The Notes: Week of February 28 - March 4, 2022

Happy Sunday, neighbors!  Welcome to the first Full Council Week in MARCH (yes... February's door is finally closing this week!!) 2022.

This week begins with a couple of non-Full Council meetings.  A short synopsis of the agendas for those meetings, including some presentation document links follow.  

Tuesday, 03/01/2022, 1pm - Appleton Redevelopment Authority Exhibition Center Advisory Committee

This committee will convene to discuss the latest updates from the exhibition center, including 2021 financial results (showing a net loss of $202,906, likely mostly due to a slow economic recovery from COVID) and the 2022 outlook, a quick glance at the improvements occurring at the Hilton Paper Valley Hotel, and current staffing updates for both the hotel and the convention center.  You can view the slides for this presentation here.  There will also be a presentation on the status of tourism in the Fox Cities at this meeting.  The most encouraging statement in this presentation is that 4th quarter 2021 room tax collections were up 8.2% over the pre-pandemic 4th quarter 2019.

Wednesday, 03/02/2022, 8:30am - Appleton Public Arts Committee

Creative Downtown Appleton, Inc. is requesting of this committee permission to use the College Avenue amenity strip for their 2022 Appleton Creates event series (between May 20 and June 17).  I expect the committee to easily approve this request as it only benefits downtown tourism and comes at no cost to the city.

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And later that evening, the full council will meet.  There are very few items of significant import on the Wednesday night agenda so I will bullet-point some items of interest below.  Of course, I'm happy to discuss any and all of the items on the agenda with you at any time.  So always feel free to contact me!

Wednesday, 03/02/2022, 7pm - Full Common Council 

• Mayor Woodford will issue three proclamations at this meeting: Be Active Wisconsin Month, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and declaring Appleton to be an Age Friendly Community (as defined by AARP).
  
  
• The city's heath director will again present a COVID19 report for the city.  I look forward to the day when this report is no longer required in council agendas as all of the city's COVID19 information is regularly available to Appletonians (through this link). 
  
  
• Nearly all of the items from last week's Municipal Services Committee are up for approval on this week's full council agenda.  What's missing this week is discussion on Resolution #3-R-22 regarding making No Mow May permanent in Appleton (adding it to the Municipal Code and taking it off of the table for discussion each year for renewal) and changing the standards for maximum height growth of yards/turf grass from eight inches to twelve inches.  This item was held by this committee for further discussion next week. 
  
  Please let me know if you are able to speak or email the committee regarding No Mow May at or before this committee meeting next Monday!  I believe that we should have a discussion on whether there is community appetite for this program each year.  Therefore, I disagree with this resolution as it stands.  I am more than willing to have an annual discussion on the merits of this policy but do not believe it in the best interest of all property owners in Appleton to make this policy a permanent part of the municipal code.  Let me know if you agree or disagree and let's chat about it! 
  
  
• Of interest to our neighbors in the north of District 13, up for approval by the full council is a resolution to proceed with plans for the construction of concrete pavement, sidewalks, and driveway aprons on Amethyst Drive (from Providence Avenue to Bluetopaz Drive), Bluetopaz Drive (from Providence Avenue to Calmes Drive), and Tiburon Avenue (from Applehill Boulevard to Purdy Parkway).  
  
  
• All else from last week's committee meetings passed through without much fanfare and will be up for approval by full council as well.  If you have any questions or concerns, please be sure to let me know.  

I hope that these first days of March (though they may come in like a lion as the saying goes) bring us sunshine and milder weather.  It only gets warmer from here, right?  (Please do not blame me for making that statement should Mother Nature turn sharply on us any time in the next few weeks.)

Join me for more updates next week and until then, have a great week!