The Notes: Week of August 23 - August 27, 2021

Howdy, Neighbors!  Welcome to the last full week of the year and, for many of us, the last week of "summer" before we get into the "new routine" of school days. 

The week -- "Committee Week" in Appleton -- begins with a meeting of the Appleton Public Arts Committee (Monday, 08/23/2021, 7:45am).  Their primary discussion will be whether to allow Stairway to the Stars (see below) to remain in Pierce Park for another 10 years (requested 10-year lease); but they will also talk about the resignation of one committee member, the public art inventory in Appleton, and ideas for the collection of some new artwork for the Houdini Plaza Welcome Tower.

The CEA (Central Equipment Agency) Review Committee also meets on Monday (08/23/2021) but at the more respectable hour of 4pm!  They last met in May; they don't meet biweekly or monthly but only "on demand" based on what might be needed as far as fleet vehicle and equipment changes in the city.  At this week's meeting, they will elect a chairman and vice chairman and take up a request from the Department of Public Works (DPW) to add the leaf vacuum and other equipment needed for the implementation of the newest DPW Operations Plan to the CEA Fleet. 

At 4:30 (Monday 08/23/2021), the Municipal Services Committee will "re-take up" a new resolution regarding scavenging that was briefly discussed the last time the committee met.  I wrote about this here.  At the last meeting, city staff was asked to clarify the language in the ordinance regarding the prohibition on scavenging so that large/bulky/overflow items could be picked through by "treasure hunters" but there would still be a prohibition against people digging through your garbage can and recycling can once you set them out at the curb.  I think this does the trick:

The committee will also get a crash course on road reconstruction in Appleton.  DPW staff will present Road Reconstruction 101 to the committee and all who are interested.  I will definitely be listening in and/or watching the replay of this meeting for this presentation!  They will talk about when and how roads are selected for reconstruction, asphalt versus concrete, the costs of road reconstruction, and how these projects are funded.  This is a great segue to what we hope to hear about when we get the results of the study we will be initiating regarding a potential transportation utility in Appleton.  

Then at 5:30pm (Monday 08/23/2021), the Finance Committee will meet to take up a few budget items including the early payoff of some TIF 6 funds (which will save the city about $40k in interest), a revision of the residency requirements for city staff and board/commission members to match state statutes subsequent to the passing of the state's Act 20, and the proposed awarding of a contract of ~$1.2M to a construction manager for the library project (to Boldt Construction).  The latter total cost is based on an estimate of the total library construction project of $24M and there was an asterisk on that number saying that it could be more or less, depending on the actual total cost of the project.  As promised during "campaign season," I intend to keep an eye on this project as it moves along and hope to keep that number in the "under" or "on target" category and *not* in the "over" category!  The committee will then go into closed session before returning for a discussion of some informational items.  I don't know much about the closed session (and couldn't legally share if I did) but I'm sure more information for taxpayers to know will come to light in the future.  I will share more with you at that time.

The Parks and Recreation Committee meeting will follow at 6:30pm on Monday 08/23/2021.  They will take up a recent resolution calling for sidewalks around Linwood Park (near Franklin and Douglas Streets) and the same Stairway to the Stars sculpture lease agreement that will have already been taken up at the early-morning meeting of the Public Arts Committee.

On Tuesday 08/24/2021, the Fox Cities Transit Commission will meet at 3pm to approve July 2021 payments, reviewing July 2021 financials, and a couple other informational and contractual items. 

To follow at 5pm (Tuesday 08/24/2021), the Utilities Committee takes up a potential contract award for a stormwater study for the north side of Appleton (west of Highway 47 and south of CTH JJ -- that's us!) and a potential contract award for a biosolids management program (applying 23,000 wet tons of biosolids from our wastewater treatment plant to agricultural fields).  They will also go over the usual things like the water main breaks reporting and utilities department reviews.   

The Library Board has posted a Notice of Quorum for Tuesday 08/24/2021 at 7pm since many of the board members will be present together at the library's building project listening session.  In case you've not heard but are interested in this update session, please see this post from the library's website.  

Normally, there would be multiple meetings on Wednesdays during Committee Week for the city.  But this week, the meetings of the Community & Economic Development Committee, the Safety and Licensing Committee, and the Human Resources and Information Technology Committee have all been cancelled for lack of current agenda items.  Closing out the week on Wednesday 08/25/2021 at 3:30pm is the City Plan Commission meeting.  Commissioners will take up approval of the final plat for Trail View Estates South (south of the creek trail and between French Road and Cherryvale Lane right here in District 13 -- see below) and a review and discussion of the Downtown Appleton Business Improvement District 2022 operating plan.  

I hope you all have a warm and wonderful week!  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the information provided above or anything else city-government-related.  I look forward to hearing from you!