Appleton Common Council District 6 Update for March 13, 2023

 

Greetings District 6 Neighbors, 

I don’t know about all of you, but I am really ready for this winter to be done. I spent a couple of days in Arkansas celebrating my daughter’s birthday, enjoying sunshine and temperatures in the 50s, only to return on Saturday and dig my car out of the airport parking lot just to return home for the latest round…sigh. 

Before I get to this week’s council meeting, I want to share a couple of bits of information. First – the planned carwash in the old Shopko building has been scrapped. As with many projects, the cost exceeded the original estimates, and the company chose not to pursue it.  

There will be some activity at the Northland Mall location, though. Chik-fil-A has submitted the site plan for their location on that property. I spoke to the city planners, and they do not believe that this location will generate the traffic problems that the College Avenue location experienced due to a number of factors, probably including the fact that a second outlet in Appleton won’t be such a novelty. I will reach out to the traffic engineer as well to make sure that any potential traffic issues will be addressed. 

I’ve gotten some questions about snow removal recently, and I’m posting the link to the city’s winter page that gives answers to many of these questions. 

https://www.appleton.org/government/public-works/winter-page 

Last year, the contractor that had been doing snow removal on roundabouts, crosswalks, sidewalks along parks, etc., decided to end their business, and no other firm bid on the work. Therefore, this work was brought in-house, which is the main reason that bulky item collection was suspended for the winter. If there are specific locations that are of concern you can call Public Works at (920) 832-5580 or let me know and I will reach out to them for you. Residents on corner lots are responsible for the curb ramps and the storm catch basins adjacent to their property. We’re all asked to “adopt” the nearest fire hydrant and keep it clear. 

There are a couple of meetings this week in addition to the full council meeting on Wednesday. On Tuesday at noon, the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board will meet to reallocate the 2023 block grant funding. The City of Appleton was awarded  $16,253 less than the anticipated amount ( $573,200 vs  $589,453) by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. For this reason, the board will need to adjust the grants as shown: 

  

 

The Library Board is meeting Tuesday at 4:30. They will be approving the February bill register as the only action item. 

 

Information items include the building project update, but it does not appear that there is any new information since the last Common Council update. They will also get updates on APL hiring processes, 2022 fourth quarter statistics and the 2022 Annual Report. 

Right before the Common Council meeting, we’ll be getting a special presentation of the Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Appleton program that will be airing on PBS on April 24. There will also be public presentations on April 13 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Poplar Hall at 141 Riverheath Way. You can register here: https://wisconsin-hometown-stories-appleton.eventbrite.com/ 

The agenda for the Common Council meeting is pretty brief. I discussed the major items in last week’s update. There will be public hearings for special assessments for paving, driveway aprons and sidewalk construction on Amethyst Drive and Bluetopaz Drive and for sanitary laterals, storm laterals and storm mains on Alice St., Linwood Ave., Rankin St. and Summit St. in preparation for street reconstruction. 

We will vote on the contracts approved in the Finance Committee meeting for concrete and asphalt paving and for the hardscape renovation at the water treatment plant. As I noted in the last update, those projects had to be modified and some work put off because the bids (for the paving projects there was only one bid) exceeded the budgeted amount.  

We will also be voting to approve the extension on the first phase of the  Urbane 115 project by Merge LLC. Supply chain and cost issues are causing construction delays. It appears that they are still committed to the second phase of the project, though. 

Finally, a reminder that the spring election is on April 4. Elections for Wisconsin State Supreme Court, Outagamie County Executive and the Appleton School Board will be on the ballot, along with three statewide referendums. The odd council districts will be on the ballot, though only District 7 has a contested election.  Early voting is not officially posted yet, but I expect that it will begin on March 21 and run through March 31 at City Hall. Absentee ballots can be requested until March 30 (I would absolutely do it sooner) and must be returned by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee ballots must be returned by mail or in person at the City Clerk’s office on the 6th floor of City Hall. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. District 6 votes at the Scheig Center in Memorial Park. 

https://www.appleton.org/government/city-clerk/elections

 

Have a great week!

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