Park Sundial or Better

As you are aware, a little controversy has brewed over the past month as a result of a very small number of individuals not wanting to have the Sun Dial placed back up after it had been removed for the filming of the Public Enemies movie. The city has since reinstalled the donated structure. (pic below of sundial in evening with candles remembering the fallen troops in Iraq War, pic by A Sabai)

I, like most who frequent the park regularly, enjoy the structure, and believe it has become a permanent structure and staple of the park. I suspect that the individuals who don't like the dial are those who simply drive by and do not utilize the park, and also those less interested in unique and interesting concepts and more focused on practicality. (pic below of sundial, by C Crowley)

So, for these later individuals, I have developed a replacement proposal for the sun dial that serves the following practical notions:

1. We are able to recall a clear example of an abuse of power from an elected representative.

2. We are able to reference what not to base policy on.

3. We are able to laugh at the amazingly ridiculous ideas that people can come up with.

4. We see a clear example of when less government is best.

.

And the replacement proposal is....

.

A Cottonwood Tree McHugh Memorial - complete with four cottonwood trees and a picture plaque dedicated to Oshkosh Common Council rep Dennis McHugh, who 1 year ago in July proposed to ban the planting of Eastern Cottonwood trees in Oshkosh because “It’s a pesky thing. You can’t vacuum it, you can’t rake it. It’s just a pest.” Folks at Babblemur had said following this logic the city should, "ban lake flies, drunk drivers, and moronic city ordinances for the same reasons."

Below you will find some nice images of the Eastern Cottonwood from Oregon State University:

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Run the County and Get Paid Well Too

County positions are up for election this year. The pay is good:

2009 - $62,346
2010 - $64,216
2011 - $66,142
2012 - $68,126

They also include full benefits.

All positions are partisan; currently held by Republicans. Each of these positions have staff that assist in the duties and are managed by the office holder.

The positions are:

County Clerk: The County Clerk is the chief election official for Winnebago County and is responsible for the election process in Winnebago County.

This includes: Registering candidates running for county offices, Coordinating election programming information between municipal and school district clerks, Coordinating voting equipment vendor and printer
Setting up and preparing ballots, Providing election forms and supplies to municipal clerks, Recording election results on election night and maintaining records of same, Conducting county canvass of elections
Preparing and filing appropriate election reports with the State Elections Board, Maintaining election and financial records of candidates and election committees, Provide Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) services to county municipalities, Updating and maintaining voter records and running poll lists and various SVRS reports

Issue and file documentation including: Work Permits for children between the ages of 12 and 17, Hunting/Fishing Licenses for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Dog Licenses

Other services provided by the County Clerk’s Office: Secretary to the County Board, Prepare/Publish Legal Notices, Document Retention
Customer Service, Official Directory


County Treasurer: Duties include the following"

Tax Collection, Assist public for tax requests and inquiries, Receipting of postponed and delinquent property tax payments
Agricultural use penalty, Verification of taxes paid for plat maps and CSM's, Tax Settlement - Receive collection data from municipalities
Upload and verify collection data, Pay all taxing jurisdictions

Foreclosure , Issuance of tax certificates, In-Rem tax foreclosure, Preparation and sale of foreclosed property


Register of Deeds Duties include:

Land Records: Record, index, and preserve all properly prepared documents for recording and/or filing. Provides assistance to the public, title companies, attorneys and other county offices with searching real estate documents

Vital Records: File, index and accurately preserve all birth, death, marriage and military discharge records, Assists genealogists, Collects fees on behalf of Winnebago County and the State of Wisconsin Works to protect the public from identity theft and fraud

Universal Commercial Code: Record, index and preserve copies of all realty related Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) documents

Child Support Lien Docket: Record, index, and preserve copies of child support arrears

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Smart Choices, Safe Rides

I came across this in an email recently, and was highly impressed that our community offers this valuable service. Well done to everyone involved in making something like this happen. You'll note that they also are often accepting volunteers:

Safe Rides for Youth in Oshkosh: Friday and Saturday Nights, 10:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. 920-236-2646 (Teen Safe Rides number)

Safe Rides is designed to provide a free and confidential safe ride home to any student who is not in a condition to drive safely. Or any student who wants to avoid being a passenger in such a situation, or who just needs a safe ride home.

Sitters may find themselves in the unpleasant position of accepting a ride home from a parent who has returned home partially intoxicated. Date difficulty, fights, or simply being left behind all can leave a teen without a ride home.

Oshkosh Teen Safe Rides needs adult volunteers to act as a supervisor and provide assistance. You need to be 21. Volunteer shifts are Friday and Saturday from 9:45 pm to 2:30 am. Youth volunteers are needed to be receivers, dispatchers, navigators, and drivers. Shifts are the same as adults. You can work once a month if that fits your schedule.

For more information, Peg Larson at (920) 231-3005.

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"Natural Step for Communities" Authors to Speak in Appleton

The authors of the Natural Step for Communities book -- Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti -- will speak in Appleton on Wed June 18, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Appleton Public Library. This event is free and open to public.

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Oshkosh Floods

FLOODED STREET ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE ON CITICABLE 10 AND PROBABLY WOCT RADIO.

My wife and I left the house around 1:30p.m. today, to see if the art fair at South Park was canceled, which it was. It was bright and sunny at this point. We decided, instead, to go see the new Indiana Jones film. We cut back to 9th and took it to Koeller, where we noticed the first major flooding... near the Walgreens parking lot. There was an unfortunate purple van stuck in a rather large puddle with the front bumper almost under water. We proceeded north on Koeller to the Marcus cinema where we discovered that the ENTIRE parking lot for the strip mall behind the theater was under water, and there was no way in (and the theater was probably closed anyway). So we decided to head north to Appleton for the movie, and see how things had dried up when we got home. Except when we left the theater it was raining again.

We went back to 9th & Koeller. This time somebody's Toyota was stalled out and they were pushing it out of the water, followed by a police escort. We tried to take 9th into downtown, but the situation had grown much worse. We were forced to turn back, but not before witnessing a scene I will kick myself for many weeks to come for not photographing. On a cross street with 9th, I can't remember which, I saw a group of children floating around on innertubes in the middle of the street and my wife saw a kayaker along with them... in the middle of the street. (Did I mention this was in the middle of the street?) We were in a panic, because we had to get turned around, so that photo is forever lost. We finally made it home after being stopped on several roads. (Hwy 21 was clear, at least when we came into town.)









More Photos

Be careful out there people! Watch your basements. Make sure your storm drains are clear.

Please, feel free to post your own observations in comments or e-mail stories and photos to jmc@mainstreetoshkosh.com

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Deer-proof your garden session

Stuarts Landscaping in Oshkosh is hosting guest speaker Sandy Baker of the Humane Society of the United States, Deer Solutions MD and Animal Advocates of Howard County on Sunday, June 8. Sandy will be offering two sessions discussing ways to deer-proof your gardens and yard.

The first seminar starting at 10:30 and running until 12:00 and the second seminar starting at 1:00 and running until 2:30. This seminar is FREE so come out and join us to learn more on how to keep our friendly creatures away from our gardens.

The programs will take place at Stuart's Landscaping in Oshkosh 2957 Brooks Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904. For more information, contact (920) 233-0803.

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