Chippewa Valley Times

CITY UPDATES:

City Hall Offices Closed: Due to the holidays, City Offices will be closed Monday (12/25), Tuesday (12/26), and Monday (1/1/2024). The Library will be closed Saturday (12/23), Monday (12/25), and Monday (1/1/2024), however, it will open on Tuesday (12/26). Our Police, Fire, Communications Center, and Utilities will be open as always! Our Fire Department has had some very busy days the last week or so, resulting in call volumes that well exceeded weekly averages. Fire and Police staff have told me that holidays can sometimes be quiet, but they can also sometimes be when they receive the hardest calls. Please join me in thanking our staff who watch over the community while the rest of us sleep or take a break.

Merry Mulch Holiday Tree Recycling: The Green Waste Facility will be open for Merry Mulch Holiday Tree Recycling from December 18th through January 31st, during daylight hours only. The site is by Jeffers Park at 5710 Jeffers Road. Please take care to remove all lights, tinsel, and other decorations from trees before recycling. The gate is open at Jeffers for the cordoned off tree drop area, which is in the northside of the site.  Please don’t put any other type of waste, including green waste, building material, or garbage. Since the site is not monitored, the usage regulations are respectfully requested to be honored. Please be careful as the ground may be slippery and uneven, and be aware that there will be no attendant on duty to help offload trees. In the Spring, the mulch will be available for pick up. Thank you to our Forestry Division who manages the brush site so successfully and for so many customers!

Neighborhood Services Update: The Neighborhood Services Division is up and running! As of today, the Division has two employees -- a supervisor of the Division and a senior analyst who is also performing parking enforcement duties. With the recent retirement of John Guettinger, his Code Enforcement duties will be carried out by the Neighborhood Services Division. Below is a listing of services offered and planned for the Division:

• Downtown Parking Enforcement
• Trash Enforcement
• Code Enforcement
• Neighborhood and Alternate Side Parking (Planned, Date TBD)
• 311 Call Center (Planned, Date: 2024)

Additional quality-of-life and safety related enforcement will be taken up by the Division as it evolves. The Neighborhood Services Division personnel are located at the former US Bank Drive Through building between City Hall and the Library. Our Fleet Division retrofitted an older jeep to be used by the Division, and it is pictured here. Neighborhood Services staff can be reached by email at neighborhoodservices@eauclairewi.gov, and we will seek to add a phone number soon as well.

Updates on Haven House: We are pleased to share this good news about ways that our community is working to help people who are unhoused. Thank you to everyone who has been working so hard on this, in all different ways.

Christmas at Haven House: Community Haven House will be celebrating the Christmas holiday by opening the doors to the new location, 412 Washington Street (the former C&C Pawnbrokers location), from 8AM to noon. Regular hours will resume at the new location as follows: 8AM to noon Monday through Saturday, and 8AM to 4PM on Sundays. Staff is hoping to expand hours soon as they continue to add additional staff. Learn more about Community Haven House at https://echavenhouse.wixsite.com/haven-house.

Donation to Haven House: This week, Mayo Clinic announced investments in communities in their service areas. Community Haven House is the recipient of $100,000 which will go into the building fund. This funding will be added to the $500,000 in ARPA funding the City allocated. City staff will continue to work with community partners to seek additional funding and pursue locations for the new Day Resource Center. The importance of the community working together to help create solutions cannot be emphasized enough. If anyone would like to learn more about how to help or contribute to building a permanent Day Resource Center, please contact Billie Hufford, billie.hufford@eauclairewi.gov.

PFAS Mitigation Updates: The City continues to work hard to achieve a zero detectable level of PFAS or any other contaminant that may be identified in the future in our water supply. Eau Claire strives to continue to be a leader in protecting the quality of our drinking water. More information on PFAS is here: PFAS Information | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov)

Two key milestones include:

PFAS removal facility: We are building a very high-tech facility to further filter Eau Claire water. The Water Plant has already tested different filtration approaches to find the best one. Continuing this work, a project engineer from Gannett-Fleming visited the plant earlier this month. They toured the plant, discussed current operations, made an in-depth review of the PFAS facility design, and took a virtual tour of the PFAS facility. The filtration technology is called Ion Exchange. Water will flow through filters, called vessels. The City is currently working to pre-purchased these vessels to avoid any delays and to ensure they are on site and ready for installation during construction. Plans and specifications for the remaining PFAS building and equipment are being reviewed and finalized to send to the DNR for their review and approval. We expect their approval to occur in the next two months. 

Funding for facility: This work has a price tag of at least $20 million, and the City is pursuing funding from all available sources. We have been working with the DNR, with Senator Baldwin, and with Representative Van Orden to secure State and Federal funding. In addition, the City continues to join with other communities and partners to seek compensation from companies that produced and sold the PFAS chemical which then drained into the well field. By taking these steps to cover PFAS mitigation costs, we hope to limit the amount we will need to increase water/sewer fees for residents.

The City will share an update with the City Council on PFAS mitigation and Water/Sewer rates at a Council Meeting early in 2024.

Memorial Class Project: Last year, Memorial science teacher Erin Layde, worked with a class of students to help the City consider how to develop underutilized parts of the City to create the most vibrant community possible. This year, she has reached out again to facilitate a meeting of the minds of City staff and Council Members, community members, and some bright, principled, and enthusiastic students. She wrote: “After learning about the 2022 proposal for the Niagara Bottling Company, my students have been challenged to create a proposal for a Water Use Management Plan for Eau Claire. Currently, my students do not have enough information to write a proposal, so they are seeking help from experts in the community. As my students learn about the water cycle and water scarcity issues in class, they are generating lists of questions they feel they need answered in order to create a sound proposal.” In response to Ms. Layde’s request, a group of staff joined students and others last week to talk about water sources, treatment, and uses in Eau Claire. The work of the students aligns with a goal that the Council has set to carry out a study of how we as a community can best use our amazing water resources for consumption, recreation, industry, and other purposes. As many places struggle with water crises, Eau Claire is in a unique position to manage its asset. Coming up with a plan requires both applying technical knowledge and making community-informed value judgements. Working with the students is a great precursor to future work we can do on this front.

Co-responder Presentation: Eau Claire Deputy City Attorney Doug Hoffer recently gave a webinar presentation to 70+ city attorneys across the United States and Canada on the benefits of police department embedded mental health co-responders in helping individuals experiencing mental illness. Included in the presentation was discussion of the Eau Claire Police Department’s mental health co-responder program. The presentation cited Police Chief Matt Rokus on the importance of developing these kinds of preventative approaches to dealing with individuals experiencing mental illness. The presentation also included important contributions from Human Resources Director Colleen Schian and City Risk Manager Jasmine Dutton. Although these types of programs are relatively new, initial data is very promising regarding the efficacy of this approach, and we are grateful that the Eau Claire Police Department continues to explore innovative approaches to these kinds of difficult problems. The presentation was based on an article co-authored by Attorney Hoffer and City Risk Manager Jasmine Dutton which was published in the Journal of Local Government Law earlier this year. That article can be found here: ML-MAY-JUNE-2023-DIGITAL-FINAL-5-2-2023.pdf (imla.org)

New Murals: Take a walk along the Chippewa River in Downtown Eau Claire and you will find some new art work attached to the Riverside Parking Ramp. City staff and Visit Eau Claire worked together to install new ColorBlock murals in Eau Claire. These stunning murals were painted during the new Reverb Music Festival over the summer. To see them in person, head to the river side of the public parking ramp located at Graham Ave and Gray St.  Stay tuned to the ColorBlock Facebook page as they showcase each mural!

Health Department Alcohol and Tobacco Compliance Checks: Compliance checks are an evidence-based practice to ensure that underage youth are not able to purchase alcohol or tobacco products at various establishments (bars, grocery stores, etc.). Each year, all licensed alcohol and tobacco retailers in Eau Claire County receive a letter reminding them of the importance of checking IDs, denying sales to minors, and alerting them that compliance checks happen throughout the year. Our Health Department staff work in close partnership with law enforcement in municipalities throughout Eau Claire County to conduct these checks. For alcohol compliance checks, staff work with youth who are 19 or 20 years old. The youth use their actual ID, which clearly states they are under 21. In 2023, we have conducted a total of 70 alcohol compliance checks which led to 10 sales to underage buyers.

Also, this past summer, staff completed tobacco compliance checks as part of our participation in the WI WINS program, which is a statewide effort to prevent sales of tobacco products to anyone younger than 18. Overall, 52 businesses passed the tobacco compliance checks and five failed. For retailers that fail alcohol or tobacco compliance checks, municipalities often offer reduced citations if clerks and/or their managers attend trainings the Health Department and the Eau Claire Police Department offer three times each year, which are free and open to any retailers/employees. The training offers hands-on experience to teach retailers how to correctly check IDs, spot fakes, and deny sales to minors.

Livebarn Coming to Hobbs Soon: The Recreation Division recently shared that they are working to bring LiveBarn to Hobbs Ice Arena. This is an automated streaming service that allows parents, families, and anyone who has a LiveBarn subscription to watch games without being at the facility. This service is widely used across the ice arena industry and Hobbs is one of the last facilities in Wisconsin that does not have it. Manager Patrick Newkirk plans bring the contract with LiveBarn to the Council for their consideration at one of the January meetings to present for their approval. More information on LiveBarn is available here: https://livebarn.com/en/

 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Here are questions that came through the City Manager’s Office this week… Feel free to share your question through this form, and we will work on answering it: https://forms.gle/VKzrTnfASd4EUd8cA

Melby Street Work

Question: “Do you have an update on when the Melby St work is anticipated to be completed? I saw recently that the railroad finally replaced their signals/equipment over this past weekend. If I recall correctly, the City now needs to replace/repair a section of sidewalk in that area. I have been contacted by a resident inquiring about when this would occur.”

Answer: Our Engineering Director Leah Ness shared the following update: “We are very excited that the Railroad is out working on Melby. They have their gate arms installed as of this past weekend and old equipment removed. This Thursday, we’ll be working to test the connectivity of the railroad equipment with our traffic signal control equipment. The remaining connection of sidewalk that is included with this project, as well as the multi-use trail patch, is planned to be completed in the spring. The cold weather is not conducive to concrete pouring, as there are additional steps that need to be taken to pour concrete in this temperature which are not included in our contract with our contractor. Next spring, the contractor will work to flag the railroad area while they complete the final portions of concrete for the connection.”

Statewide Liquor Laws:

Question: “Can you explain how the new state-wide changes to the liquor laws (linked here: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lc/information_memos/2023/im_2023_08) will impact Eau Claire? If there will be an impact?”

Answer: City staff shared the following information: “The most significant impact for Eau Claire is the change in bartender licensing requirements. Currently, in order to serve as a bartender, an individual has to obtain a license from the City. Effective late next year, an individual can instead obtain a license from the state that allows them to serve anywhere in Wisconsin. While this will be convenient for the bartenders, it removes the City’s ability to more closely regulate the conduct of those serving alcohol. When bartender conduct is concerning, we have been able to use their license either as a means to create changed behavior or to discontinue licensure, but the new State license will greatly restrict this ability. We will look at whether we can require licensed establishments to hire only those bartenders holding a City license, rather than a State license, as a means to still maintain some control in this area. Separately, the broadened definition of ‘fermented malt beverage’ has an impact on alcohol consumption and availability for the community as a whole, though does not impact City operations or practices. The definition will allow additional types of alcohol, such as hard seltzers, to be served with a Class ‘B’ license, which includes events receiving a temporary ‘picnic’ license.”

Concerns about Encampments

Question: “I like to hike with my dog on the wooded paths in Eau Claire (Boyd Park Trail, the steps from Earl Street on the Eastside Hill to downtown, etc.) and I’ve been noticing an increase in tents and tarps along these trails, which seem to be providing shelter for folks, as well as clothing and food on the ground nearby these shelters. I’m wondering what the city and other community organizations are doing to assist these folks and if there are things community members should be doing when they come upon these shelters while hiking.”

Answer: City staff shared the following information: “The question of how to handle encampments challenges City staff on a regular basis. It is not legal to camp on public or private property in Eau Claire. Encampments can present quality of life and safety concerns both for people staying in the encampment and for people who are near the encampments. Communities have seen that when encampments are left for long periods of time, they can grow, and unsafe conditions and disruptive behavior can go unchecked. For these reasons, City staff make an effort to prevent the creation of encampments. It is challenging, however, because often people who are staying in encampments will move to another location. They may not want to stay in a local shelter or may be banned from the shelter. Thus, we try to balance the need to prevent encampments with the needs of the people living in these arrangements. If the encampment is on a public property, a resident can contact the City, and we will trouble shoot. (Contact neighborhoodservices@eauclairewi.gov ). The steps we take are as follows. We work with Western Dairyland, and their staff reaches out to the person or people in the encampment to offer them shelter and services. We tag the encampment, leaving a note that says that the materials will be removed in 24 hours. After the end of 24 hours, staff from our Streets and Parks Departments remove and dispose of any remaining materials. Similar steps can be taken when an encampment occurs on private property, however, the City coordinates with the property owner.”

Feedback on Zoning Overhaul

Question: “How will the public be engaged in providing feedback about the Century Code Update?”

Answer: City staff shared: "The public can send feedback using the form on the website at any time. Check the website for the latest information about the zoning code re-write at https://eau-claire-zoning-code-rewrite-hlplanning.hub.arcgis.com/.

The last six months have been the project’s main public engagement phase. This included an open house kickoff, community online survey, social media pushes, educational videos, key community stakeholder interviews, National Night Out, Hmong and disability group engagements, and a neighborhood zoning workshop. City staff met with numerous City boards, committees, and commissions for input. Four meetings took place with the City’s land use decision-makers, that is, the City Council and Plan Commission, under their Zoning Advisory Policy Committee (ZPAC). Public feedback to date, code and nonconformities analyses, best practice research, and housing types and tree preservation visualizations were provided to ZPAC in various memos and reports. Summaries, presentations and materials from their meetings and other past public engagements can be viewed at https://eau-claire-zoning-code-rewrite-hlplanning.hub.arcgis.com/pages/documents. 

Next steps in early 2024 will be to draft initial ordinance language on land use districts and specific uses. Additional code sections will be drafted throughout the year. A development expert technical advisory committee will provide input at key stages during 2024. The next ZPAC meeting will be 4 to 6PM on February 19th at the downtown library to consider and refine the first draft section of code. Another public open house is being planned for later that evening, but details are not confirmed at this time. Check the website for updates and feedback opportunities in 2024.  Public hearings on the final proposed code version are anticipated in early 2025."

SHOUT-OUTS: It’s not hard to find members of our community and City staff doing something awesome. Here are just two examples!

Cemetery Mapping: The Parks Division gave this shout-out to a group of volunteers: “The Eau Claire Genealogical Research Society has made great effort to compile an inventory of all the Service Members and their spouses buried in both Lakeview and Forest Hill Cemetery. Society members have spent dozens of hours of identifying and locating interned members of our Military all the way back to the Civil War. This list was not previously compiled and will be of great use to our staff and interested public.”

Team Helps Mt. Tom Turn 100! The Utilities Division recently undertook some repairs to the one of their reservoirs. Residents my not know that there is a large and very old reservoir within Mt. Tom. It’s similar to a water tower, however, it’s built into the hill. The “roof” of the reservoir needed repair and sealing. Working closely with the Department of Natural Resources, Cole Cloutier, Utility Engineer, reached out to roofing contractors for estimates and timing to complete the roofing project. Because the “roof” was also the top of Mt. Tom, staff needed to remove quite a bit of soil covering the roof. Crews from the Street and Parks Divisions played a vital role helping to haul excess dirt from the site and to remove a fence around it. Funding for the roof replacement is expected to come from the Mt. Washington CIP project that is scheduled in 2024. 

Utilities Manager Ben Spanel gave other City staff and divisions a shout-out. He said: “I wanted to reach out and let you know how grateful I am for all of the staff and equipment you provided to help the Utilities Division with the prep work for the repair of the Mt. Tom reservoir roof. Without your help, getting this project done in a timely fashion would not have been possible. Your help will prevent Mt. Tom from having to be put out of service, which would have caused water supply and pressure issues throughout the City. Mt. Tom will turn 100-years old in 2024 and remains a critical part of the operation of Eau Claire’s water distribution system. Thank you so much…I am proud to work with all of you!”

Pictured here are pictures of the construction of the reservoir in 1924 or 1925, along with an aerial view of the cleared roof of the reservoir at present.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTS: 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 two people who recently retired and who, combined, served our community for more than 75 years.

Their co-workers shared these shout-outs…

Utility Operator Dick Rasmussen (pictured here on his last day)

“Dick is a very hard-working individual. Over his long City career, he worked in many different areas of Community Services including Transit, Central Maintenance, Sewer Collection, Wastewater Plant, and the Water Plant. Outside of work he is always doing some sort of project at home such as remodeling, pouring concrete, cutting firewood, etc. There is rarely a time when he isn’t on the move. Dick is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, cross country skiing, shed hunting, and taking his giant black Newfoundland dog Jaeger on walks and swims.”

Dick shared this feedback: “Retirement suits me very well”

City Code Enforcement Officer John Guettinger (pictured below at a farewell gathering): 

“John recently retired after serving the residents of Eau Claire for approximately 43 years. John first served the City of Eau Claire as a police officer before transitioning to his role as City Code Enforcement Officer. John’s enthusiasm and friendliness are infectious, and these characteristics have helped him effectively resolve countless challenging situations during his time with the City of Eau Claire. It is difficult to measure the impact a person can have on the quality of life of an organization or a community, but those who know John know the tremendous impact he had on both, and he will be terribly missed both personally and professionally (although knowing John, it is possible the retirement will not be permanent!).  Best wishes to John in his next adventure!”

John shared this feedback: “My years working for the City have been fulfilling, not only the scope of work, but also working alongside all the excellent coworkers. City staff in all departments are hard working and caring people!” He said, when asked about what’s next: “For now, I will be expanding my scope of volunteer work that I have been involved in. And yes, even more attendance at high school sporting events!”

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)

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

Monday, February 12th, 7PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night

Tuesday, February 13th, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting

Monday, February 19th, 4PM, Library River Room: ZPAC Meeting – Districts & Uses

Monday, February 26th, 7PM, Council Chambers: Council Public Hearing/Discussion Night

Tuesday, February 27th, 4PM, Council Chambers: Council Meeting

Original source can be found here.