The Notes: Week of May 8 - May 12, 2023

Hey, neighbors!  Here we are with some warmer weather (finally!) for this Committee Meetings Week.  There are quite a few meeting cancellations for this week as we are in a bit of a lull in activity (maybe in anticipation of summer?!).  Members of these committees get this week off:

• Finance Committee (though they will have a special meeting scheduled before next week's full council meeting)
• Fox Cities Transit Commission
• Utilities Committee
• Appleton Redevelopment Authority
• Human Resources and Information Technology Committee

The rest of the week includes a couple of meetings of committees we haven't seen for a while.  Here's the rundown by day:

Monday, 05/08/2023

Municipal Services Committee - 4:30pm  The last time this committee met (previewed here), there was to be a presentation of the bids for the restriping of College Avenue... however, this item was held by the committee until this week as per a request by city staff members for more time to revise their bud request and send this project back out to bid.  The posted agenda for this week's meeting again states that a "(m)emo will be distributed at meeting" so I'm unable to share with you today what we can expect in this regard.  I will attend the meeting to hear more and, unless this item is again held by this committee, there will be more discussion on this next week when it comes to the full council for a vote. 

This committee will also discuss a property owner's request for waiver of a $75 snow removal assessment, a request for placement of a downtown parklet for this upcoming warm-weather period (same as last year), an updated version of a Bird scooter report for April 2023 (in which 7 issues/complaints were reported), and the 2022 annual report and YTD 2023 income report for the city's parking utility.

Parks and Recreation Committee - 6:30pm  This committee will again discuss a potential change to the start time of their meeting.  They had initially decided to make a change from a 6:30pm start time to a 6:15pm start time.  But there have been other discussions about the confusion and issues that might come with a "willy nilly" change to any one committee meeting's schedule.  I know that the city clerk has been asked to help provide council members with statistics on the average length of committee meetings and how many times these meetings have gone past their 60-minute schedules.  This information should help all council members make logical, data-based decisions on committee meeting schedules rather than just wanting to "make committee meetings shorter." (More of my thoughts on this can be found here.)  Do you have thoughts on the length or start times of these meetings?  If so, please let me know. 

Then this committee will take up another held item: a resolution for No Mow May at Ellen Kort Peace Park.  I have a lot of questions on this issue.  There is no indication on the resolution as to whether this is for 2023 only or for all Mays moving forward.  And as you also know (if you're a frequent reader here), I have grave doubts about longer turf grass supporting or assisting pollinators.  There is certainly evidence that the risks/downsides outweigh the possible pollinator assistance with the suspension of turf mowing in May.  So, I'm not apt to get behind this resolution.  It will be difficult for me to support having any one of Appleton's city parks looking unkempt or having long-term turf issues due to delayed spring maintenance.  A resolution such as this also seems like a banana peel at the top of a slippery slope of poor turf maintenance at all of the city's public parks.  Citizens have minimum expectations for city parks and proper turf maintenance is one of them.  Give the resolution a read and let me know your thoughts.    

Wednesday, 05/10/2023

Board of Health - 7am  They're back at it with another early morning meeting!  Action items on this board's agenda include all the usual "new committee" actions like electing a vice chairman, etc.  They will also discuss the formation of a new public health coalition:  The Calumet County, Outagamie County, Winnebago County, City of Appleton, and City of Menasha Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) Alignment Coalition.  While I love the idea of this coalition -- a coming together of all of the public health departments in the area -- I am concerned that there are already so many public health governmental agencies in this relatively small population area.  The formation of this coalition seems a bit like a make-work project.  But I hope that its formation means that these agencies will all look to identify and eliminate any duplication of services so as to save taxpayers while still supporting public health in the tri-county area. 

Board of Review - 10am  The meetings of this board are rare since this board takes up owner challenges to the city assessor's assessments of tax values of properties in the city.  This week's meeting of the board is a formation/policy/training meeting.  Since the revaluation of property assessments in the city will not conclude until August 2023, this board will meet again in October to take up any and all private property owners' tax assessment challenges.

 

City Plan Commission - 3:30pm  Commissioners will take up a second special use permit request for placement of a car wash on a lot on East Calumet Street.  Back in 2020, the commission and then the common council granted this property owner a special use permit for a car wash here; but the developer did not move forward with the plan so that permit expired.  A preliminary plat for the first addition to the Glacier Ridge subdivision in our District 13 will also be up for commission approval. 

Safety and Licensing Committee - 5:30pm  Members of this committee will start their meeting hearing from the owners of OB's Brau House in downtown Appleton regarding their liquor license demerit point status.  It seems that in December 2022, this establishment hosted nude/semi-nude entertainment and was therefore cited and incurred demerit points which could lead to the suspension of their liquor license for anywhere between 10 and 90 days.  Their ownership is required to come before the committee to explain what plans they have to make sure that this does not reoccur at their establishment.  After that no doubt scintillating discussion, the committee will look to approve a long slate of liquor license and cigarette/tobacco license annual renewals for establishments throughout the city.

Community and Economic Development Committee - 6:30pm  The one action item in front of this committee is an amendment to the city's agreement with the developer Rise Apartments LLC.  This developer has, in the past, been the recipient of some of the city's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the development of some low- to moderate-income housing in the city.  An agreement amendment is needed due to some changes in the developer's plans subsequent to the developer receiving some WHEDA tax credits for this projects in addition to the city's TIF assistance and the ARPA funds.  It is estimated that the developer's current plans will create an additional $3.572M in property value in the city.  

And.... that will finish off the committee meetings for the week.  

But I'll add here some further information on the progress in the wooded area of Vosters Park for those of you who have expressed interest recently:

As you know, the tree removal portion of the project is now completed.  You'll still see some large logs and the like on the floor of the wooded area.  This is being purposefully left as future habitat for the wildlife in the area (as per the request of many of the neighbors during our meetings on this project).  Much of the large invasive species removal already took place when the trees were cut and removed.  However, there will still be some "hand removal" of the invasives at the perimeter of the wooded area yet.  The contractor is awaiting drier conditions in the wooded area before completing this task as well as working on the light grading of the southeast portion of the wooded area (as per the plans posted at the site and shared with neighbors in our last meeting regarding this project).  The contractor has until the end of May to complete these tasks. 

There will be some planting of "temporary grasses" in this area as well.  This temporary grass needs to take root and grow a bit before the black netting fencing can be removed from the area.  This black netting is the "silt fence" which is keeping much of the open soil in the woods from eroding away while we wait for the temporary grasses to grow.  In the fall, there will be a more permanent no-mow/"prairie grass"/wild forest floor planting in the woods.  The plan would then be to also add the 60 or so trees that the city and WeEnergies are slated to supply for a reforestation of the area.  

The only incomplete item thereafter will be a pathway through the wooded area.  The city budget for this project has enough remaining to allow for a gravel screenings walkway through the wooded area.  A more permanent walkway such as a paved (asphalt or concrete) path or a raised wooden walkway (which could be done in a more sustainable/longer lasting way than our previous boardwalk) could be added if that is the preference of the neighbors... and only with private donations/funding.  If you prefer one of the latter options and have questions or ideas for fundraising for something like this, please contact me.  The city would like this project complete by the end of 2023, so if fundraising is what's desired, neighbors will need to kick it off soon!  

Please share with me your thoughts on the park or on any of the above mentioned topics.  I'm happy to chat with you on anything city government related!  

I hope you have a lovely spring week and that I'll see you back here again for next week's blog installment.