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Date: February 24, 2012
To: Mayor & City Council
From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Subject:
REORGANIZATION PLANNED TO EMPHASIZE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1.: On
Thursday, I authorized Community Development Director Davis to implement a reorganization of
his department to allocate additional resources to economic development, while improving the
commercial and industrial development process. To accomplish this goal, we are eliminating the
commercial-industrial inspection review team. We will be eliminating two Building System
Inspector positions, as well as a clerical position that will become vacant with an upcoming
retirement. A plumbing inspector position will be reassigned to the residential-commercial
inspection review team. We have developed contingency plans to redistribute the workload and
meet demands through this transition. By reallocating these resources to economic development
activities, we will be able to address needed areas such as marketing and promotion, as well as
economic development financing and grant writing. We also plan to allocate additional resources
to housing improvement programs throughout the city. This reorganization is consistent with
Council’s goal of developing a plan to centralize economic development in the city. As we begin
implementing this plan in more detail, I will keep the Council informed as to our progress. In the
meantime, please contact Mr. Davis or me if you have any questions regarding this reorganization.
OASD MAINTENANCE BUILDING DEMOLISHED
2.: If you drove by the Central Garage site
on Witzel this week, you may have noticed that the former School District Maintenance Building
is in the process of being demolished. This led to some questions that the city had somehow
already determined that the Witzel site had been chosen for the new Central Garage facility. This
is not the case. When we acquired this building from OASD, we did so because OASD had no use
for the building, as it was damaged so extensively during the 2008 floods that it was beyond
repair. The city acquired the property with the intent to bank the land for future use, presumably
for the Central Garage, cut for any use. The site had some contamination, and we negotiated the
price with OASD to take remediation into consideration. The city’s ownership gives us more
flexibility for redevelopment, which was not available to private owners or OASD. As a result, it
had been planned to demolish the building all along. With so little snow this season, Street
Superintendent Kevin Uhen scheduled his crews to knock down the building. Much of the rubble
is being taken to the landfill, while some of it will remain on site as fill for future use. If you have
any additional questions, please contact Mr. Uhen.
Weekly Newsletter
February 24, 2012
Page 2
CENTRAL GARAGE SITE EVALUATIONSE SITE EVALUATIONS
3.: Public Works staff
has previously provided the Council and Plan Commission with an evaluation survey for the two
sites under review for the new Central Garage. We have received very few surveys so far. Please
take a few moments to fill out the survey and return it to Public Works. If you have misplaced
either the hard copy of electronic survey, please contact Mr. Patek.
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES
4.: Other items I’m enclosing with today’s
Newsletter include a press release and attached survey from the Parks Department concerning the
Menominee Park Plan. This survey is available to all of our citizens, and the deadline for its
return is March 16, 2012. Also from our Parks Department, I am enclosing a notice for a fun-
filled Easter Celebration and Fundraiser for the Menominee Park Zoo, which takes place on
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Saturday, April 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Insofar as minutes are concerned, I’m enclosing
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the following: The minutes of the January 30 Housing Authority meeting; the minutes of the
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December 8 and January 26 Storm Water Utility Committee meetings; the minutes of the
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December 15 Board of Health meeting; and the minutes of the February 14 Traffic Review
Advisory Board meeting. The last item I’m enclosing is the 2011 Annual Report from our Health
Department.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
5.: Meetings I have scheduled for the week of February 27 include
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the following: On Monday February 27, at 8:00 a.m., I am meeting with UW-O Vice Chancellor
Tom Sonnleitner regarding land issues in and around the Central Garage site on 3rd Avenue. At
1:00 p.m., I am meeting with NeighborWorks staff to go over their presentation for Tuesday’s
Council Workshop. At 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, I am meeting with Mayor Tower to go over that
evening’s Council Agenda. At 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, I will be attending the FVTC Oshkosh
Advisory Committee meeting. At 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, I will be holding my weekly staff
meeting at the Boys & Girls Club, after which department heads and I will get a tour of the
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facility. Thanks to Council Member Cummings for suggesting the idea. On Thursday, March 1,
at 8:00 a.m., I will be welcoming members of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning
Association to Oshkosh for their mid-winter meeting. On Friday at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending a
CHAMCO Executive Committee meeting. At 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Parks Director Maurer and I
will be meeting with former Mayor Esslinger regarding a proposal he has to donate a full size
railroad engine to the city and place it in a city park. More details to follow. If you have any
questions regarding my attendance at any of these meetings, please let me know
MAR/jdc
Enclosures