Appleton District 6

  Art From Chalk on the Avenue Good afternoon District 6, I assume a lot of us are still basking in the glow of the Bucks’ championship and the Brewers being on a roll getting into the second half of the season. Maybe that will keep us from worrying about the Packers for a while as we enjoy this summer sunshine (and heat!). It’s nice to see summer activities back in full swing – I took a walk to check out Art at the Park earlier today and managed to escape without buying more than I could carry back with me. Walking through Erb Park just as the pool was opening, it seemed like lots of people were planning to enjoy the water this afternoon. A note on the pools – you may have seen the story in the Post-Crescent about the issue with lifeguard certification. As far as I can understand, it was an administrative issue that resulted in some course materials not being delivered. As noted, Mead Pool is closed until it can be fully staffed by certified lifeguards and Erb Park Pool is o...

Good morning District 6, The last update was written while I was in Arkansas with one daughter’s family welcoming a newborn granddaughter; this one is being written with the other daughter’s family, including our three-year-old granddaughter, visiting us. It’s been fun showing them the sights and experiencing our city from a young family’s perspective – the playground at Erb Park has been a big hit and I’m sure we’ll hit the one at Memorial before the visit is done. We’ve been to the Building for Kids (makes me want to borrow a child just so I can keep going back), the Thursday concert at Jones Park, the Farm Market, Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin (shoutout to Jack and Marty Voight again – if you haven’t been up there, it’s really wonderful). We had brunch on the river yesterday and are took the riverboat cruise in the afternoon, and the young folks had a night on the town Friday while the toddler hung out with the grandparents. Yes – this does sound like a tourist brochure, but I re...

  Good afternoon District 6, Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures out there! I send you greetings from Little Rock, Arkansas, where I am staying with my daughter and son-in-law after she had her first child – my second granddaughter. It was so good to travel to be with them for the big day – actually the first time since Christmas of 2019 that I have seen them. That personal note is a perfect lead-in to the Common Council work that has generated the most discussion – our consideration of keeping virtual participation for alderpersons and members of the community. We had an informal organizational meeting on Tuesday where we discussed the topic for over three hours, eventually coming an agreement on both an ordinance change for the municipal code and for changes to our internal Council rules. The original policy for virtual attendance before the COVID emergency ordinance was very limited – basically only an alderperson with a qualified disability could participa...

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 clim...