Appleton Common Council District 6 Update, February 7, 2022

It looks like today’s warm(er) weather might be with us for a few days- my weather app shows double digit highs for the next 10 days. My timing was off, of course. I walked a race in De Pere yesterday morning when the “feels like” was -10. 

The Common Council meeting last Wednesday had a rather light agenda, most of which was pretty straightforward. As I noted last week, the items that caused the most discussion in committee (intoxicated bartender resolution, brand study funding, resolution re-allocating the funding planned for the brand study) were all held either indefinitely in the case of the brand study funding, or until future committee meetings. More about those when we discuss next week’s committee meetings. 

As is the case with almost every meeting, the mayor issued several proclamations: 

 - Transit Equity Day 

 - Career and Technical Education Month 

 - Gun Violence Survivor Week 

 - Burn Awareness Week 

 - Black History Month 

 

We also voted to confirm the mayor’s appointment of Ariela Rosa to the Appleton Housing Authority. 

Interim Heath Officer Jensen gave the COVID-19 update – I’m not sure if this will be the last one for her as new Health Officer Jensen starts on February 14. The good news is that the number of new cases fell pretty dramatically in the last week of January. However, the burden (cases per 100,000 residents) is still considered critical, and the transmission rate is considered high in our city. You can find the latest information, including vaccine information,  on the city website by clicking on the red banner at the top of the page. 

There were only three items that alderpersons separated from the committee agendas for individual discussion and votes. First was a request for a special use permit for a car wash at the location of the closed Applebee’s at 3040 E. College Ave. Alderperson Firkus from District 3 had heard some concerns from his constituents that there would be three car washes in a small radius. The City Plan Commission had recommended this for approval based on the staff report. I am not sure what the objections would be since this is in an area zoned for commercial use. I also don’t think we can regulate the type of private business based on other similar businesses in the area. 

The second item was a request for a liquor license for a new restaurant at 1016 E. Pacific St. This item was separated because the owner was present at the meeting. Initially there had been some concern as the building has no off-street parking, but the restaurant will be small, and the owner has been reaching out to residents in the area to make sure that there will not be issues with parking. Alderperson Meltzer welcomed the business in the neighborhood, pointing out a similar restaurant that has become a neighborhood favorite. 

Finally, the on-street parklet policy was separated by Alderperson Schultz, but only so that he could reiterate his support. The new policy will restrict the placement of these temporary seating areas to non-profit groups for now, and laid out the requirements for insurance, paying the cost of the parking spot(s) that would be taken up, etc. I think this is great for downtown – I personally enjoyed having a coffee in the parklet that was on State St. at the end of the summer several times. 

While the Fox Cities Transit Commission, the Board of Health, the Safety and Licensing Committee and the Human Resources and Information Technology Committee all have their meetings canceled this week for lack of agenda items, other committees have full agendas. 

Municipal Services Committee – Monday, February 7, 4:30 p.m.  

• Approve Memorandum of Understanding with Bird Rides, Inc. for a pilot program for 2022. Last year’s trial was deemed a success, with almost 26,000 trips. Some changes were made for this year’s pilot program, including reducing the maximum speed on College Avenue between Drew and Richmond from 15 MPH to 12 MPH, geo-fencing (controlling where the scooters can go) to prevent ending a ride on a bridge, creating preferred parking zones where riders get a discount if they end their ride there, payment to the city of 10 cents per ride for administrative, educational and enforcement expenses, limiting the number of scooters to 350 with no more than 100 in the downtown area and deploying the scooters in groups of 10 or less. Reactions were mixed in the survey last year with most people either loving or hating the scooters. There were really very few responses that did not express strong opinions. As someone who didn’t really see these as the accessible transportation advertised (they are relatively expensive if you ride for any length of time, they require a credit or debit card), I hope the changes make them less of a problem downtown. I wonder how it will address the number of scooters I saw left in seemingly random places. I’m keeping an open mind, but I’ll be watching if complaints come in. 
• Requests from the Hilton hotel (the Red Lion was acquired and being remodeled as a Hilton) for a permanent sign in the College Ave. right of way and from McGuinness Pub to bag nine parking meters (at a cost of $9 per meter) to allow drive through for their Irish breakfast and corned beef and cabbage dinners for St. Patrick’s Day. 
• Contract for bridge deck sealing ($100,000) to Radtke Contractors, Inc. 
• Information items include a presentation describing how the new Department of Public Works policy on leaf collection and bulky item collection will be communicated. Flyer is attached and there is a video that will be on the city’s social media sites. I have described the new policy in a number of updates and will discuss again when we get closer to the implementation time. 
• Another information item is the update on the enhanced crosswalk program – I assume this is in response to the resolution that calls for some of the funds from the proposed brand study to be re-allocated to the crosswalk program. 

Finance Committee – Monday, February 7, 5:30 p.m. 

• Approval of contract for budgeted sewer and water line reconstruction to Kruczek Construction Inc. ($1,366,667 with a 7.5% contingency of $102,500 for a project total not to exceed $1,469,167) 
• Approval of budget amendments to account for grant funding for traffic and drug enforcement to the Police Department and to move funds for maintenance at the Mackville Landfill. 
• Resolution #2-R-22 Improve Communication, Technology, and Pedestrian Safety. This was the resolution that was held at the last finance committee meeting. The mayor has sent a memo recommending that this be held until June of this year to give city staff a “clearer sense of funding needs.” I disagree with the statements in the memo – linked here: http://cityofappleton.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9c96a90e-fb8d-43e4-92e3-51e87b5f8a43.pdf that the resolution was brought without consideration just before the council meeting. At the previous Finance Committee meeting, it was clear that the committee was not in agreement about the brand study, and there were several other alderpersons, including myself, that had issues with the process. At that time, even before the recommended firm withdrew its bid, there were proposals to use the funds allocated for the brand study and implementation for more pressing city needs. I am not a member of the Finance Committee, but I plan to attend listen to the discussion.  

 

Utilities Committee – Tuesday, February 8, 5:00 p.m. 

• Request for a credit adjustment of $65.98 for water usage. The last Utilities Committee meeting was cancelled due to lack of a confirmed quorum, so this item is still open. The resident clearly had a water leak and got some very high bills, even after being 
•  informed of the high usage. I will be waiting to understand how this amount means anything. Another reminder to sign up for Aqua Hawk, where you can get notified if your water uses increases outside of limits that you set. https://www.appleton.org/residents/water/customer-portal 
• Approve contract amendment with Arcadis to provide public outreach and communication materials to meet the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions in an amount not to exceed $22,400. This is to get help communicate with homeowners about the lead pipe replacement program that will allow homes with lead or galvanized pipe to get them replaced without cost. The city is using American Rescue Plan Act funds for this lead mitigation program. 

City Plan Commission – Wednesday, February 9, 3:30 p.m. 

• Request to update zoning to allow the Maritime Bar to use a purchased lot next to the business for additional parking and an outdoor patio. The lot had a house that was razed and was previously zoned residential, so the zoning would have to change for this use. (1312 N. Division St.) 

Community and Economic Development Committee – Wednesday, February 9, 4:30 p.m. 

• Request to reallocate $42,824.66 of the Community Development Block Grant funds from the Appleton Housing Authority to Rebuilding Together Fox Cities. AHA was unable to use all the funds for their First Time Homebuyer program due to a significant number of loan payoffs and an administrative vacancy. RTFC is a similar program that finances a homeowner rehabilitation program. 
• Sale of lots in the Southpark Commerce Park ($130,000) and Northeast Industrial Park ($53,850) 
• Request to amend the development agreement with Bela Development for the 513 W. College Ave. project in Tax Increment Financing District 12. The developer stated that they are  experiencing delays in construction due to supply chain issues and the project did not reach the agreed assessed value by January 1, 2022. The amendment seeks an extension until January 1, 2023. 
• An information item will review City of Appleton ARPA funds grants. 

Related to that last item, the city would like input on the allocation of ARPA funds. The first portion was specifically allocated in the 2021 budget, but approximately funds are more generally allocated in the 2022 budget. There is a worksheet here: https://appleton.abalancingact.com/arpa?fbclid=IwAR2rMkC02uOXsAIafp-sBCw9p_JOdJKxDhZfxmxDs41-evcxRRqCqX6diEc  where you can modify the proposed amounts allocated to various projects and submit your proposal to city staff. There is also a section for comments on each area. Learn more about ARPA funds here: https://www.appleton.org/government/mayor-s-office/arpa 

As always, you can review meeting minutes and watch meeting videos here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx  Email me or call if you have questions, concerns or other input.

Have a great week!