highest priority for the Oshkosh Police
st
Department, officers are on the scene when time allows. Since January 1 of 2010, 121 summons
have been issued for underage tobacco use, 55 of these issued to Oshkosh West High School
students. This includes underage users at "Smokers' Corner". Enforcement at Oshkosh North
High School is not an easy task as North students smoke in the woods surrounding the high school
so they are not visible to officers. If you have any questions concerning the enforcement of the
ordinance for underage tobacco use, please contact Chief Greuel.
3.DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES
: Other items I'm enclosing with today's
st
Newsletter include the meeting notice, agenda and background material for the September 21
th
Transit Advisory Board meeting; the minutes of the June 7 Committee on Aging meeting; the
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minutes of the August 3 Long Range Finance Committee meeting; the minutes of the September
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6 Plan Commission meeting; and the minutes of the August 16 Downtown BID Board meeting.
Weekly Newsletter
September 16, 2011
Page 2
4.UPCOMING MEETINGS
: As Council is aware, I will be attending the International
City/County Management Association (ICMA) conference in Milwaukee from Saturday,
thst
September 17, through Wednesday, September 21. That will take up a good part of my week.
If, for any reason, you need to contact me during my attendance at the conference, please contact
Jackie and she will get in touch with me, or feel free to try me on my cellphone. Upon my return,
I will be meeting with staff on Wednesday, at 3:00 p.m., to discuss logistics for managing the
th
proposed Pub Crawl special event, which will be on the September 27 Council Agenda for
consideration. At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, I will be attending a meeting of the Transit Advisory
nd
Board. On Thursday, September 22, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending a Chamco Board meeting.
On Thursday, at 9:30 a.m., I will be attending a meeting to go over plan options for 2012
employee health insurance. I will have a meeting later on with employees after these options are
rd
narrowed down. On Friday morning, September 23, I will be attending the UW-Oshkosh report
to the community, as well as the Sage Hall grand opening ceremonies. Later that day, I will be
meeting with County Executive Mark Harris and Neenah Mayor George Scherk to go over issues
concerning the possible Health Department merger. This meeting will be held in advance of
making a presentation to the various legislative bodies sometime in October. If you have any
questions regarding my attendance at any of these meetings, please do not hesitate to contact me.
MAR/jdc
Enclosures