Pollock vandalism update

In his July 28th Weekly Newsletter, the City Manager informed the council that an anonymous donor came forward and donated $2,000 to the Parks Department to pay for the clean up of last week's vandalism to the water park. I think Mr. Wollangk said it best: "[the donation] reminds us of the fantastic community in which we live when our citizens are willing to step forward to help the city. I know I speak for all of us when I offer our heartfelt thanks to the individual/individuals who made this very generous donation."

I echo Mr. Wollangk's words and wish to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the anonymous donor for the generous donation.

Mr. Wollangk also stated that, as of last Monday, there have been over 43,000 visitors to the water park, and he has been told that "the concession stand is doing very well in revenues so far." This is also very good news!

-Bryan

Lake monitoring training

The following was distributed on the UW Oshkosh announcement email list. If you are interested in participating in this important project, please contact Dr. Michael Lizotte, Director of the UW Oshkosh Aquatic Studies Center. I also encourage you to check out a 2004 report on the water quality of the Lake Winnebago Pool.

Dear UW Oshkosh community,

I would appreciate your help recruiting volunteers for monitoring water clarity on the Winnebago Pool lakes (DETAILS BELOW).

This project is a partnership between UW Oshkosh, UW Fond du Lac, UW Extension, WI Dept. of Natural Resources, and the Winnebago Lakes Council.

I will be offering a training session for lake monitoring on Tuesday August 1st, 6-8pm, at the UW Oshkosh Aquatic Research Laboratory (see invitation below). We are recruiting volunteer boaters to make simple measurements of water clarity on Lakes Winnebago, Butte des Morts, Winneconne and Poygan. The methods are simple, we give you the equipment, and we help you find a site on the lakes that needs monitoring and is a place you like to boat. GPS is needed for most sites on these large lakes.

I appreciate knowing how many people will attend the training, but anytime before the training day is fine.

Thanks,

Mike Lizotte

LAKES WINNEBAGO, POYGAN, WINNECONNE, & BUTTE DES MORTS

JOIN THE WINNEBAGO POOL SELF-HELP LAKE MONITORING NETWORK

VOLUNTEER TRAINING SESSION: Tuesday, August 1, 2006, 6:00-8:00pm, UW Oshkosh Aquatic Research Laboratory (Pearl Ave., behind Kolf Sports Center)

Training session will cover:

• lake monitoring by volunteers - why we need citizen help for the Winnebago Pool Lakes
• why we use water clarity to keep track of sediment and algae in our lakes
• how to make water clarity measurements and submit data for us all to use
• future possibilities, beyond water clarity

WHAT WILL I GET? Training, manuals, 2004 Winnebago Pool report, and your own instrument for water clarity measurements - the Secchi Disk.

WHAT WOULD I DO? Adopt a lake station in your neighborhood or favorite fishing spot. Small boats are fine for near shore, but larger boats with GPS are needed to work far offshore. Measurements take only a few minutes, and are most useful if collected every 1-2 weeks during the boating season.

WHO WOULD USE THE DATA? Citizens, educators, and the local, county and state officials interested in the health of our lakes.

HOW DO I JOIN? Please register for a training session listed above, or let us know you or a group are interested in future training opportunities by contacting Mike Lizotte:

by Email: winnebagopool@yahoo.com
by Telephone: 920-424-0848
by Mail: Michael Lizotte, Dept. of Biology, UW Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd, Oshkosh WI 54901

Dr. Michael P. Lizotte
Dept. of Biology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54901
tel: 920-424-0848

-Bryan

Petri Town Meeting

Representative Tom Petri will host a Town Meeting in Oshkosh Tuesday, August 1st at 3:30 p.m. at the Oshkosh Public Library. For information on Representative Petri's voting record, click here.

-Bryan

EAA AirVenture 2006

Welcome to Oshkosh! According to the EAA, nearly 700,000 visitors (scroll down to the 12th paragraph) will make their way to the 54th annual EAA AirVenture this week. While here, I encourage you to check out everything our city has to offer. And don't forget about the Mayor's Breakfast Friday in downtown Oshkosh.

Be sure to also check out the Oshkosh Northwestern special online section dedicated to the fly-in, which includes related articles, a daily blog and links to the EAA Magazine.

Enjoy your stay in our wonderful city!

-Bryan

Feingold in Oshkosh

As reported in the Oshkosh Northwestern, United States Senator Russ Feingold will be in Oshkosh Sunday to announce his support of Gordon Hintz, Democratic state Assembly candidate for the 54th District. Senator Feingold is expected to speak around 5:00 p.m. at the Hintz for Assembly Headquarters, 683 N. Main St.

-Bryan

Oshkosh: a best place to live

I just read on Streetwise in Oshkosh that Money magazine released its top 100 places to live and Oshkosh ranked 85th. The only other top 100 finalists from the state are Waukesha (36th), Madison (53rd) and Appleton (57th). Read more about it in today's Oshkosh Northwestern.

Yet another independent analysis that ranks Oshkosh and the Fox Valley as one of the overall best places to live and work.

-Bryan

Shame 'em into paying

Here's an update on a subject that I wrote about back in January. An Appleton Post-Crescent article reports that the state has collected more than $12 million in back taxes since launching the "Wisconsin Delinquent Taxpayers" website. And according to the article, more names are being added.

-Bryan

Citizens local government academy

The city is once again recruiting participants for the Citizens Local Government Academy. This is an excellent way for citizens of Oshkosh to learn more about their community and how it works. The application is available on the city's website and due by Noon, August 4th. For more information, contact Kristi Bales in the Planning Division of the Department of Community Development at 236-5057.

-Bryan

Nuisance Ordinance public meeting

The Oshkosh Police Department has scheduled a public meeting Wednesday, July 19th at 6:30 p.m. in room 406 City Hall to discuss the proposed Nuisance Ordinance. I encourage anyone interested in or concerned about the proposal to attend.

According to a report on the Oshkosh News website, the Winnebago County Apartment Association is supportive of the proposed changes.

The Common Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its August 8th meeting.

-Bryan

Ethics

Has Wisconsin Lost Its Ethics? In short, yes, according to a research paper written by Bill Lueders, news editor of Isthmus, a weekly newspaper in Madison. Lueders also the authored Could Campaign Finance Reform Happen Here? Both research papers are published on the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute website.

-Bryan

Fishing

The Oshkosh Northwestern and WFRV both have excellent stories on how important fishing on the Lake Winnebago System is to our economy - it generates over $220 million in spending and supports over 4,000 jobs! Yet another reason to support redevelopment of our riverfront.

-Bryan

Proposed Nuisance Ordinance

Per my request, the City Manager has put the proposed Nuisance Ordinance on the city's website. The Common Council is slated to take action on the proposal at its August 8th meeting. When I find out when the police department plans to hold a public workshop, I will post it here.

Have a safe 4th of July!

-Bryan