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HomeMy WebLinkAboutweekly newsletter Date: March 15, 2013 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: SAWYER CREEK DREDGING PROJECT 1.: Advance Construction, Inc. and their subcontractors have removed the previously dredged sediment from the dewatering bags stored at Bauman and West Algoma Parks. This is the first step in being able to complete the dredging project in 2013. Since the discovery of petroleum-contaminated sediment in the area between the Sawyer Street Bridge and the Fox River, the staff has been working with environmental consultants, the contractor, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), to develop a plan to safely dredge and dispose of the remaining sediment. Sediment sampling and analysis of the remaining sediment has been completed, and the contractor is currently developing a dredging plan to address the removal of the contaminated sediment. The Department of Public th Works will be meeting with the WDNR on March 20 to review the contractor’s proposed dredging plan. The plan will then be finalized, incorporating any comments the WDNR has, and a schedule will be developed. WDNR regulations restrict in-water work during fish spawning times. Due to those regulations, the dredging activities cannot begin again until after June 15, 2013. As soon as an updated schedule is developed, additional information will be distributed. We appreciate everyone’s patience with the unforeseen interruption of this project. Our intent is to resolve the issues related to the sediment removal as soon as possible so that the adjoining park areas can be returned to their recreational use. I am enclosing a letter that was sent to all neighboring property owners, updating them on this issue. If you have any questions concerning this project, please contact Storm Water Management Specialist James Rabe. PROMOTIONAL BONUS FOR POLLOCK COMMUNITY WATER PARK 2.: Our Parks Department has worked out a deal with Mount Olympus Water Park in Wisconsin Dells to entice customers to purchase Pollock Water Park passes. This is a promotion to lure people to renew early and/or buy new passes for this season at Pollock Community Water Park. Season passes to Pollock Water Park purchased from April 1 through April 30, 2013, will receive four (4) free Mount Olympus passes, worth nearly $100! The Mount Olympus Water Park passes are valid from May 25 through July 3, 2013. We are hoping this will help in getting people to think about summer and the purchase of pool passes for another record-breaking year at Pollock! CITY OF OSHKOSH FEATURED IN GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE 3.: Please find enclosed an article that appeared in Government Technology Magazine, a national publication, entitled, “Transparency Is Key”. This article features our IT Director, Tony Neumann, discussing how the city put a lot of emphasis on making as much of the City of Oshkosh’s information available on the city’s website as possible. It’s an interesting article and highlights our IT Department as one of the innovators in being transparent in city government. Congratulations to Tony and his staff for this well-deserved recognition. Weekly Newsletter March 15, 2013 Page 2 QUESTION REGARDING STORM SEWER CONNECTIONS CLARIFIED 4.: At the last City Council Meeting, a citizen questioned the number of storm water connections to the sanitary sewer system. As we discussed at the Clear Water Workshop last summer, the original sewer system was constructed in 1884 to handle both the storm water and wastewater flows. In 1936, the city constructed the first Wastewater Treatment Plant and began the process of constructing separate sanitary sewer and storm sewer systems. At that Workshop, we reviewed the possibility that 59% of the housing stock (or approximately 10,600 properties) could have an illegal connection of a drain tile to the sanitary sewer system because they were constructed prior to the 1950 changes to state law. The Department of Public Works has begun the process of additional nd analysis of the existing sanitary sewer laterals in the city. At the January 22 Council Meeting, an agreement was approved with Great Lakes TV Seal, Inc., for analysis of existing sanitary sewer laterals located on the 2013 concrete paving projects. In addition, over the next several months, staff will develop a change to the Municipal Code to require the inspection of all existing sanitary sewer laterals in conjunction with the sale of a property. With regard to the question from the resident, we are not able to specifically calculate the number of drain tile connections to our sanitary sewer system. However, we do agree with the importance of disconnecting these drain tiles as one step in our program to reduce the number of sanitary sewer basement backups. If you have any questions concerning this issue, please contact Public Works Director David patek. GRAFFITI IN DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH 5.: Police Chief Scott Greuel wanted to provide the Council with information in response to comments made by Matt Mikkelsen at the City Council Meeting Tuesday night concerning graffiti at 438 North Main Street, and the lack of follow-up by the Oshkosh Police Department (OPD) on taking care of the graffiti mentioned. The Chief found no prior incidents of damage to property or graffiti being reported to OPD as described by Mr. Mikkelsen, and officers of District 2 were unaware of same. He checked the graffiti related incidents in LRMS/CAD from the past year and found 28 reported incidents of graffiti and none were reported at 438 North Main Street or in the location described by Mr. Mikkelsen. He also checked with Officer Nichols, who handles our graffiti abatement efforts, and he was not aware of any reported graffiti at that address. An officer was sent to 438 North Main Street yesterday morning to check for the graffiti as described, and the officer was not able to find any damage in nd the 2 level alcove apartment or mailbox at that address. He did, however, find a small area of spray-painted graffiti on a WPS electrical box in the 400 Block East of the Jefferson lot that had not been previously reported or noticed by officers. We contacted WPS and they have already removed or covered the graffiti, and completed an OPD report as required according to our policies. When graffiti is reported to OPD or discovered by an officer, an incident report is completed and the graffiti is photographed. We then have our gang intelligence officers review the graffiti to determine if it is gang related. Officers will then serve a written Graffiti Abatement Notice to the private property owner, giving them 15 days to remove or cover the graffiti, and the requirement that they notify us when that is completed. Officer Nichols and/or a District Officer will also follow up to make sure it is removed. In the event the owner fails to comply with the notice, we then have the graffiti removed by using either a city or private service provider, and all costs, fees and expenses are assessed to the property owner’s real estate taxes pursuant to Wis. Stats. 66.60(16), and as outlined in City Ordinance 17-37. As an aside, although graffiti is not a significant problem in Oshkosh, we take the possible threat of graffiti seriously and have a process in place to remove it expediently. Some of the service providers that offer supplies and services for graffiti removal include Kitz & Pfeil, Mike Lyster Painting, Service Master Cleaning, Omni Glass, and Klinger Painting. If you have any questions concerning this issue, please contact Police Chief Greuel. Weekly Newsletter March 15, 2013 Page 3 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATES 6.: Other items I’m enclosing with today’s Newsletter include the final report for 2012 of the city’s hotel/motel room tax. The latest report of the city’s hotel/motel room tax is also included. I am also enclosing the latest FOCUS newsletters, published by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, which takes a look at the proposed 2013-15 state budget. Insofar as minutes are concerned, I’m enclosing the following: The th minutes of the February 10 Downtown BID Board meeting; the meeting notice, agenda and st background material for the March 21 Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting; the th minutes of the February 19 Plan Commission meeting; and the meeting notice for the Special st Landmarks Commission meeting to be held on March 21, at 5:00 p.m., to discuss alterations to the Christine Ann Center. The last item I’m enclosing is the Museum Director’s letter to the Museum Board, updating them on recent Museum activities. th 7.UPCOMING MEETINGS : Meetings I have scheduled for the week of March 18 include the th following: On Monday, March 18, at 8:15 a.m., I will be on WOSH Radio to talk about city issues. At 10:00 a.m. on Monday, the Joint Review Board will be meeting. On Tuesday, March th 19, at 1:30 p.m., I will be meeting with several staff members to review potential alignment options for the Washburn Street multi-use trail, between STH 44 and STH 26. On Wednesday, th March 20, I will be speaking to the Southwest Rotary Club at 12:00 noon. At 2:00 p.m. st Wednesday, I will be taking a tour of the Christine Ann Center. On Thursday, March 21, I will be spending the morning at Perry Tipler Middle School for their Passport for Success Career Fair. Other city employees also participate in this event. If you have any questions concerning my attendance at any of these meetings, please feel free to contact me. MAR/jdc Enclosures