District 6 Update - January 25, 2021
Good
afternoon District 6,
I hope
everyone is recovering from the painful loss by the Packers yesterday. I am
aware of my responsibilities as a nonpartisan representative, but if you are a
Tom Brady/Bucs fan, I’m going to need a little time before I can be completely
unbiased toward you. 😊
At the Common Council meeting last Wednesday, the mayor issued proclamations regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Kiwanis Week, and Human Trafficking Awareness. Police Chief Thomas gave a short education presentation – I have linked the handout as I found it highly informative.
We voted to approve the mayor’s appointments to a number of boards and commissions, including former District 57 State Assembly Representative Amanda Stuck to the Appleton Redevelopment Authority and District 6 resident Kathleen Fuchs to the Board of Health. I am grateful to our citizens who take the time to serve their community on these bodies.
Health
Officer Eggebrecht gave us some reason for optimism in the COVID-19 update, noting
that new cases have leveled off a bit after the post-holiday upsurge. As I
noted in an email last week, people 65 and over are eligible for vaccinations
starting today. Based on my research and what I am hearing from friends, our
local health care groups are contacting those patients who qualify to set up
vaccination appointment as opposed to having people make them through their individual
providers. Prevea Health is providing vaccinations at UW-Green Bay at the Kress
Center. You will need to create a MyPrevea account and make the appointment through
that portal. You will also have to attest that you meet the requirements for
Phase 1A and 1B (I would assume that ID showing your age for 1B is sufficient).
They note on the site that scheduling is based on the availability of vaccine
from the state.
https://www.prevea.com/For-Patients/COVID-19-Vaccine-Resources
From the Municipal
Services Committee, I am pleased to report that, after going being held at the
last meeting, the plans for reconstructing Owaissa St. between Opechee St. and
Pacific St. have been modified to omit the new sidewalk on the east side of the
new street, thereby saving the trees that would have had to be removed. This was
based on the response of residents in the area.
From the
same committee, we approved free parking in the Red Parking Ramp during the
hours that COVID-19 testing is taking place in the Expo center.
From the
City Plan Commission, we approved the request from the Appleton YMCA for a
special use permit to demolish the existing parking ramp and construct a new
ramp. The existing ramp has been the property of the YMCA since being
transferred from the city in 1996 and the new ramp will also be the property of
the YMCA. There are plans to create temporary surface parking for the YMCA in
the interim.
The Parks
and Recreation Committee had technical issues at their last meeting, so they
had a special meeting the night of the Common Council meeting in order to act
on their agenda. They approved the winners of the “Images of Hope” photography contest
selected by the Public Arts Committee. The winning photos will be displayed in
the welcome tower in Houdini Plaza. I do not know how they chose – there were
so many beautiful photographs. You can see them all here:
http://cityofappleton.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=219b1fd8-4a5a-4fbe-b9df-9dfbe29ef2f7.pdf
This phot is one of the winners - photographer Bruce Danz took this at Hekrodt Wetland Reserve in Menasha.
We also
approved the contract for the construction of the Edison Street Pedestrian
Bridge and Trestle. The city received a grant from the David L and Rite E Nelson
Family Fund within the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region in July of
2020 that will cover a large part of the cost of this bridge and trestle to the
planned Ellen Kort Peace Park.
There was also
a contract awarded for refurbishing the Soldier’s Square monument.
From the
Finance Committee, the contract for capital budget item for the HVAC upgrades
to the municipal building was awarded and required budget changes were made to record
the use of state grants for COVID preparedness.
I sent an
update last week noting that the resolution I introduced with Alderperson
Meltzer was passed, putting this question on the ballot for the April 6
election:
Question:
Should the Wisconsin legislature create a nonpartisan procedure for the
preparation of legislative and congressional district plans and maps? YES _____
NO _____
Per the city
clerk, the total cost of adding this resolution to the ballot is estimated to
be approximately $1500.
Alderperson
Firkus introduced, with myself and Alderperson Meltzer, a resolution to allow
the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units on property currently zoned as single
family residential. These units are sometimes referred to as “mother-in-law
cottages” or “granny flats”. The idea is
to provide affordable living options while also increasing the housing
inventory.
Alderperson Firkus has
been doing a great deal of work with city staff to determine the right way to
implement this. This resolution will first be discussed in the City Plan Commission
this week. There will be opportunity for public input as any zoning change
requires a public hearing. We have worked with staff to create a list of
frequently asked questions about ADUs – see them here:
https://www.appleton.org/Home/Components/News/News/20996/6882
If you have
additional questions, please let me know and we can discuss them, or I can direct
you to the right resource.
Other items of
interest that will be addressed in committees this week include the expansion
of the Outagamie County landfill on Holland Road. The current site is filling up
and the proposed expansion will be closer to the city limits than the existing
one. The Municipal Services Committee will be addressing a resolution that designates
the City Attorney as the city’s representative to negotiate with the county on
any matters related to the landfill.
An
information item in the Municipal Services Committee will discuss a three-month
pilot program to use only the Passport pay-by-phone app in Soldier's Square.
The parking meters in that area are at the end of their useful life and need to
be replaced, and the pilot would allow the city to gather input from businesses
and customers in the area to determine if this is viable as a permanent
solution. When we used to go places, I used the Passport app quite a bit to
park at the library and other places downtown and find it very convenient. You
do need a smartphone and it does charge a few cents premium, but you don't need
coins and you can extend your parking time via your phone if necessary - no
parking tickets!
The Community
and Economic Development Committee will be approving the allocation of another $343,268
in Community Development Block Grants from CARES Act funding. These are to go
to ADVOCAP ($278,909) for street outreach and case management to reach the homeless
population who might not otherwise seek services, and to the city motel voucher
program ($64,359) providing temporary housing until permanent housing solutions
are identified.
Apologies
for the length of this update; there seems to be a lot of business before us in
the post-holiday period.
As always,
you can watch full meetings and review the minutes here:
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