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HomeMy WebLinkAboutweekly newsletter Date: August 31, 2012 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: UPDATE ON CNG GARBAGE TRUCK DELIVERY 1.: The CNG garbage trucks that the city has ordered are behind in delivery due to the nation-wide demand for CNG vehicles. The five th vehicles we have ordered should be here by October 17. Since we will need some time to th prepare the vehicles, October 29 is slated for the start-up of automated garbage collection. The new garbage carts will be delivered to every residence in the city depending upon the CNG vehicles’ delivery date. We will be collecting old garbage cans from residences on their regularly scheduled collection day after the new bins are delivered and automated service has begun. We will send out a separate truck to collect them and deliver them to Winnebago County who will th have them recycled. The Kwik Trip CNG station at Highway 44 is still on track for an October 4 opening. They are also preparing for an early 2013 opening at Highway 76/41. They are also putting together a long-term proposal for us to review. I am comfortable with using them as our interim supplier until we determine the on-site plans with our new garage facility. It will also allow us time to evaluate how the system works for not only Sanitation CNG fueling, but for other departments as well. Once we see what Kwik Trip has to offer long term, we will have to talk some more about the cost of installing our own station at the new garage facility. If you have any questions concerning the new CNG garbage trucks and/or the new garbage bin delivery schedule, please contact Public Works Field Operations Manager Kevin Uhen. CONVENIENCE FEE FOR SAME-DAY PARA-TRANSIT TRIP REQUESTS 2.: The Transit Advisory Board recently approved the implementation of a convenience fee for para-transit users who make trip reservations with less than 24 hours notice, effective January 1, 2013. Most transit systems do not allow para-transit customers to make reservations with less than a 24 hour notice due to the challenges it creates for scheduling and providing service. By instituting this fee, we can still afford the opportunity for people to request para-transit service with less than a 24 hour notice while improving our compliance with federal performance standards with respect to the Americans With Disabilities Act. I have enclosed the write-up from the August Transit Advisory Board meeting when this was discussed. As the fee is an optional surcharge, this will not be going to the Common Council for approval. However, I wanted you to be aware of this as you may receive some citizen comments about this as we will start distributing information to para-transit customers in the next couple of months. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Transportation Chris Strong. Weekly Newsletter August 31, 2012 Page 2 TRAIN LOADING AREA BEHIND ALLERTON DRIVE 3.: As the Council is aware, residents have continued concerns about the loading of trucks onto rail cars in the area behind residences on Allerton Drive. Wisconsin Southern Railroad is loading trucks from Oshkosh Corporation onto rail cars at this location. As you are also aware, staff had gone on record many years prior to my arrival, opposing this land use. However, the State Department of Transportation sided with the railroad in interpreting that the railroad has a right to use this site for loading through interstate commerce. For the most part, this rail spur has not been in use for many years, but with the business that Wisconsin Southern has gained from Oshkosh Corporation, they began using this site in 2012 to load trucks. I’ve had discussions with representatives of Wisconsin Southern, and they are aware that this is not an ideal situation for them, and they have asked for our assistance in locating a new site. Chamco Executive Director Elizabeth Hartman has been working with Wisconsin Southern to identify potential sites away from residential areas that may be used. Ms. Hartman has reported to residents along Allerton Drive that Chamco is working with Wisconsin Southern to identify a suitable site for the railroad. To acquire this site, the city may need to sell a portion of land in the industrial park, which is fairly easy, but may also involve the sale of land from a third party that may or may not be interested in selling to the railroad. If and/or once a sale takes place, there will also be site development work, such as construction of a rail spur to be done before loading can be moved from its current location. With these complicating factors, we do not have a definitive timeline that we can provide to the residents about when the railroad will relocate. Please know that city staff, Chamco staff and the railroad are working to resolve this issue. If you have any other questions regarding this issue, please contact me. WORK PERMITS FOR HAIL REPAIR 4.: At Tuesday’s Council Meeting, a local roofing contractor expressed his concern about potentially unlicensed contractors performing roof repair. With the recent hail storm repairs underway, staff has noticed an increase in work being performed without required permits. A press release was recently sent out, reminding residents to be aware of out-of-town contractors who may be unaware of local permit requirements or state licensing requirements. I have advised staff to document all instances of work without permits while they are out in the field conducting routine inspections. Any projects that are found without required permits are being assessed a penalty as required under local municipal code. We have also responded to any reports of work noted by residents that may not have a permit placard posted. We hope our efforts will benefit the citizens of Oshkosh in the future when it comes to making any warranty claims and also ensure work is being done by licensed contractors. CITY HALL STORM WATER DETENTION PROJECT KICKS OFF 5.: On Thursday, city staff held a meeting with engineers from AECOM to discuss preliminary issues associated with the construction of the underground storm water detention facility and parking lot, which is planned for 2013. For Council’s information, I am enclosing a copy of the preliminary project schedule. As you can see, the construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2013. With the impact of construction on parking at City Hall, we are identifying ways to accommodate parking needs throughout the project. One of the issues we are discussing is to move board and commission meetings away from City Hall. Because many of these meetings occur during the City Hall business day, the demand for parking spaces could outstrip our ability to accommodate the public attending these meetings. Therefore, we would propose to use other city facilities that can accommodate the smaller board and commission meetings. Additionally, we will be inventorying how many parking stalls may be available in the immediate area through the construction project, as well as prioritize the parking needs of individual employees and divisions within City Hall. Weekly Newsletter August 31, 2012 Page 3 Of course, we need to place a high priority on the availability of parking stalls for the general public to conduct business at City Hall. We will reconcile our projected inventory with our needs, and incorporate them into our plans. Meanwhile, we are also discussing how this project will be phased. Because of the large drainage area that we are draining, this project will likely be constructed in two phases. The first phase will begin at City Hall and work its way down to the river. The second phase will involve “upstream” from City Hall, and include storm water facilities on Central Avenue. Because of the costs associated with these projects, it is likely that the Central Avenue portion of the project may not occur until 2014. This is because we are planning to have a smaller level of street projects in 2013 in order to manage the debt from the central garage project. As we determine the costs for this project and how we want to prioritize the projects, we will keep Council informed. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Public Works Director David Patek. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES 6.: Other items I’m enclosing with today’s Newsletter include a letter from the Wisconsin Department of Administration, informing us that the January, 2012 preliminary population for the City of Oshkosh is 66,325. Oshkosh has gained 242 persons since the 2010 census. The next item I’m enclosing is the latest issue of The Wisconsin Taxpayer, which features an article on the state’s funding of local governments. The next item I’m enclosing is a press release from our Sanitation Division, which reminds residents that garbage collection will be one day late next week because of the Labor Day holiday. Insofar st as minutes are concerned, I’m enclosing the following: The minutes of the August 21 Plan nd Commission meeting; the minutes of the August 2 Museum Board meeting; the minutes of the thth August 20 Grand Opera House Advisory Board meeting; the minutes of the August 16 Bicycle th & Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting; the minutes of the April 26 Storm Water Utility rd Committee meeting; the minutes of the July 23 Housing Authority meeting; the minutes of the th August 15 Transit Advisory Board meeting; the meeting notice, agenda and background material th for the September 12 Parking Utility Commission meeting; and the meeting notice, agenda and th background material for the September 11 Traffic Review Advisory Board meeting. I am also enclosing the latest FOCUS newsletter, which features an article on property values. The latest report on the Oshkosh hotel/motel room tax is also enclosed. The last item I’m enclosing is the Annual Financial Report, which includes the Auditor’s Report, for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011. th UPCOMING MEETINGS 7.: Meetings I have scheduled for the week of September 4 include the th following: At 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4, I’ll be participating in a virtual meeting with human resource professionals throughout the state regarding the city’s Classification & Compensation Study. On Wednesday, at 1:00 p.m., I will be attending a meeting of the th Leadership Oshkosh Government Day Planning Committee. On Thursday, September 6, at 10:30 a.m., I will be working with staff in a study session regarding performance measures that will be included in the 2013 annual budget. On Friday, at 12:00 noon, I will be meeting with Adam Prager, the consultant for the city’s Economic Development Study, to take a tour of Oshkosh and point out various areas of economic development progress and opportunities. If you have any questions regarding my attendance at any of these meetings, please do not hesitate to contact me. MAR/jdc