Chippewa Valley Times

Hello 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 City updates here. Feel free to send me feedback.

CITY UPDATES:

New Warming Center Location: After the news broke about the sale of the current building housing Haven House, Eau Claire’s warming center, the City spent the last few weeks working with community members to find a solution for a new temporary location for the warming center. This week a lease was completed, and the warming center will soon be moving into the new location which is at 412 Washington Street. This space was most recently used as a pawn shop, close to the former Just Local store. There will be a small gap period of approximately two weeks while community members get the new location ready. The City will continue to work with partners on a long-term permanent location. We are hopeful and anticipate a permanent location will be ready no later than spring/summer of 2025. More details will be available from Community Haven House as the transition occurs. Pictured below is the Haven House team and partners touring the temporary location.

Respiratory Illness Update: 

The Health Department shared this seasonal update with regard to illnesses in the region. “As we prepare for the upcoming holiday season, we are unfortunately amid the respiratory illness season. RSV and influenza are increasing in Wisconsin. Wastewater data indicates COVID-19 is at high levels in both Eau Claire County and WI. The current COVID-19 variants appear to be highly transmissible. We continue to use wastewater and hospitalization data to monitor the spread and impact of COVID-19 in our community. As of November 1st of this year, individual cases of COVID-19 are no longer reportable to public health. WI DPH has now made Influenza, RSV and COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and pediatric deaths reportable to public health. From November 1st to December 12th this year, there have been the following numbers of hospitalizations for Eau Claire County residents: five associated with influenza, seven associated with RSV, and 45 associated with COVID-19. This is the first year that vaccines are available for all three of these illnesses. The Health Department has been encouraging community members to get vaccinated. The Department is not offering mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics this fall. However, people who don't have health insurance or people whose insurance doesn't cover vaccinations can get a fall COVID-19 vaccine at the Health Department at no cost through the federal Bridge to Access Program or the Vaccine for Children Program. People who have health insurance should plan to get the vaccine at their doctor’s office or local pharmacy. Most health insurance plans will fully cover the cost of getting the fall COVID-19 vaccine at an in-network provider. Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season – please think about how to decrease spread of respiratory illnesses by staying home if you are sick and washing your hands regularly. A reminder - We do continue with the monthly update which is attached.  Please Click here to subscribe.”

Annexation Settlement: As was reported in the news, the City is pleased that we were able to reach a mutual compromise agreement with the developer and our Town of Washington neighbor with regard to the Stewart-Hauge annexation. Orchard Hills is a much-needed new residential development that will offer a diverse mix of housing options at various price points for our growing region. Eau Claire is now the seventh largest city in Wisconsin, and it is the second fastest growing city after Madison. The Orchard Hills residential development will add a new neighborhood of similar size and housing to Putnam Heights or Oakwood Hills. It is a project in scale and significance that we have not seen in recent years, but compares to these established neighborhoods built by prior generations. There are some growing pains during times of transition, but with thoughtful planning, careful construction, and some patience, the new residents in this area will be welcome neighbors. The developers and their new homebuyers collectively will make a substantial investment and positive social contribution to our City and the broader community. 

We expect City utility work and private subdivision infrastructure construction to begin next year in 2024. The timing of plat and development plans is an issue for the developers, but the City anticipates that plans will be submitted in early 2024, with home construction following the public and private infrastructure. The timeline of construction for the whole neighborhood will vary based on market factors, but developers had earlier indicated an estimated schedule of eight-to-ten years for complete build out. More information on the new residential neighborhood plans and expected construction timelines will be discussed when a general development plan and preliminary plat are submitted to the City for review and approval.

Shared Meeting between City Council and County Board Members: City Council member Jill Christopherson has launched an effort to build connections and communication between City Council Members and County Board Members. As a next step, there will be a publicly-noticed meeting in January at which both our City Attorney and the County’s Corporation Counsel will present information on the different forms of government and their governing bodies, including relative roles and statutory authorities of counties and cities. Stay tuned for a date.

Community Health Assessment: Results are in from the Community Health Survey conducted recently by local health partners in Eau Claire County. Those results will be shared during a series of pop-up Community Conversations scheduled now through mid-January. Three upcoming pop-up events in Eau Claire/Altoona are as follows: 

• December 20th, from 11:30 to 1PM, Community Table
• January 2nd, from 6 to 8PM, Hobbs (North vs. Memorial Hockey Game)
• January 4th, from 2 to 4PM, Woodmans Food Market

Additionally, there will be virtual meetings, and you can find out more about those here: 2024 Community Health Conversations for Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire Counties

 The survey results provide insight into local sentiments regarding the severity of various health problems. Residents were asked questions about 25 different areas that impact overall health, covering everything from healthy nutrition to childcare to mental health. They also were asked why they thought those areas were problematic. In addition to the survey results, additional data indicators that shed light on county wellness in comparison with the state and nation and national benchmarks will be shared.

Participants will be asked to consider both the survey and secondary data and then vote on their top health priorities. All are encouraged to participate in the Community Conversations.

The coalition wants to engage citizens representing a wide range of ages, races, socio-economic backgrounds, and other demographic characteristics to help ensure the results accurately reflect the concerns of diverse communities within Eau Claire County. The information gathered through this process will be summarized and included in the final Community Health Assessment report released in May. Local health systems, public health departments, and the United Way will use the data collected to help identify the most pressing community health concerns and allocate resources toward local health improvement projects. Community Health Assessment partners include Chippewa County Department of Public Health, Dunn County Health Department, Health Dunn Right Coalition, Eau Claire City-County Health Department, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System, United Way of Dunn County, and United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley.

Winter Recreation Updates: Eau Claire Parks, Recreation, and Forestry divisions are monitoring the unseasonably warm weather conditions in preparation for the outdoor skating rink season. In order to begin flooding the rinks, four to six consecutive days of mid-20s or colder temperatures are needed. We hope for a return to more normal temperatures soon and will have a further update regarding the availability of the outdoor skating rinks at that time.

For anyone looking to get some skating time regardless of the weather, Hobbs Ice Arena has a variety of public open skating times available. See here for Hobbs open skating schedule and pricing information: https://www.eauclairewi.gov/recreation/recreation/drop-in-open-activities.

The Recreation Department’s Reindeer Roundup scavenger hunt is another great opportunity for family-oriented outdoor activity, and it’s running through December 17th. For further information on where to find the missing reindeer, check out https://www.eauclairewi.gov/recreation/family-fun/clearwater-winter-events. 

Finally, you can catch our Recreation Department Facility and Program Supervisor Christine Mohr in a recent news clip about the City’s (and Chippewa Valley Museum) Gear Share program. More information is here: Winter Gear Share in Eau Claire, WI | Find Share Locations (visiteauclaire.com)

Library Events: The Library has prepared a whole host of holiday-related events for people of all ages. Take a look at the list and find some to attend. Winter Break Week Activities 2023 - Kids (ecpubliclibrary.info)

K9 Plushy Replicas for Sale: If you are a fan of the Eau Claire Police Department’s K9 team, you can buy a plushy replica of one or more of the three dogs: Manso, Bolt, and/or Murphy. This sale is primarily for City employees, however, if you are not an employee, let me know (stephanie.hirsch@eauclairewi.gov, (715) 839-4902), and I will arrange to get one for you. They are $20 each and all proceeds will go back into the Eau Claire Community Foundation – K9 Fund.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Here is question that came through the City Manager’s Office this week…

Question: “Can multiple parking tickets be given out for the same parking job, such as if the violation is not remedied?

Answer: Police Department staff responded: “Multiple citations may be issued for one incidents of a car being parked, if multiple violations occur or if the violation is not corrected. Anecdotally, I would say this is an uncommon occurrence, but it is possible.”

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 Todd Bohrer.

A co-worker shared this quote about Todd: “Todd works in Engineering, but he does a lot of work with parking. He is very humble and very knowledgeable. He's an excellent human and does a great job. Parking is something that is unsung, so here is a chance to change that for Todd.”

Here's some more information about Todd:

• Your position: “I have a BA with a major in Geography/Cartography, so my first job was in 1991 at Goodhue County, updating parcels and maps. I did that for 13 years, but my wife and I wanted to move to Eau Claire to be closer to her family. I started in 2005 in the Assessor’s office. After three years, I moved to Engineering when the Special Assessment Technician/Analyst retired. I learned all about special assessments and continued to do real estate data and tax parcel maintenance, and I expanded my duties into addressing. As technology advanced, I was able to spend less time managing the special assessment program and tried my hand at Parking Administration in 2016 when the North Barstow Ramp opened. I have learned a lot about Parking in the last seven years of my 18 year time at City Hall, and I still enjoy working with legal descriptions and property tax records.”
• What people may not know: “I was a used car salesman for eight months when we first moved to Eau Claire. I found out that cars sales was a pretty cut-throat business and went back to the public sector.”
• Favorite activities: “I have done and enjoyed so many activities. Here is a list in no particular order:  gardening, bicycling, antiquing, holiday decorating, traveling, eating out, playing games, family gatherings, quilting, collecting, hiking, trimming trees, house painting, and furniture restoration, to name a few.” Pictured below is Todd with his "lefse rolling team" and a picture of one of his favorite places.
• Best part about working for the City: “It has been said many times, the people are what it is about! Not just the great people I work with, but also the ones we work for.”
• Life philosophy: “I try to fulfill these words from the Bible, ‘Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that the Lord will reward you.’”
• Anything Else? “Eau Claire is such a great place to live. I hope we never lose the “Small City, Big Town” feeling. I love running into people I know at the grocery store and seeing hometown activities on the TV news.”

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, December 18th, 4PM, Banbury Place, Eau Claire Room: Joint Plan Commission and City Council Meeting for Zoning Overhaul Discussion
• The December 25th and 26th Council meetings have been cancelled.
• Monday, January 8th, 7PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night
• Tuesday, January 9th, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting
• Monday, January 20th, 7PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night
• Tuesday, January 21st, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting

Original source can be found here.