District 6 Update for August 16, 2022

Good afternoon District 6 neighbors, 

With a fairly light committee week last week, we have a somewhat shorter than usual Common Council agenda for tomorrow night. I’ll touch on a couple of items that might be separated out for individual consideration, but first I want to give an update on a couple of events from the past week. 

First, I attended a listening session held last Thursday evening to allow residents to voice their opinions about the proposal by the Trout Museum of Art to construct a new building within the as yet undeveloped Ellen Kort Peace Park. Thanks to Alder Alfheim, the Mayor’s Office and the Parks and Recreation Department for organizing the event. The majority of the people who spoke voiced their objections to the proposal. There were more than 50 people at the listening session, although not all of them spoke. Also, thank you again to those who wrote to share their opinions last week, and to a couple of you that I have discussed it with since. 

I voted to allow city staff to hear the proposals, but, barring some really innovative design that would address the issues we have already heard, such as parking, green space in the park, riverfront access and the general idea of a private (albeit non-profit) entity taking up such a large portion of a park that was designed to be place for quiet interaction with nature, I do not see myself supporting the project. I sincerely hope that the Trout will choose to stay in Appleton, but I think another location, perhaps as part of the development of the College North neighborhood, would be better for the city. 

On Friday night, there was an officer-involved shooting on Birchwood Avenue on the west side of Appleton. The Appleton Police Department reported that officers responded to a domestic disturbance call, finding a male with a handgun. Attempted negotiations failed and the person was later shot, then taken to a local hospital, where he died. The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, along with other agencies. APD has issued one general statement, but will likely not have any more to add until the DCI has completed its investigation. Alder Nate Wolff held a listening session last night for area residents, which I attended. There were questions about inconsistencies in a text alert – some area residents received an alert, but others did not. Several people talked about mental health concerns and what community resources are available, and several mentioned the desire for neighbors to get to know each other better. 

On a brighter note, I got to attend the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the new pickleball complex at Telulah Park this morning. It was a big celebration, with the Appleton City Band playing, and demonstrations and lessons from some local pickleball devotees. We owe huge thanks to Mary Beth Neinhaus, whose generous donation made the complex possible. 

Getting back to the agenda for tomorrow’s Common Council meeting, I expect that the resolution that I submitted with Alder Alfheim to create an Advisory Panel on Sustainability and Climate Resilience will be separated from the rest of the committee reports. I was fairly surprised to see a Nay vote from a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee, and to see another council member attend the meeting to advocate against this all-volunteer panel that would bring together experts to advise the Mayor, Common Council and city staff on matters related to sustainability and resilience. This was one of the top recommendations of the climate change task force in the report that we presented last year. The city has other similar bodies, such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council. 

I also expect to see an item from the City Plan Commission get discussed at the meeting. The Plan Commission (including me) voted 4-1 to recommend a special use permit for a car wash to be located inside part of the old Shopko building on Northland Avenue in our district. I personally wonder about the need for another car wash in the city, but it is not the job of city staff or the Plan Commission to advise whether the business plan is good, but to determine if the request meets the requirements for the special use permit. The site plan approval process would follow. I can think of a number of kinds of business that I would personally rather see in that location, but the building has been vacant for over three years since the store closed. It was purchased at auction last year. I understand that there are plans for other retail in the other half of the building. 

I’ll report on the meeting in the next update. Meantime, you can always watch meetings videos and review agendas and minutes here:  

https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx 

Have a great week!