City of Eau Claire residents, staff, and Council Members,

Here’s some news from around the City for this week. As a reminder, prior updates can be found here, and people can sign up for updates here. Feel free to send me feedback.

You can view the update online here as well, which may help for anyone whose email program does not download pictures: News | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov)

CITY UPDATES:

City Circuit: Council President Emily Berge and I have been meeting up with many different groups this spring, including book clubs, churches, senior facilities, and neighborhood groups. This week, we attended the Putnam Heights Neighborhood Association meeting. We were joined by new Council Member Aaron Brewster, who represents this area, and by Eau Claire Police Lt. Ryan Dahlgren, who works with this area as well. Also joining in was neighborhood resident and Health Department staff person Audrey Boerner.

Attendees shared what they love about their neighborhood and/or Eau Claire, and what they’d like us to work on changing. Pictured below is President Berge answering questions from the group.

In terms of what they love, the list is long, and it included:

• The awesome outdoor areas and trails of Eau Claire.
• The Library, the Downtown, University, and more. One person said: “The major institutions in Eau Claire (like the City, the County, the University, businesses) all are well run and do great work here to support our community”
• The Police Department's excellent service and a feeling of safety being in Eau Claire.
• The people! Quotes included: “People are laid back, friendly,” “I have the BEST neighbors.”
• Commonly shared views are captured by these quotes:
  • “Eau Claire is a city with lots to do, but you can quickly get out into nature.”
  • “Eau Claire feels like a small town, but we have big opportunities here.”

 In terms of what they’d like to see changed:

• Traffic and round-abouts: At least five attendees mentioned challenges with traffic on the South Side. In particular, some felt frustrated with roundabouts, especially the one at the top of State. They also expressed concerns that the new housing in the former Shopko site may result in more traffic, including at the complicated intersections at Stein and MacArthur. Lt. Dahlgren said that their neighborhood is, in general, very quiet, but that traffic is a concern throughout the Southside. (This feedback will be passed along to our Engineering Department)
• Code Enforcement: Residents asked for more code enforcement, such as action on trash or inoperable vehicles on properties. A number of people expressed a desire to see changes to our trash delivery systems, with complaints about the ending of bulk item/yard waste pickup and about placement of trash bins in the streets, which can create a safety concern, such as for bicyclists (We are working on a trash study right now to look for how we might modify trash delivery in Eau Claire, and have also formed a Neighborhood Services Division to try to increase code enforcement)
• Downtown Parking: Attendees expressed concern about parking downtown and the challenge of finding spaces and/or a wish that paid parking won’t be implemented. (See below for a parking update)
• Mental Health and Homelessness: Some attendees expressed concerns about the growing numbers of people who are struggling with mental health without adequate support and also the growing number of people who are facing homelessness. (See below for an update on one initiative focused on addressing that challenge)
• Park Improvements: Some attendees asked for updates on maintenance of parks and park amenities. (The City is currently undertaking a comprehensive study of our open spaces)
• Others Concerns: One resident asked for more advertisement about Radon, and a number of people talked about the overabundance of deer eating gardens. (More information on Radon can be found here: Radon | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov))

Parking Consultant: Speaking of parking, the City is working with a consultant to update a study the City carried out on parking in 2019 and 2020 (see: Parking Study Update | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov)). The consultant will be in Eau Claire the week of May 20th to 24th to meet with stakeholders, businesses, elected officials, and City staff to kick off the work. The study has a special focus on the challenges and needs related to parking in and near the Downtown, as referenced by the Putnam Heights residents. Here’s the agenda for the three-day visit:

• Tuesday, May 21st is being set aside for walking tours with the consultant throughout the downtown. 
• Wednesday, May 22nd is reserved for meetings with the consultant in City Hall. The consultant will attend a DECI Parking and Infrastructure meeting scheduled for noon on the 22nd. 
• Thursday, May 23 will serve as a wrap-up day for follow-up meetings, if necessary. 

A sign-up link will be emailed out to businesses, stakeholders, and City Council members with times available. We will share more information once it’s available so that people can get involved. The consultant is currently in an information-gathering phase. Later this summer, he will return to share compiled analysis and solicit policy direction from the Council and community

Day Resource Center: And speaking of concerns with regard to how to help people who are unhoused, the City is supporting the work of partners to create a Day Resource Center. More information about the Day Resource Center and what role it plays in helping people reach stability can be found here:  https://www.eauclairewi.gov/government/our-divisions/city-manager/housing-and-homelessness

The location of the future Day Resource Center is currently in discussion. During a recent City Council work session, a City-owned parking lot at Farwell and Main was considered for the future location of the Day Resource Center. From the work session, the City Council directed City Staff to move forward with the needed steps for development of the Parking Lot owned by the City at Main and Farwell at 309 Sout Farwell Street.

The first step in making this property available for consideration as a site for the Day Resource Center is to have the City Council declare it as excess land. The Plan Commission considered this request on Monday, May 6th, in its role as an advisory board of the Council on land use topics. During public comment, a significant number of individuals shared concerns about the plan, and the Plan Commission voted unanimously against the proposed excess land declaration.

The Council President requested that an additional work session be held for the Council to review more context with regard to the Day Resource Center prior to taking steps required to move towards a siting decision for the Center.

At this work session, which will occur after next week Tuesday's legislative session, staff will share:

• Criteria for siting;
• Locations assessed in the past year;
• A number of options that meet the criteria, including the parking lot at Main and Farwell;
• Partners involved;
• Contingent initiatives, such as the Street Ambassadors Program; and
• Timeline and deadlines related to ARPA and other funding for operation and acquisition of a Day Resource Center.

Opioid Data Dashboard: Also related to mental health and substance abuse, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department shared this week that they have launched a “comprehensive opioid data dashboard that will give critical insight into the impact of opioid use in Eau Claire County, and the prevention and harm reduction strategies that are being implemented.” The resource draws attention to a crisis that has a huge toll on our residents and that generally gets less attention than other threats that cause injury and death to people who would otherwise be physically healthy.

The Health Department shared: “In Eau Claire County, 82 people died due to drug overdoses between 2018 and 2022, and 62 of those deaths (or approximately 76%) were opioid-related. During the same timeframe, more than 488 suspected nonfatal opioid overdoses occurred in Eau Claire County.”

Pictured here is a chart from the dashboard that shows a rate or “hospital encounters” related to opioids, expressed as a rate per 100,000 residents in a year’s time. (Eau Claire County has just over 100,000 residents, so the rate is close to the actual number.) Eau Claire County had 290 opioid-related hospital encounters in 2022, or approximately one in every 350 people. (That said, one person could have more than one event.) A total of 15 people died from opioid-related overdoses in 2022.

The interactive opioid dashboard can be found at bit.ly/opioid-dashboard. For more information about efforts to address this crisis and opioid-related resources, please visit www.echealthalliance.org/resources.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Here are a few notes on what to keep an eye out for and ways you get involved in important decision-making processes underway in Eau Claire…

Summer Signup Deadlines: We are so excited that summer is nearly here! Here are some dates that Recreation has shared…

• Pool Pass Discount Deadline: There are a few days left to purchase your Fairfax Municipal Swimming Pool memberships at a discount of 10 percent. The sale price runs through May 15th, and the passes will be full price after that date. Purchase Online Here: http://activenet.active.com/Eauclaire/
• Summer Registration: 2024 Spring and Summer Activity Registration is NOW OPEN! All summer programs are now viewable online and can be found in our 2024 Spring/Summer Prime Times Activity Guide. The activity guide and link to online registration can be viewed at www.eauclairewi.gov/primetimes. If you need assistance with resetting your account password, please email recreation@eauclairewi.gov with your full name and address to receive a temporary password. Please do not make an additional account if you already have one. The image before shows a graphic of the same information and link.

Next Century Code Update Workshop: Don’t forget the next Century Code update meeting on May 20th at the Library on the Third Floor. More information is here: Eau Claire Century Code Update (arcgis.com)

• The ZPAC Committee (a joint group of Plan Commission and Council Members) will meet from 4-6PM.
• A public forum will follow the meeting from 6:30-7:30PM. 

Assessing Open Book Days: The City recently mailed out changes to assessed values for properties. Each year after those letters go out, the City holds their "Assessment Roll Open Book Days". This year, they are scheduled for May 14th and 15th. Open Book is a time to discuss your assessed property value with an assessor. A RollBook of all property values in the municipality is available for your review. Assessing is on the ground floor of City Hall. Appointments are preferred; however, walk-ins are also allowed. To make an appointment to view the book, call 715-839-4926. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has a Guide for Property Owners available at: https://www.revenue.wi.gov/DOR%20Publications/pb060.pdf

Library Open House: The Library shared an invitation to all to join in some spring fun… “The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in downtown Eau Claire once again invites the community to join staff in officially opening the Library's outdoor spaces. On Monday, May 20th from 3:30 to 5:30PM, attendees can visit the Library for free frozen custard, free fresh cut flowers, craft activities, live music, prizes, and more. 

Activities are scheduled as follows:

• Out on the Plaza (in front of the library) • Live Jazz from SOCATA • Free Frozen Custard from Culver's • Free Baby Trees (take home and plant) • Yard Games in the Grass • BookBike
• Dabble Box Courtyard & Bookstore (Level 0) • Bubble Flower Craft on the Courtyard • "Surprise Prize Flower Picking" in the Friends Bookstore • Dabble Box Open Lab
• Youth Services & Main Desk (Level 1) • Springy Craft Make-n-Take Activity for Kids • Library Card Signups & Free Replacements
• Reference Desk (Level 2) • Seed Library Clearance
• Terrace (Level 3) • Free Fresh Cut Flowers from Brent Douglas (while supplies last)

Event sponsors include Culver's, Brent Douglas Flowers, and the Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. For other library information, contact Information & Reference by calling 715-839-5004, emailing librarian@eauclaire.lib.wi.us, or visiting the library’s website at www.ecpubliclibrary.info

SHOUT-OUTS: 

Thank you to Teachers: Nationwide, both police officers and teachers are in a group of front-line professionals who are experiencing a lot of stress. Along with health care providers, social workers, childcare providers, and others, teachers and police officers are the first line of defense and the safety net for all issues that arise from growing mental health challenges and shrinking resources. We hope that this will be just a temporary chapter in our history.

Our Police Department joined many others in thanking our community’s teachers for being part of this heroic, challenging, and rewarding effort to keep our community and each of its residents strong and healthy. They wrote: “Happy Teacher Appreciation Day to all of the educators out there! We are very grateful for the partnership we have with the Eau Claire Area School District through the School Resource Officer program. Thank you for all that you do!” Several of our School Resource Officers are pictured below with their school-based teams.

Thank you to Parks Crew: We got a chance to see Parks staff member, Krista Bobb, at work this week and wanted to share this thank you: “Krista has been with the City since 2016. She is the person responsible for laying out and striping of our athletic fields, including the soccer park which requires two different set-ups each summer season. Krista also handles most of the graffiti removal and painting within our park system. Over the winter she assists with outdoor ice rink flooding and freshening up our parks signs when time allows.” Thank you for all you do, Krista!

Thank you to Meadowview Elementary Helpers: Our Parks, Forestry, and Recreation divisions wanted to say thank you to children and staff at Meadowview who helped clean up nearby Fairfax Park. They wrote: “A huge shout-out to Meadowview Elementary School for cleaning up Fairfax Park today for their annual clean-up day! Our City Forestry crew was able to stop by for a short presentation about Arborist Day and planted a tree with the fifth Graders (pictured below).”

Thank you for the Tulips: A staff person passed along a thank you for the beautiful spread of tulips that all can see as they pass by City Hall. They wrote: “I just wanted to say thank you to the staff member who did such a beautiful job planting the tulips last fall. Hard work on a rainy late October day has paid HUGE dividends now that it’s spring. The tulips have also become a favorite spot for pictures – I’ve seen several people stop to take pictures. Yesterday, a mom and her two little ones stopped for a photo shoot, including pics of the kids and a selfie with Mom. Thanks for the bright, beautiful joy and the expert planting.” Parks Manager Steve Plaza shared: “The staff person hard at work planting is Adam Murphy, who joined the City in 2021. Adam is our Landscape Tech who is responsible for the maintenance of Phoenix Park and our landscaping beds. Adam is responsible for fertilizing Phoenix Park and our sports fields. He works with outside groups using Phoenix and is responsible for the flowers at City Hall and Owen Park Flower. Phoenix Park is 100 percent organic fertilizers to help reduce our chemical needs adjacent to the river.” Thank you, Adam, for all you do!

Thank You Firefighters Today and Every Day: The Fire Department shared this shout-out this week: "It’s International Firefighter Day and we have the honor of working with some of the best! Thank you all for your commitment." Pictured here are a few of the many different types of situations firefighters find themselves in throughout their course of duty.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Feel free to share your question here and we will work on answering it: Service Request Form - City Manager | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov) Send questions or comments to the City Council via this form: https://www.eauclairewi.gov/government/city-council/city-council-members/city-council-contact

No Mow May on City Parks

Question: “The City Council promoted ‘No Mow May’ but I have seen the city mowing Owen Park on two occasions already. One of the occasions was in April but that also defeats the reason for not mowing. Was the Parks and Rec Department not notified?”

Answer: Staff shared: “We have not implemented different mowing practices for No Mow May for City land. We are, however, working to create pollinator spaces in the City that allow us to reduce grass maintenance requirements and increase the growth of native and pollinator species.”

Dog Bags

Question: “Will the City be putting in dog baggie/receptacles along the new city trails? Or more trash receptacles along the trails?”

Answer: Parks Manager Steve Plaza shared: “Thank you for your question, and I am glad you are enjoying our trail system! The City provides dog bags at the three designated dog parks within the city. At one time, the City did provide doggie bags on our trail system, but they became abused from people taking the entire roll. Then, when other walkers were depending on them, the bags were gone. It also took a lot of staff time to monitor and expense to refill the doggie bags throughout our system. Pet owners should carry their own bags and take care of their pet waste and dispose of it on one of our trailhead or park locations.

This leads into your next question... We provide trash cans at trailheads and within our parks. We follow the National Parks Service's lead with their motto ‘Pack it in and Pack it out’. We have found out that providing trash cans along our 48 miles of paved trails can cause challenges. Animals and individuals get into them and spread trash on the ground. People also use them for their own person trach cans, especially in secluded areas. Over the summer, we have our trach collector empty cans seven days a week, and that keeps us busy the entire summer.

Most people are respectful and take care of our parks and trails, but there are always a few who chose not to. As is normally the case, it can take only one irresponsible pet owner or someone throwing trash on the ground that ruins the trail/park experience for everyone.

Once again thank you for using our trails and parks. Our city crew takes great pride in our parks and trails and are pleased to hear of people's enjoyment of them. We do monitor trash as much as we can and have great volunteer groups who assist us through the year. At this time, we cannot increase the trash cans on our trails, but thank you for taking the time to ask the question.”

Profanity on Signs

Question: A resident shared concern about flags in their neighborhood that have profanity on them in large letters. They wrote: “As you know, this is a residential neighborhood, with very light street traffic comprised primarily of those who live here….Right across the street is a family with three young children… I hope you agree with me that this kind of public profanity should be discouraged for obvious reasons. I've looked at the city ordinances regarding obscenity and public nuisance, but I don't think they apply to this case. Perhaps the sign ordinance could be amended to limit this type of behavior and messaging.” 

Answer: By law, we are generally limited to content-neutral restrictions for signs and flags, such as the size, location, or number of signs/flags. The First Amendment permits a variety of speech that most consider inappropriate, and regulating the content of flags and signs is extremely difficult. There may be situations that rise to a threshold of enforcement, and we monitor situations to make that determination. 

Transit to Northside

Question: “I am currently expressing my concern about not having a public transit bus that goes to Costco…. How are their employees supposed to get to work if they rely on the public transit?”

Answer: Transit Manager Ty Fadness shared this response: “Thank you for the message… We hope you are enjoying the Eau Claire community so far. Since Costco is on the edge of town, away from any current fixed routes, there is not an easy way to modify an existing route to go past Costco. We have received several comments from the public requesting it, so we are brainstorming how to provide some type of service to that area, but there is no simple solution. We will take note that you are interested in transit access to Costco and keep you updated if anything comes to fruition in the future.”

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: We have the best employees! Get to know one of them this week. (And submit your suggestion for an employee to spotlight here…)

Today we highlight Amy Fiore! Co-workers shared these quotes about Amy: “Amy is always patient with customers no matter the situation.” Also, “Amy is truly one of the best people that I have ever known.  She is great at her job, has a great attitude, and loves to have fun. She makes life in Utilities better each and every day that she is there with her skills and wit. Her job has evolved tremendously over the years as new requirements from the DNR forced us to do additional work. She embraced the cross-connection control program, lead service replacement program, materials inventory, and more while still maintaining our Diggers Hotline locates, setting up roughly 3,000 meter change appointments annually, leak checks, meter inventory etc. Her duties have expanded immensely, and she has embraced the challenges with a positive attitude and creative thinking.”

Here is some more information about Amy:

• Your Job: “Administrative Associate for the Utilities Maintenance Shop”
• Activity you Love: “I love camping, boating, and utv’ing with my two boys and husband up in Chetek at our permanent campsite. And when it’s not camping season, I will be at a football field or a hockey rink around WI or MN watching my sons do what they love.”
• Best Part about Working for City: “The best part of working for the City is all my co-workers, and every day is something new. I have been with the City for over 11 years, and I’m still learning new things, meeting new people, and problem-solving new challenges.”
• Life Philosophy: “Life is too short to be unhappy, take that vacation!”

COUNCIL CALENDAR (Tentative – Please see: City Calendar | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov) for most complete and up-to-date list of public meetings)

• Monday, May 13th, 7PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night
• Tuesday, May 14th, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting
• Monday, May 20th, 4PM, Library River Room: ZPAC Meeting - Development, Sign, and Natural Resources
• CANCELLED: Monday, May 27th, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night
• Tuesday, May 28th, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting
• Monday, June 10th, 6PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night NEW TIME
• Tuesday, June 11, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting
• Monday, June 24th, 6PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night NEW TIME
• Tuesday, June 25th, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting Night

A FEW MORE PICTURES: Here are a few more pictures from around Eau Claire this week...

Budget Kickoff: We kicked off our internal operating budget process, with Corey Lee and Michael Korbol laying out deadlines, tasks, and more. As an icebreaker, staff shared a one-word description of their thoughts about budgeting. A “WordArt” version of the words is below, along with a picture of the meeting. The words included: hard, interesting, balancing, awesome, creative, necessary, complicated, fun, heroic, and more.

Lightning Strike: The Eau Claire Fire Department shared this update from this week which had some great weather and a dramatic storm. “Lightning is no joke! Truck 5 was dispatched to investigate a lightning strike this afternoon. Luckily nobody was hurt.” Pictured here is the path of the lightning across a lawn, perhaps following an underground utility.