Hello City of Eau Claire employees, residents, and Council Members –

Here are some updates from around Eau Claire. Note that prior updates can be found here, and you can always send the City Manager’s Office or City Council feedback.

City Manager Stephanie Hirsch

 

CITY UPDATES

Northern Lite Launch: Our new Eau Claire Transit service that’s providing on-demand rides in the Northside has launched! One of the first riders was a middle school student, who took the van to school to attend band practice. WEAU shared a story on the service, which you can watch here: Northern Lite on-demand rideshare begins Learn more and download the app here: https://city.ridewithvia.com/eau-claire Rides can also be booked by phone by calling 715-202-6757. A picture of three Northern Lite vehicles at the downtown temporary Transfer Center is below.

Construction at UWEC: UWEC’s Legislative and Community Relations Liaison, Jake Wrasse, shared an update on the Zorn Arena demolition happening now on campus. “Since 1952, Zorn Arena has been the largest indoor arena in northwestern Wisconsin and has hosted innumerable sporting events, speaker and artist series forums, political events, and commencement ceremonies. Since its spaces have been replaced through public-private partnerships resulting in Pablo Center at the Confluence and the Sonnentag, demolition on Zorn and attached buildings is now underway. So far, remnants of the Campus School and the full Brewer Hall and Kjer Theatre buildings have been demolished, and work has been started on Zorn Arena earlier this week. Demolition will be substantially complete this summer, with some cleanup work on the site continuing into September."

Additional information can be found here: Fast fact’s sheet on Zorn Arena’s history and in a UWEC news story. You can watch the demolition live here. Like many residents in Eau Claire, Jake and I both had memories of Zorn Arena, from gym classes in the 1970s for me, to graduations, concerts, and COVID vaccines for Jake. A screen shot from the live cam is below.

National Night Out: The City of Eau Claire’s Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Division, and the Eau Claire Police Department invite residents to join in celebrating our city’s 31st Annual National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, August 5th, from 5:30 to 8PM in Carson Park. This event is free to the public. 

Staff shared this additional information about the history of National Night Out and what’s in store for attendees:

Event History: National Night Out was established as an opportunity for communities to come together for an evening of connection and collaboration. The event encourages neighbors to get to know one another and build relationships with local police and fire departments, city divisions, and civic organizations. The goal is to foster cooperative efforts in crime prevention and promote healthier, safer neighborhoods.

Plans for Evening: Eau Claire’s National Night Out features lots of fun games, face painting, and giveaways. It's a chance for attendees to see and interact with fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, and city vehicles, and to enjoy food, music, safety demonstrations, and more.

Here’s what you can expect at the event:

Throughout the evening, visitors will experience over 40 vendors/sponsors/entertainers, food (while supplies last), an Eau Claire Energy Cooperative Safety Demonstration, a Sky Yoga Exhibit, YMCA Activities, Panda’s face paints, Recreation Carnival Games, CollECtive Arts, Eau Claire Youth Music, and a Dunk Tank. In addition, there are a number of events at specific times:

• 7:00 to 7:15PM: Police vs. Firefighters Tug-O-War 

• 7:15 to 7:30PM: Mascot Dance-Off 

• 7:45PM: ECPD Youth Bike Raffles

Sponsorship: We would like to thank our sponsors: Aurora Community Counseling, Fleet Farm, Kwik Trip, CVTC, Scheels, Hy-Vee of Eau Claire, Venture Academy, One Automotive, Royal Credit Union, WESTconsin Credit Union, Merchants Bank, Walmart, Target, Mayo Clinic, King Apparel of Eau Claire, Oakleaf Clinics, and the Girl Scouts of America for making this important community event possible.

We hope to see you there! A map of the booths and activities for National Night Out is below.

Inspection Reports: Our Health Department shared this update: “You might know the Health Department inspects restaurants and food facilities to make sure our food is safe and won’t make people sick. But the Department also regularly inspects hotels, pools, food trucks, food stands, campgrounds, school food facilities, tattoo parlors, and more. Inspectors confirm that these facilities are safe and sanitary throughout the year, keeping us all safer from communicable diseases and other risks to our health. Here’s how many inspections Health Department staff completed in Eau Claire County in the last year (June 2024-June 2025):

• 1,314 food facility inspections

• 115 hotel inspections

• 77 pool inspections

• 82 school food facility inspections

• 43 body art facility inspections

• 22 campground inspections

• 21 manufactured home facility inspections

Our inspection reports are available to the public. You can view reports here: Eau Claire Web Live - home” An image displaying the same information from this summary is below.

Communicable Disease Update: The Health Department also shared an update on Powassan virus, which is a rare illness in Wisconsin spread by deer ticks (also called blacklegged ticks). They wrote: “As of June, three adult Wisconsin residents have contracted Powassan virus so far this year. All three were hospitalized, and one person died from the infection. Powassan virus is very rare, but cases have increased in recent years. It can cause mild illness or more serious neurologic disease. We don’t know exactly how long a tick carrying the virus has to be attached to a person to transmit the virus, but it’s probably less than 12 hours and could be as little as 15 minutes.

You can prevent Powassan virus, Lyme disease, and other tickborne diseases by avoiding getting bitten by ticks. Use bug spray on your skin and clothing and wear long-sleeved pants and tall socks, especially in wooded and brushy areas with tall grass. Check your whole body for ticks after being outdoors. Read more about Powassan virus and tick bite prevention at Wisconsin DHS' website.”

Sparky: The Eau Claire Police Department recently shared a video about their Pawtrol Efforts. “ECPD has already posted our Pawtrol this month, but we NEEDED to do something special for this very good boy. Sparky has a heartbreaking backstory. We want to change that, by rewriting that story. YOU can help us do that. Sparky is adoptable at the Eau Claire Community Humane Association - ECCHA Let's help him find a loving, forever family. We do want to warn you that some of the video shows injuries Sparky sustained. Viewer discretion is advised.” Watch the video here: Sparky's Story. A picture of Sparky is below.

 

COUNCIL UPDATES: This week’s Council Meetings lasted 10+ hours in total, as the Council worked through some major topics. Here are some updates, and I’ll share more in next week’s newsletter.

Century Code Hearing and Deliberation: At Monday night’s public hearing, our staff and consultant provided an overview of the goals of the Century Code re-write. Those goals include reducing the cost of housing, supporting sustainability efforts, streamlining approval processes, and strengthening design standards for new developments. Take a look at this presentation for an excellent summary of a complex topic: Monday July 21st Presentation on Century Code Process.

On Monday, many residents came out to share thoughts, with the bulk of comments focused on the proposed revised code's efforts to increase density in the core neighborhoods and to preserve trees on private land. You can watch the hearing here: Monday July 21st Council Public Hearing.

On Tuesday, the Council deliberated on and discussed several amendments, which are listed here: Eau Claire Century Code Update. In summary, the discussion focused on the sometimes competing goals of keeping the cost of housing low with protecting natural assets, promoting an appealing design of houses, and responding to current neighborhood residents’ wishes. Much of the discussion focused on understanding mechanisms through which we should:

• Protect/regulate trees on private land;

• Encourage or allow increased density in near-downtown neighborhoods; and

• Require certain design standards for new development.

Volume One also wrote a story on the meeting and discussion, which you can read here: Volume One Article on Century Code. 

The next step is for the Plan Commission to consider the Council's most recent amendments. This will occur at the Plan Commission's meeting on August 4th, with a public hearing included. Then the legislation will return to the Council on August 12th, with a public hearing on August 11th. A picture of the packed City Council Chambers is below, and an overflow room was full as well.

What’s Your Favorite Tree? During the Monday Public Hearing, there was a fun part of the long meeting that was a good reminder of how people can be part of a community with shared experiences, and disagree respectfully as they try to juggle often important and sometimes competing priorities. Mid-way through the comments, one commenter (at about 2:06) said that she has been an educator in the area for many years, and for each class of students, she has given them an assignment to write about their favorite tree. “Every single kid has a favorite tree, and that’s who we are as Eau Claire people.” Council Member Mboga then asked the commenter, “Please, what is your favorite tree?” She shared that her favorite tree was an Ash Tree, which has now died due to the Ash Borer.

As other people got up to share comments, quite a few added what their favorite tree was. One of the last commenters worked in forestry (pictured below), and he got up to say: “My favorite tree is the Dawn Redwood… that’s all I wanted to share.” And finally, during the general public comment time, a UWEC Computer Science Professor shared comments about cyber security, but added at the end of his comments: “My favorite tree is type of computational data structure, called a binary search tree.”

 

WAYS TO SERVE: Take a look at our open positions here: Job Openings | Sorted by Posting Date descending | JOB OPENINGS (governmentjobs.com) Here are a few roles that we hope to fill with awesome contributors.

Job Openings

Recreation Part-Time Positions (Recreation): The City of Eau Claire Recreation Division is now hiring for part-time Recreation positions! Deadline to apply: Applications will be accepted until positions are filled. Please apply early. Application review for some positions listed in the job description.

Reference Services Assistant (Library): The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library seeks a friendly, organized, tech-savvy team member who enjoys helping customers of all ages and abilities with their information needs, and excels at working with a diverse community. As a Reference Services Assistant, you’ll help customers at the reference desk, provide computer and equipment support, and so much more. This is a part-time position, 19 hours per week. The starting wage is $19.83 per hour. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, July 30th at 8AM.

Bus Operator (Eau Claire Transit): Where customer service skills, service to your community, and a fulfilling job intersect – Eau Claire Transit. We are currently hiring for a full-time Bus Operator. This position includes driving city-wide bus routes while maintaining the schedule and obeying traffic laws, providing information to customers regarding the Transit System, tracking passenger count data, and more! Deadline to apply: August 3rd at 11:59PM.

Executive Coordinator (Police Department): Join our team as the Executive Coordinator for the Police Department and play a vital role in supporting public safety leadership. This dynamic position offers the opportunity to manage high-level administrative functions, coordinate recruitment efforts, and handle sensitive personnel matters with professionalism and discretion. We're seeking a detail-oriented and organized individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment. If you’re a strong communicator with administrative experience, we’d love to hear from you! Deadline to apply: August 3rd at 11:59PM.

 

CLOSURES/DETOURS, OPENINGS, DEADLINES, ALERTS, & REMINDERS:

Closure of WIS 312 ramps to/from US 53: The WI DOT shared this information. “The ramp from WIS 312 (North Crossing) to northbound US 53 and ramp from southbound US 53 to WIS 312 in Eau Claire County will be closed from 8PM on Friday August 1st to 6AM on Monday August 4th. These closures are weather dependent, and traffic will be detoured via the US 53/Melby Street interchange.

The ramp closures are the result of a pavement improvement project on US 53 from Golf Road in Eau Claire to 40th Avenue in Lake Hallie. For more information regarding traffic impacts, transportation news, and improvement project updates in Wisconsin’s Northwest Region, visit the region’s 511 website: projects.511wi.gov/region/northwest/ or the project’s construction website: projects.511wi.gov/us53freeway/

Street Updates: Take a look at an updated Street Closure Report. You can also view the work underway via this interactive map: Active Map of Street Construction. Some of these are "reconstruction" projects, and others are "micro-surfacing" projects, which you can learn about here: https://www.eauclairewi.gov/government/our-divisions/street-fleet. 

Closures/Work Underway:

• Alley South of Clairemont (Patton Street to East Lexington Boulevard)

• Birch Street Phase 1 (Centre Street to Bergen Avenue)

• Charles Street (Platt Street to Maxon Street)

• Eddy Lane (Wellington Drive East to Venus Avenue)

• First Street (Platt Street to Third Street)

• Keystone Crossing (Golf Road to Commonwealth Avenue)

• Mars Avenue (Eddy Lane to Virginia Lane)

• Maxon Street (Charles Street to Whipple Street)

• Seventh Street (Walnut Street to Marshall Street)

• Vine Street (Third Street to First Street)

• Whipple Street (Maxon Street to Platt Street)

Completed Projects

• Alley East of Bellinger Street (Cameron Street to Platt Street)

• Alley South of Cedar Street (Eleventh Street to Ninth Street)

• Alley South of Cleveland Street (Fisher Street to Cleveland Street)

• West Grand Avenue (Lake Street to Sixth Avenue)

• Skeels Avenue (London Road to Mall Drive)

• Brian Street (State Hwy 93 to Lever Street)

• Mall Drive (Hamilton Avenue to cul-de-sac)

• Golf Road (Cottonwood Drive to State Hwy 53)

• Henry Avenue (London Road to Mall Drive)

• Oakland Street (Delbert Road to Hallie Lane)

• South Valley View Place (Brian Street to cul-de-sac)

Scheduled for Completion this Weekend

• Boston Drive (W. Princeton Avenue to Freedom Drive)

• Churchill Street (Omaha Street to Dead End)

• Broadway Street (Third Avenue to Fourth Avenue)

• Eastlawn Street (Delbert Road to Hallie Lane)

• Freedom Drive (Boston Drive to 410 feet north)

• Mt. Nemo Avenue (Birch Street to South Slope Terrace)

Upcoming Construction Closures: Tentatively scheduled to start early to mid-August

• Alley West of Ninth Avenue (Lakeside Avenue to 250 feet north)

• South Dewey Street (Emery Street to Lake Street)

• Emery Street (South Farwell Street to South Dewey Street)

• East Polk Avenue (Nimitz Street to East Lexington Boulevard)

• West Tyler Avenue (Ellis Street to South Lexington Boulevard)

More Auction Items: Additional items have been placed for auction by the City, including a number of vehicles. Take a look and bid here: Search | GovDeals

Beach Closings: The Health Department’s Water Monitoring site shared this update: “Big Falls Beach and Half Moon Beach are closed to very high bacteria levels. Water Quality Advisory at Riverview Beach and Altoona Beach for elevated bacteria levels. Water activities are NOT recommended.” More information can be found here: https://www.eauclairewi.gov/government/our-divisions/health-department/beach-closings

Additional Reminders:

• Bicycle Thefts: ECPD has seen a recent spike in bicycle thefts. Use a sturdy lock every time you park — even for quick stops. And remember, you can register your bike online.

• Food Truck Fridays: During Food Truck Fridays, one lane of Riverfront Terrace is closed to accommodate the Food Trucks, which will occur on August 8th and September 5th.

• Eddy Street Bridge: Repairs have been completed on the Eddy Street Bridge. Union Pacific, who owns the bridge, will be carrying out an inspection to determine if the repairs are adequate to reopen the bridge. We are awaiting a response from them and will update the public once resolved.

 

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

Example of Pollinator Land

Question: Having had a chance to ride behind the new Sonnentag Center and admire how great it looks, I asked UWEC’s Jake Wrasse about how it got developed. I thought it was a good sample of what we hope to see as the City’s pollinator conversion progresses on large tracks of City land. Here’s the information that Jake shared...

Answer: “Thanks for the question! I pulled the below information from an Ayres & Associates report from 2021… The landscape planting plan uses seven distinct plant groups throughout the site…The Tall Grass Prairie, throughout the Southern half of the site, provides a more naturalized version of the Short Grass Prairie. Low mow grass pathways with small gathering spaces through the prairies create intimate seating opportunities.”

If you haven’t already had a chance to check it out, go and take a look at all of flowers, bees, butterflies, and birds that are enjoying the space. The photo below, taken by resident Ellen Terwilliger, shows the space behind the Sonnentag.

Western Ave Pollinator Reminder

Question: “I am wondering if you have information you could send about timelines and what’s going on along Western Ave along the bike path.”

Answer: Streets and Fleet Manager Aaron Nicholson shared this information: “The work you are seeing is part of a pollinator habitat development. There are about 80 acres throughout the City of Eau Claire that are being transitioned to this. Over the summer, the contractor has lightly tilled areas and also lightly applied another round of herbicide to kill the remaining growth. From there, they will be back either late August or early September to plant the pollinator seeds. During this time, they will also be planting a winter wheat as a crop cover for the winter. We should still see some growth this year yet, and then next spring we will see many of the grasses start to grow with the flowers following soon after. Thank you for your patience, and feel free to reach out with any additional questions. For additional information, you can visit www.eauclairewi.gov/pollinatorparks.”

Pollinator Land Maintenance

Question: “As I have driven and ridden my bike around Eau Claire, it is clear to see this is a huge and expensive project…. How do you plan to manage this all-important aspect of pollinator management on such a large number of acres? How do you plan to manage the trees and surrounding grass areas?”

Answer: Streets and Fleet Manager Aaron Nicholson shared that ongoing maintenance will be required, though it will take less effort than the regular mowing that occurred before the conversion. He said, “We still need to mow every year. Ideally, we would burn it about every three years, but we will need to work with the Fire Department on that. There also will be some monitoring and controlling to ensure no invasive plants come in.”

Additional Referendum

Question: “Could the City consider carrying out an additional referendum, in particular to fund additional staffing in key areas such as sustainability, parks and forest, and public health. It could also potentially include ongoing capital dollars for clean energy and energy efficiency projects, trees, park improvements, and trails.”

Answer: Council Member Jess Schoen provided a helpful answer to this constituent’s question, writing: “My understanding is that successful referendums that add staff positions through a tax levy increase can address some immediate needs. However, because the referendum is a one-time adjustment, there may be positions added, but over a few years, we don’t have a way to keep up with increasing costs associated with those positions, such as rising benefit costs or inflationary wage adjustments. So, we sometimes can't afford to hire the positions that referendums create. I think referendums can be a helpful tool, but there are some less obvious pitfalls associated with them, too.

One major need is reform at the state level on the tax laws that restrict how local governments can generate revenue. There are changes that could greatly aid cities like ours in addressing fiscal gaps that have only grown in recent years and that would also provide relief to property taxes. I believe these types of changes are key to providing long-term, sustainable solutions.”

Buckthorn Removal Device

Question: “Someone mentioned that the City obtained a buckthorn removal device through ‘Empower Eau Claire’ and that the initial plan was that this machine would be available for rent by community members. Do we have this machine and is it available for rent?”

Answer: City Forester Matt Staudenmaier shared: “Though the Seppi mulching head was funded through the Empower funding, it is not an item that would be for 'rent' to the public. It is an item that needs a high amount of maintenance to function safely and properly, so it would likely not be something that could just be lent out. A-1 rentals, Bobcat Express, or Lincoln Contractor Supplies may be avenues to look to rent.”

Community Services Director Lane Berg said, fittingly to tackle the very tough buckthorn: “It is a wicked machine that if not used properly could cause damage very quickly.”

 

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 spotlight Community Services staff member Dallas, who is helping to rollout a key, new management system to support all public works and engineering functions. Here's what co-workers said about Dallas.

• "Dallas has been wonderful to work and partner up with for our project. If it was not for her and the extensive knowledge she brings, we would have been lost. She is an asset to the City and we are lucky to collaborate with her."

• "Dallas has great ideas and even better follow through. She really makes it feel like anything is possible. I think the City made a huge step in the right direction when they invested in her position and hired her!"

• "Dallas is a delightful part of the team and can brighten anyone's day. Dallas is a wealth of knowledge with the implementation of Cartegraph. She is patient with teaching and has been an invaluable and irreplaceable addition to the team."

• “Dallas has been a wonderful addition to the Community Services staff. Her hard work and excellent problem solving have led to tremendous progress in the build-out and implementation of Cartegraph. She brings a positive attitude and collaborative spirit to work every day. We are lucky to have Dallas on board!"

And here's a bit more information about Dallas:

• Your Job: “Asset Management Specialist” Dallas has been with the City for just over one year. “I started working as an Intern during my Junior year of college at UWEC and became full time upon graduation.”

• Life Philosophy: “When you work hard, good things happen.”

• Favorite Activities Outside of Work: “Waterskiing, Running, and Yoga” (pictured below!)

• Favorite Place in Eau Claire: “Ramones Ice Cream!”

• Hometown: “Tomahawk, WI”

• Best Part about Working for the City: “Awesome co-workers and good work/life balance.”

 

 

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, August 11th, Public Hearing, Council Chambers, 6PM

Tuesday, August 12th, Council Meeting, Council Chambers, 4PM

Monday, August 25th, Public Hearing, Council Chambers, 6PM

Tuesday, August 26th, Council Meeting, Council Chambers, 4PM