Good afternoon District 6,
I hope summer is getting off to a great start for you and that some of you were able to get out and enjoy the pools over the (HOT) weekend. It is certainly good to see the pools open this year as we slowly get back to a more normal life. I also enjoyed being able to take in a Timber Rattlers (or Udder Tuggers for this special weekend) game on Saturday. It seems like most places are back to full capacity and not requiring masks for fully vaccinated people. I still keep a mask with me for those places that are still exercising more precautions.
Prior to Wednesday’s Common Council meeting, the Task Force on Resiliency, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation participated in the first of a series of workshops with consultants from EHSE Management Solutions. These workshops will focus on aligning the proposals made in the climate action plan proposal from the task force with the city’s ongoing sustainability efforts and to assign a priority and a climate action (Resilience, Adaptation, Mitigation, Sustainability) to each proposed action. At the same time, the consultants will be working on creating a city energy, greenhouse gas, water and waste baseline using data that is already retained by city departments – fuel usage, electricity usage, etc. This is an important step because we need to know where we are before we can set a meaningful goal for achieving clean energy goals. We are being encouraged by many of our citizens to set these goals and I believe this work starts us in the right direction. I am really excited to see some momentum again with the task force as we have really been a bit stalled since submitted the initial proposal last November.
https://www.appleton.org/home/showpublisheddocument/23656/637384572038100000
Cost is an important metric when we determine actions to take going forward, but there are many changes we can make that are both sound climate actions and cost effective, such as the biogas boiler at the wastewater plant and the decision to put solar panels on the municipal services building.
The solar panels are projected to save $1,035,865 over 30-years with a payback of 12.4 years or less. It is anticipated that the solar array will replace 51% of the electric service provided by the utility at this site.
The funds for the consultants came from the existing budget for facilities management.
During the Common Council meeting last Wednesday, Mayor Woodford issued proclamations for CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator – I had to look it up) Awareness Week, Gun Violence Awareness Day, Pride Month, and Juneteenth Celebration Day. I grew up in Galveston County, Texas, home of the first Juneteenth celebration in 1865 (although it was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued), and this was a really big event in Texas, with parades and other events commemorating the day. It is good to see Juneteenth celebrations taking place nationwide. There was an event at Jones Park yesterday and there is another planned for June 13th, also at Jones Park.
We also took time to issue a certificate of appreciation to retiring Health Officer Kurt Eggebrecht after listing it prematurely on the agenda for the previous Common Council meeting. I have noted repeatedly in this space how grateful I am that Kurt delayed his planned retirement to help guide us through the pandemic. The search for a new Health Officer is ongoing.
The COVID-19 update was moved up so that Kurt could give his last official update before we honored him. The good news continues, with new cases at their lowest level in a year. We are still in the MODERATELY HIGH category for burden and trajectory but expect to move to the MODERATE category this week as new cases continue to decline. The vaccine clinic at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center closed at the end of May, having administered almost 33,000 doses of vaccine. This was made possible due to the efforts of many, many volunteers – much gratitude to all of them! Vaccinations will continue at the Appleton Public Library. The schedule is a little different, so check the link:
https://covid-19-appleton.hub.arcgis.com/pages/vaccine-site
I have noticed that many providers have changed to a walk-in model, so it couldn’t be easier to get vaccinated if you haven’t already. While we are celebrating what looks like the end of the pandemic, we need to remember that people are still getting COVID-19 and the best way to keep us all safe is to get vaccinated. I happened to walk into the living room where my husband was watching the Memorial golf tournament Saturday just in time to see tournament officials inform the leader, John Rahm, that he had tested positive and would have to withdraw from the event. It was a pretty stark reminder.
Before discussing the two items separated from the agenda for individual consideration, I want to highlight a couple of agenda items.
First, the request from U.S. Venture to rezone 15 parcels as shown on the map below to CBD-Central Business District. They are currently a mix of different zoning and the new zoning will allow more dense development typical of a central business district. At this point, the city is not actively involved in the development plans for this area.
Additional big news came from the Community and Economic Development Committee, which recommended approving the offer from Bose 1 Investments, LLC and 4 Ross Investments, LLC to purchase 30 acres of land in the Southpoint Commerce Park for a total of $1,217,600.00. The end user has not been disclosed but the planned use is light manufacturing/assembly and office.
The two items that were voted on separately included a six-month extension of the agreement between the city and Merge, LLC. for a potential mixed-use development located on the former Blue Ramp and Conway Hotel sites. I think that with the new/rebuilt library, there is great potential for revitalizing this area. I do always have the concern that housing created in these mixed-use developments is always at the high end, which is not where our housing shortage exists. I just read an article citing the increase in the number of people in Outagamie County who spend more than 30% of their income on housing increasing to almost 20% and the number who spend half their income on housing increasing to over 8%.
Finally, we considered the resolution in support of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, which I wrote about in the last update. At the Parks and Recreation Committee meeting last week, there was a motion to amend the resolution to remove the portion which asked for the program to be reauthorized for the 10-year period that was used when the program was initially established and to fund the program with the amount requested in Governor Evers’ budget. I stated that at a minimum we should support authorizing the program for more than the two years that had been proposed by some in the state legislature since we develop the city’s capital improvement budgets on a five-year cycle and need to be able to predict what matching funds might be available for planned outdoor projects. The amendment was changed to retain the authorization period but remove the dollar amount. That amendment failed. When a new amendment was introduced that retained the authorization period and dollar amount but removed the reference to Governor Evers in the proposed budget request, it passed with only three votes against, and the amended resolution passed with only one vote against. I am glad to see this pass and I am hopeful that if enough communities express their support for this program the state legislature will decide to continue funding it. 93% of Wisconsin residents live within a mile of a project that has benefited from Knowles-Nelson grants.
In this week’s committee meetings:
Municipal Services – Monday, June 7, 4:30 p.m.
- Design hearing for 2023 paving projects. This includes Alvin St. from Wisconsin to Marquette, part of which is in our district. Underground utilities will be upgraded in 2022, followed by the complete reconstruction of the street with concrete curb and gutters and asphalt pavement. 19 terrace trees that are in poor condition will be removed, along with 3 ash trees. 43 trees will be saved by narrowing the street from 33 to 31 feet. No parking changes will be required. Only one of 93 surveys were returned and this one mentioned issues with removing the stop sign at Brewster St.
- An information item on proposed operational changes by the Department of Public Works in this meeting will be an action item at a later meeting and voted on by Common Council. Summarizing the changes:
- Changes to leaf and yard waste collection – our current process is not supported by the DNR because it allows too much phosphorus to drain into the storm sewers and then the waterways. The current process also leads to street damage by the bucket trucks used to collect leaves and brush. The department is proposing the purchase of vacuum equipment to collect the leaves from the terrace. We will still be able to avoid bagging leaves under this method but will not be able to include limbs and brush with the leaves because the vacuum equipment cannot handle these materials. Instead, DPW is proposing a monthly brush collection between April and November on the week opposite recycling rather than just the current four weeks in the spring. The leaf collection would require retrofitting 6 existing trucks with vacuum unites, purchasing up to 6 trailer vacuum units, and purchasing 2 roll off dumpsters. Total cost over 5 years would be $2,197,440.
- Bulky item collection – in order to increase the brush collection without adding staff, DPW would need to reduce cost in other areas. Therefore, the proposal is to eliminate the year-round free bulky item collection and move to a paid ($10 per item) collection between April and November. This would also free up personnel for snow removal during the winter months. Appleton is the only city in the area that offers bulky item collection free year-round. A new recycling dumpster is proposed at the Glendale site for items that are recyclable but too large to fit in the blue bins. There are a number of other options for getting rid of these items that do not involve putting them in the landfill, so I would personally be fine with this change. The changes should result in a net annual savings of $20,950.
- Sidewalk snow removal – the contract with the outsourced vendor expires in May of 2022, so the proposal is to perform this work with city personnel. In order to accomplish this, the plan is to reduce the number of crosswalks cleared by the city from 175 to 60, transfer bus shelter clearing back to Valley Transit, and retain some utility locator personnel who are currently laid off in the winter. These changes should result in a net annual savings of $38,000.
I will share full details when this becomes an action item.
- Another information item of interest is the Bird Scooter report. The city has received 36 complaints, 19 of which involve people riding them on the prohibited sidewalks along College Avenue. I have continued to see them left in what I think are odd places – one on the College Ave. pedestrian bridge and a couple on the Newberry Trail.
Utilities Committee – Tuesday, June 8, 5:00 p.m.
- The only action item is a new ordinance requiring triple valving in commercial properties to insure continuous water supply during a main break or other service interruption.
Board of Health – Wednesday, June 9, 7:00 a.m.
- Noise variance request for neighborhood movie nights at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on E. Calumet St.
City Plan Commission – Wednesday, June 9, 3:30 p.m.
- Request to rezone a portion of land at N. Alvin St. and I41 (currently owned by Pathways Church) from Institutional to Commercial
- Request to approve Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units in residential zoned areas. This is a resolution that we have been working on with city staff for some time in order to correctly amend the zoning, comprehensive plan and building codes. It would allow homeowners to create these housing alternatives on their existing property in residential areas. The hope is to allow more affordable housing and more options for people who want to stay in their homes but might need a source of income or a place for a live-in caretaker to stay, or for those who want to have loved ones living nearby but still independently. These are NOT intended to be used as short-term rentals. We have been working with staff in parallel to address concerns about the short-term rental situation in Appleton.
- Dedication of property from the YMCA for widening Lawrence St.
Community and Economic Development Committee – Wednesday, June 9, 4:30 p.m.
- Request to approve the 2020 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
Human Resources and Information Technology – Wednesday, June 9, 6:30 p.m.
- Request to reclassify some positions within the Department of Public works – no additional budget effect due to vacant positions.
- Information item – appointment of Public Health Nurse Supervisor Sonja Jensen as Interim Health Officer. The search for a successor to Kurt Eggebrecht is ongoing but the department wants to ensure continuity in the position regardless of the term.
Safety and Licensing Committee – Wednesday, June 9, 5:30 p.m.
- Clarification of the policy on convenience stores that sell gasoline holding Class A (hard liquor) licenses
- A number of temporary alcohol licenses for August 5-8 (Mile of Music!)
Finally – as noted in the last update, the special rules that allowed remote participation by Common Council members, city staff and the public is expiring July 1 after being amended from the original date of September 30. A number of alderpersons, myself included, see no reason not to have some flexibility now that we have the technology available to do so. Therefore, we are going to have special organizational meetings on June 15th and 16th during which I hope we vote on some Common Council rule changes that will allow remote attendance when necessary. We are allowed to be excused for meetings for vacations or illness, but I see no need to be excused if we are able to use technology to attend if we cannot be physically present. Ironically, I will be attending those meetings, as well as the June 16 Common Council meeting, remotely as I will be out of town with my daughter and her husband as she goes to the hospital on June 14th to deliver her first child (and my second grandchild!).
Try to stay cool this week!
Denise
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