Sunday, March 19, 2006

March 17, 2006

To The Mayor and City Council:

For all of you with Irish blood, Happy St. Patrick's Day! For those of you without Irish
blood, I'm sure everyone is celebrating the Irish today with the wearing of the green!
Hopefully, no one is over-indulging on corned beef and cabbage.
As I had mentioned in last week's Newsletter, I am actually out of the office on Thursday
afternoon and Friday, traveling to Milwaukee for an Alliance of Cities meeting. One of the
main topics on our agenda is the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, which is now being
discussed by our State Legislature. All of us in local government hope that this legislation
does not see the light of day and that our friends in Madison understand the tremendous
impact this would have on local government across the state. I find it continually difficult
to understand why the state feels they know how to legislate at the local level better than
locally elected officials. We can only hope that this is properly defeated, as it should be.
Since we have no Council Meeting or Workshop scheduled for next week, I have no Agenda
to discuss, so this Newsletter will be quite short.
Items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include a notice for a meeting that is scheduled
for next Monday evening, March 20th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Pollock House on the University
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus to discuss new lights at the Oshkosh Sports Complex for
their baseball and softball fields. This is a neighborhood meeting and Council Members are
invited, so I'm also enclosing an official notice from City Clerk Pam Ubrig.
Insofar as minutes are concerned, I'm enclosing the following:
1. Minutes of the March 7th Plan Commission meeting.
2. Minutes of the March 8th Board of Zoning Appeals meeting.
3. Minutes of the February 21st Downtown BID Board meeting.
The last item I'm enclosing is a news release received from the Wisconsin of Transportation,
announcing a highway improvement in our area. This is for Highway #21, between the
west county line and the City of Omro, which is scheduled for this summer. Even though
this is not immediately adjacent to Oshkosh, it certainly will have an impact on those who
travel to the west using Highway #21. It appears that this will be a major upgrade with an
asphalt overlay.
The big news in Oshkosh this week has been the success of the high school basketball
teams, with Oshkosh West and Lourdes High School both making the state basketball
tournament in Madison. I'm sure many people traveled the road to Madison to see the
teams. It is certainly an exciting time for those who have March Madness fever with two
Weekly Newsletter
March 17, 2006
Page 2
local high school teams representing our great city in the tournament.
Looking at my calendar for next week, on Monday morning, I have a number of meetings.
At 12:00 noon, I have a meeting of the Conflict Resolution Board.
On Wednesday morning, at 7:30 a.m., I'll be attending a meeting of the Oshkosh Economic
Development Committee at the Chamber of Commerce. At 9:00 a.m., we will have our
weekly staff meeting to discuss and plan the Agenda for the March 28th Council Meeting.
On Thursday morning, I will be meeting with our Health Department for a tabletop exercise
for the potential of an influenza outbreak.
On Friday afternoon, I have an appointment out of the office.
That looks like my week so far. I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. Remember, if
you haven't visited the Titantic exhibit, the time is almost half-way through that it will be
on display at the Public Museum. In talking with Museum Director Brad Larson, the
attendance numbers are still very strong, which is great news for all those involved with the
exhibit.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard A. Wollangk
City Manager
RAW/jdc

Saturday, March 11, 2006

March 10, 2006

To The Mayor and City Council:

It's that time of year when we are all grasping for any signs of spring. One of the signs is the return of the state bird of Wisconsin- the robin. I witnessed my first sighting last Sunday. Another sign is rain, rather than snow, which we have seen this week. Let's hope that these are sure signs that spring will be here shortly.

I'm enclosing the Agenda for next Tuesday evening's Council Meeting. The first Council Member voting on the issues will be Council Member Burk Tower. We have no public hearings to begin the Agenda, so turning to the Consent Agenda, Resolution #06-86 would approve a resolution to submit to the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development the request for the City of Oshkosh to continue to self-insure our workers compensation program. Every three years, in order for us to continue our self-insurance, we must submit notice to the State of Wisconsin. I'm enclosing a memorandum from Purchasing Agent Don LaFontaine, which further explains this resolution.

Resolution #06-87 would award bids for this year's road materials for our Public Works Department. This is an annual bid that we receive for the purchase of the various road maintenance materials that are used by our street department for maintaining all of our public right-of-ways. I'm enclosing another memorandum from Purchasing Agent Don LaFontaine, which further speaks to this resolution.
Resolution #06-88 would award the bid for a television inspection system for our wastewater department. This is to televise the various sewer mains throughout the city. Funding for this project is included in the 2006 Capital Improvements Program. More information on this is included in the memorandum that I'm enclosing from Purchasing Agent Don LaFontaine.
Resolution #06-89 would award the bid for the relocation of our fiber optic network as it crosses the Fox River near the Wisconsin Street bridge. With the new bridge construction beginning later this fall, it was necessary that our fiber optic cable, as it approaches the river, be relocated to move it out of the way for the new bridge. This project was included in this year's Capital Improvements Program. I'm enclosing yet another memorandum from Purchasing Agent Don LaFontaine, which explains this bid.
Resolution #06-90 would grant a conditional use permit and approve the final planned development for 2415 Westowne Avenue. Festival Foods is requesting this conditional use permit and development plan approval for a 7500 square foot addition to their building.
The Plan Commission reviewed and recommended approval of this request. More information on this is included in the memorandum that I'm enclosing from Community Development Director Jackson Kinney.
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March 10, 2006
Page 2
Resolution #06-91 would approve the Near East Neighborhood Plan. This, of course, is the
plan to revitalize the 20 block area bounded by Merritt Avenue on the south, Lincoln
Avenue on the north, Jefferson Street on the west, and Broad Street on the east. This is
the plan that was discussed with you at the Workshop after the last Council Meeting. The
Plan Commission reviewed and recommended approval of this plan. More information on this is included in Jackson's memorandum and a copy of the Near East Neighborhood Plan is enclosed.
Resolution #06-92 is for the determination of necessity to acquire properties at 223 Merritt Avenue, 661 Jefferson Street, and a portion of 656 North Main Street. All of these properties are in or near the Near East Neighborhood Plan that is part of Resolution #06- 91. All of these properties are slated to be redeveloped into new residential housing. The property owners have been in contact with our Community Development Department and are willing to sell these properties to the city for redevelopment purposes. These purchases have been recommended by the Plan Commission. More information on this is included in Jackson's memorandum.
Resolution #06-93 is for the determination of necessity to acquire properties at 679 Jefferson Street, 686 Jefferson Street, and 303 Oxford Avenue. All of these properties are also included in the Near East Neighborhood Plan. These properties are all in the process of being foreclosed by financial institutions. These are ideal candidates for redevelopment purposes for this residential neighborhood. The Plan Commission recommended the approval of the acquisition of these properties. More information on this is also included in Jackson's memorandum.
Resolution #06-94 is the determination of necessity to establish the fair market value and authorize the purchase of railroad property. This property is immediately south of 14th Avenue and is currently part of the Canadian National right-of-way. As was outlined in the Riverwalk proposal, this property would be converted into a parking area to be utilized by individuals using the pedestrian trail or the new walkway that would be placed upon the breakwater at the far south end of the Pioneer property. The Department of Natural Resources strongly encouraged the city to make this part of the Riverwalk project to allow fishermen to utilize this area. More information on this is also included in Jackson's memorandum.
Resolution #06-95 is the determination of necessity to establish the fair market value and authorize the purchase of a parcel of land at McClone Drive and Insurance Way for a sanitary sewer lift station. The Public Works Department is requesting the acquisition of an approximately 17,000 square foot parcel of land located at this intersection for a future sanitary sewer lift station. Currently, the Sewer Utility has a lift station along Washburn Street, east of this proposed site. The city was approached by the property owner requesting that the Sewer Utility place the lift station at this site further from the frontage road to accommodate a future development on the property where the lift station currently resides. In discussions with the property owner and the Public Works Department, it was determined that in order to move the lift station to this new area, it would require additional cost for the Sewer Utility for sewer lines. As a result, the property owner will be paying the Sewer Utility the difference between the cost of the new site and what it will cost
to move those sewer lines. More information on this is included in Jackson's
memorandum.
Resolution #06-96 is the initial resolution for concrete paving, sidewalk and utilities for this
year's concrete paving program, which is part of the Capital Improvements Program for this
year.
Resolution #06-97 is the initial resolution for concrete paving, sidewalk and utilities for the
reconstruction of the Washburn Street project, which is also part of this year's Capital
Improvements Program.
Resolution #06-98 would approve an agreement with the Oshkosh Area School District for
lifeguard services for the new Pollock Community Water Park. The Oshkosh Area School
District has approved the agreement for providing lifeguard service to our new water park
by the Recreation Department. They will pay up to $60,000 for this lifeguard service
depending upon the success and profitability of the water park's summer season. More
information on this resolution is included in a memorandum that I'm enclosing from Parks
Director Tom Stephany.
Resolution #06-99 would increase the petty cash fund for our Parks Department to operate
the Welcome Center at Menominee Park. Previously, the Welcome Center had been
operated by the Zoological Society. They are no longer interested in operating the Welcome
Center, so the Center and concession stand at that location will be operated by our Parks
Department. In order to do this, they need additional petty cash to set up that operation.
More information on this is included in another memorandum from Parks Director Tom
Stephany, which further explains this resolution.
Resolution #06-100 would approve the continuation of leasing the concession function at
Spanbauer Field to the Eagles Club of Oshkosh. The current agreement with the Eagles
Club to operate that concession stand was for five years and it expired on December 31,
2005. It is now recommended that the agreement be extended for another five year period
through 2010. More information on this is included in a memorandum that I'm enclosing
from Parks Director Tom Stephany.
Resolution #06-101 would approve the various, miscellaneous licenses, as reviewed and
recommended by City Clerk Pamela Ubrig and Police Chief David Erickson. That concludes
the Consent Agenda for next Tuesday evening's Council Meeting.
Turning to pending ordinances, Ordinance #06-102 is for the rezoning of 1424 Rath Lane
and 1820, 1844, 1874, 1896 and 1900 Omro Road. The petitioner for these properties is
requesting approval to rezone the six properties from R-1 single family resident district to a
C-2 PD general commercial district with a planned development overlay. This is consistent
with the city's Comprehensive Plan use recommendation for this area. The Plan
Commission reviewed and recommended approval of this request. More information on this
is included in Jackson's memorandum.
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March 10, 2006
Page 4
Ordinance #06-103 would amend Chapter 30 of our zoning ordinance to increase the fee
that is charged for processing conditional use permit requests. This fee has not been
increased since 2001. The Plan Commission reviewed and unanimously approved this
request. More information on this is included in Jackson's memorandum.
Ordinance #06-104 would also amend Chapter 30 of our zoning ordinance regarding
floodplain provisions. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency have revised their floodplain ordinance and we now need
to amend ours to incorporate these changes. The Plan Commission reviewed and
recommended approval of this request. More information on this is included in Jackson's
memorandum.
Ordinance #06-105 would approve various traffic regulations, as reviewed and
recommended by the Traffic Review Advisory Board. I'm enclosing a memorandum from
Transportation Director Mark Huddleston, which speaks to these changes.
Turning to new ordinances, Ordinance #06-106 would approve various building code
revisions. We had previously sent you a memorandum from Director of Inspection Services
Allyn Dannhoff, which explained these code revisions. We are again including a copy of
this memorandum.
Ordinance #06-107 would approve revisions to our electrical code. Again, we had
previously sent you information regarding these changes from Director of Inspection
Services Allyn Dannhoff. We are again enclosing that memorandum.
Ordinance #06-108 would approve various fee increases for our Inspections Division. The
Inspections Division has reviewed and recommended these fee increases to keep our fees in
line with surrounding communities and the cost of providing this service to our residents.
More information on this is included in Jackson's memorandum in a separate
memorandum from Director of Inspection Services Allyn Dannhoff.
Ordinance #06-109 would amend our nuisance code for outdoor boilers, furnaces, weed
cutting and lawn care. More information on this change is also included in Jackson's
memorandum.
We have no pending resolutions, so turning to new resolutions, Resolution #06-110 would
amend the term sheet for the Five Rivers Resort Redevelopment Project that is proposed for
the Marion Road/Pearl Avenue redevelopment area. Last October, you approved the initial
term agreement for this development. We are now proposing that the City Council amend
the development agreement to extend the timeframe for the start of construction of the
project until September 21st. More information was included in a memorandum that was
sent to you last week from Community Development Director Jackson Kinney.
Resolution #06-111 is for the initial borrowing for lease revenue bonds for Tax Incremental
District #21 for the acquisition of the Mercury Marine property. This is part of the Marion
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March 10, 2006
Page 5
Road/Pearl Avenue redevelopment area that recently has been included in the newly
created Tax Incremental District for this area. More information on this is included in
another memorandum from Community Development Director Jackson Kinney.
That concludes the Agenda for next Tuesday evening's Council meeting. We do have a
Workshop scheduled after the meeting to discuss the changes in our sanitation pickup for
condominiums. We also have an Executive Session scheduled to discuss the purchase of
property for the Campbell Creek watershed and for the City Manager's evaluation.
Other items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include the latest edition of the Auxiliary
Police Newsletter, which brings you up-to-date on their scheduled activities.
Insofar as minutes are concerned, I'm enclosing the following:
1. Minutes of the February 28th City Council Meeting.
2. Minutes of the January 18th Redevelopment Authority meeting & Executive Session.
3. Minutes of the January 31st Redevelopment Authority meeting.
4. Minutes of the February 8th Landmarks Commission meeting.
The last item I'm enclosing is the monthly report for the month of January, which gives you
all of the departmental statistics for the month.
Looking at my schedule for next week, on Monday morning, at 10:00 a.m., I'll be taping The
City Manager's Report a little early that day as I will be out of the office in the afternoon.
On Tuesday, I have a number of meetings planned along with the Council Meeting at 6:00
p.m.
On Wednesday morning, at 9:00 a.m., we will have our weekly staff meeting to discuss
various issues and concerns.
On Thursday afternoon and Friday, I'll be attending a meeting of the Alliance of Cities in
Milwaukee.
That looks like my week so far. I hope everyone has a great weekend and that warmer
temperatures are on the horizon!
Respectfully submitted,
Richard A. Wollangk
City Manager

Friday, March 03, 2006

March 3, 2006

To The Mayor and City Council:

As I had mentioned in last week's Newsletter, I am out of the office on Thursday and Friday of this week to attend the Wisconsin City Management Association conference in Madison, so I'm actually dictating this on Wednesday afternoon.

As we move into the month of March, a hint of spring is just around the corner. In another three weeks, spring should officially begin. As we all know, in Wisconsin, that doesn't necessarily mean the end of winter because we could still get some snow!
Since we have no Council Meeting or Workshop scheduled for next week, I have no Agenda to discuss, so this Newsletter will be fairly short.

Items I'm enclosing with today's Newsletter include a meeting notice for Monday, March 6th, at 4:00 p.m., for a Focus Group. The School District has invited the City Council and city staff to participate and it includes a facilitator that they have hired to look at long range planning for their facilities. I spoke with a number of you before the meeting last Tuesday evening and the concensus was that Monday, March 6th, would work. The meeting will be held here at City Hall in Room 404.

I'm also enclosing a memorandum from Community Development Director Jackson Kinney
regarding the ongoing negotiations for the sale of land in the Marion Road/Pearl Avenue Redevelopment Area to the Five Rivers Resort. As you can see from Jackson's
memorandum, we will be placing a resolution on the March 14th Council Agenda to modify the term sheet that had previously been approved by the City Council. This is in line with the direction that you had given us at the February 14th Executive Session for the negotiations. If you have any questions regarding any of this, please feel free to contact Jackson or me.

The next item I'm enclosing is a copy of the presentation given by Principal Planner Susan Kepplinger at the Workshop that was held after the February 28th Council Meeting regarding the Near East Neighborhood Plan. This plan is also available on the city's website.

Insofar as minutes are concerned, I'm enclosing the following:
1. Minutes of the February 21st Plan Commission meeting.
2. Minutes of the February 22nd Board of Zoning Appeals meeting.
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March 3, 2006
Page 2
I'm also enclosing an announcement from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
regarding a public meeting that will be held next Tuesday, March 7th, from 4:00 p.m. to
6:00 p.m., regarding the plans for the expansion of Highway#41, from Highway #21 to the
Highway #41/#45 interchange. This is the meeting that was supposed to be held on
February 16th, but was postponed due to the snowstorm.
The last item I'm enclosing is the Annual Report of Trust Funds for the year ending
December 31, 2005. As you know, this is a report that Finance Director Ed Nokes prepares
every year regarding the status of our trust funds.
Looking at my schedule for next week, as mentioned earlier, on Monday afternoon, at 4:00
p.m., the Focus Group meeting with the Oshkosh Area School District will be held.
On Tuesday morning, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending a meeting of the Community
Sounding Board at UW-Oshkosh. At 10:00 a.m., I plan on being at the supervisors meeting
for the city.
On Wednesday morning, at 9:00 a.m., we will be having our weekly staff meeting to discuss
and plan the Agenda for the March 14th Council Meeting.
On Thursday morning, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending the West Side Association annual
meeting to discuss various projects affecting the west side of our community.
That looks like my so far. I hope everyone has a great and safe weekend!
Respectfully submitted,
Richard A. Wollangk
City Manager
RAW/jdc