I'm starting this week's update with another look back at last week for a couple of items of interest I didn't get a chance to give proper recognition to.
Public Works Week
Last week marked public works week and I wanted to give a shout out to Appleton's Department of Public Works. Having worked with many of the DPW's employees over my time working for the city, I have a great respect for the work they do, oftentimes unseen or without fanfare. So even though Public Works week was last week, I wanted to give them a special mention.
Police Department Promotions
Last week, Captain Polly Olson became the first woman promoted to the position of Assistant Police Chief for the Appleton Police Department. A huge congratulations goes out to Assistant Chief Olson. Like so many other current city employees, I had the opportunity to work with her on occasion and I know she is well respected within the department and in the law enforcement community around the area.
Also, last week with the promotion of Assistant Chief Olson, Lt. Gary Lewis was promoted to replace her as a Captain. Another well deserved promotion within the department. The command staff of APD is filled with caring, seasoned individuals who care deeply about our community and for that we should all be thankful.
Municipal Services Committee
Monday 4:30 p.m. - On the Municipal Services Committee is some more exciting news that points to a return to normal for this summer. Appleton Downtown Inc. is requesting a street occupancy for Street Music Week June 14-18. It's the latest event planning to return to the city after the pandemic cancelled almost all events last year.
Also on the agenda is an informational update on the 2020 parking utility report. Of interest is the fact the city saw a decrease in revenues of $1.2 million from 2019. Expenses decreased about $800,000 over 2019, easing the hit to the utilities' budget. However, the bigger concern is what long-term impact the pandemic will have on revenues long-term and what that means for the utility going forward.
Finance Committee
Monday 5:30 p.m. - The Finance Committee will be approving a number of contract awards. But the interesting nugget on the agenda this week is a recommendation by staff to purchase right-of-way land for the future Spartan Drive extension and stormwater pond. Thanks to savings from other projects, the funds are available for this project now. Rather than waiting for the 2022 budget where these purchases were expected to come up, the staff is recommending purchasing now in an effort to head off rising real estate prices.
Parks and Recreation Committee
Monday 6:30 p.m. - The Parks and Recreation Committee has some organizational items to attend to, but the main item on the agenda is a resolution that was introduced last week. The resolution requests the council to support asking the state legislature to renew the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grant program. The Knowles-Nelson grant program provides matching grants to local governments for recreational and land conservation purchases.
Appleton has seen the benefits of this program recently. The Lawe St. trestle trail completed last year received a 50% matching grant for the $1.4 million project. However, in my day job working in the state legislature, I know there are a number of concerns over the long-term viability of the program.
My concern over this resolution boils down to the following clause: "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Appleton supports the reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program for ten years and consideration of the proposal in Governor Evers budget request of $70 million per year".
Local government's role is not to tell the state how to spend money. The council can easily make a statement of support for the program, without needing to suggest the legislature support the Governor's budget request of $70 million. I think the legislature will support reauthorizing the program, however, at what funding levels and for how long are still being worked out. But that's the state legislature's job, not the Appleton Common Council's job. I would like to see that line of the resolution removed through an amendment at the Parks & Recreation Committee meeting Monday night.
Fox Cities Transit Commission
Tuesday 3 p.m. - The Transit Commission has a light agenda, with some housekeeping and bill paying items on the agenda, along with a plan for returning to City Hall for commission meetings.
Utilities Committee
Tuesday 5 p.m. - The Utilities Committee has a couple of action items on it, but one worth noting involves a significant savings for the city. The wastewater treatment plant needs to have six secondary clarifier drives replaced. The clarifier drives essentially take solids in the wastewater treatment train and separate them out for further treatment. Thanks to a rigorous maintenance schedule, the current drives have exceeded their life expectancy. However, instead of replacing them with new drives, the staff found that the drives could be rebuild for 50% less than the cost of new clarifier drives and still give the same life-expectancy. It's because of initiatives like this that the city has been able to keep utility rate increases in check for years.
City Plan Commission
Wednesday 3:30 p.m. - The City Plan Commission has just one agenda item - the approval of a plat for Broadway Hills estates. The parcel is located on the Northeast side of the city and will be split into seven single-family lots from the current agricultural use as it stands now.
Community & Economic Development Committee
Wednesday 4:30 p.m. - Just two items are on the Community & Economic Development Committee agenda for Wednesday, both are critical timing requests for approval.
The first is for a six-month extension on a planning option for Merge, LLC on property directly behind the City Center. The properties encompass the former Conway Hotel site and the former Blue Ramp site. The City has been working with Merge for over a year now and it appears the developer is close to finalizing a development agreement with the city for the first phase of a project to start next year.
The other request is to sell four parcels of land in Southpoint Commerce Park, comprising of just over 30 acres. The purchase meets the city's asking price of $40,000/acre for a total of over $1.2 million. The broker has not disclosed the company, but the site will house a 250,000 square foot light manufacturing facility, with the potential to add another 450,000 square feet of space in the future.
Safety and Licensing Committee
Wednesday 5:30 p.m. - There are a number of liquor license approvals and temporary license applications on the agenda for the Safety and Licensing Committee Wednesday evening. As I noted earlier in this post, this agenda also includes approvals for some returning summer events, including the Thursday night summer concert series in Jones Park and for the Appleton Jaycees to host the 4th of July fireworks in Memorial Park.
Memorial Day Celebration
While there will not be a parade this year, the Appleton Parade Committee is holding an online Memorial Day event. Details can be found on the event's Facebook page. Also, a reminder that the Flag Day Parade is scheduled to take place this year, so mark your calendar for June 12th to see this great tradition return.
Holiday Garbage/Recycling Schedule
The Memorial Day Holiday garbage and recycling schedule is on the city website. Check it for possible changes to your normal collection days.
Get In Touch
As always, agendas can be found on the agenda and meetings page of the city website. Meetings can be viewed live on the website or watched at a later date. Meetings are also open for anyone to attend in person. I am always available to answer questions at district15@appleton.org or (920) 419-1360.
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