MONROE - Chalk up an active senior citizens center and arts center as positives for the city of Monroe.
A public input meeting Wednesday focused on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges for Monroe that fall within the realm of culture, creativity and community resources. The meeting was part of an ongoing series of similar events aimed at helping develop an updated community plan. Previous meetings have centered on natural resources, housing and transportation; upcoming meetings will include one devoted to economic development. The Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission is facilitating the meetings and will be collating input as it formulates an updated plan for the city. More than two dozen people, many representing city departments and local agencies, attended the session.
The Behring Senior Center serves "as a central place where (seniors) can go and be among their peers," said director Tammy Derrickson. However, its role goes beyond that: The community doesn't "always think of the psychological needs of seniors," but the center also makes referrals and provides information on elder abuse and finances. This is particularly important as people live longer, sometimes "outliving their pensions," she said.
Monroe Arts Center and Monroe Theatre Guild were also named as key strengths for promoting arts and cultural activities.
Other strengths offered included protective services such as the police and fire departments; the library and its literacy program; the city's parks and recreation department which offers an outdoor pool, afterschool care, recreational programs and well-maintained parks; an active faith community of churches; the Square; a bounty of locally-produced foods; the Monroe campus of Blackhawk Technical College; the Green County Family YMCA; and the Green County Historical Society and National Historic Cheesemaking Center museums.
A few strengths are less tangible: Monroe is a great place to raise a family and is friendly, some said.
It's also generous, despite the stereotype that those of Swiss heritage are tight with their money, according to Richard Daniels, executive director of MAC.
"Monroe has an extraordinary spirit of philanthropy," he said. As an example, on Tuesday MAC broke ground on a large addition project that will add gallery space and make the 150-year--old former church building accessible. The center raised more than $4 million from within the community to pay for the addition, he said.
Participants also looked at the community's weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.
The city's lack of a forward-thinking attitude spurred some discussion. Mike Brukwicki pointed out that while there were several representatives from city departments at the meeting, no city council members or administrators attended. He said that speaks to his assertion that through the years, there's been numerous attempts at developing plans but no follow-through.
But Troy Maggied, planning program manager for SWWRPC, said the process of gathering input is to develop a community plan, not a city plan. Input garnered won't be "lumped together and handed to the city to do," he said. Instead, the goal is to help determine a shared and coordinated vision.
Communication was identified as a weakness on several fronts. While most agreed there are numerous services and resources available, people - particularly those new to the community - don't always know where to find them. There's also duplication of services, indicating a lack of communication and coordination among groups.
Other weaknesses are the community's unpreparedness for an increasingly diverse population; a lack of a municipal golf course; and difficulty in securing funding for programs.
Weaknesses also included a lack of inter-generational activities; a lack of space at the senior center; a lack of a court-appointed special advocacy program for children who are abused or neglected; and a lack of outreach to smaller communities in the county.
Participants translated many of the weaknesses into potential opportunities: A lack of inter-generational activities could spur the opportunity for an "adopt-a-grandparent" program to match youth with senior citizens, for example. Other opportunities brought up included capitalizing on the local-foods movement; expanding the parish nurse program; and encouraging a greater participation in government.
Challenges ranged from infrastructure to interpersonal. Ideas included pushing for a long-term transportation program to help attract industry to the area. Monroe also needs to develop a willingness to change; develop more of an appreciation of the arts; and look for ways to support K-12 education in light of budget constraints, participants said.
Many topics fell under multiple categories. For example, the lack of funding for programs, such as in the arts, is a weakness. But because funding exists through grants, it was also identified as an opportunity - and because grants can be difficult to obtain, it is also seen as a challenge.
A second meeting, set for noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the YMCA, will take a closer look at the issues and seek to find solutions.
A public input meeting Wednesday focused on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges for Monroe that fall within the realm of culture, creativity and community resources. The meeting was part of an ongoing series of similar events aimed at helping develop an updated community plan. Previous meetings have centered on natural resources, housing and transportation; upcoming meetings will include one devoted to economic development. The Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission is facilitating the meetings and will be collating input as it formulates an updated plan for the city. More than two dozen people, many representing city departments and local agencies, attended the session.
The Behring Senior Center serves "as a central place where (seniors) can go and be among their peers," said director Tammy Derrickson. However, its role goes beyond that: The community doesn't "always think of the psychological needs of seniors," but the center also makes referrals and provides information on elder abuse and finances. This is particularly important as people live longer, sometimes "outliving their pensions," she said.
Monroe Arts Center and Monroe Theatre Guild were also named as key strengths for promoting arts and cultural activities.
Other strengths offered included protective services such as the police and fire departments; the library and its literacy program; the city's parks and recreation department which offers an outdoor pool, afterschool care, recreational programs and well-maintained parks; an active faith community of churches; the Square; a bounty of locally-produced foods; the Monroe campus of Blackhawk Technical College; the Green County Family YMCA; and the Green County Historical Society and National Historic Cheesemaking Center museums.
A few strengths are less tangible: Monroe is a great place to raise a family and is friendly, some said.
It's also generous, despite the stereotype that those of Swiss heritage are tight with their money, according to Richard Daniels, executive director of MAC.
"Monroe has an extraordinary spirit of philanthropy," he said. As an example, on Tuesday MAC broke ground on a large addition project that will add gallery space and make the 150-year--old former church building accessible. The center raised more than $4 million from within the community to pay for the addition, he said.
Participants also looked at the community's weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.
The city's lack of a forward-thinking attitude spurred some discussion. Mike Brukwicki pointed out that while there were several representatives from city departments at the meeting, no city council members or administrators attended. He said that speaks to his assertion that through the years, there's been numerous attempts at developing plans but no follow-through.
But Troy Maggied, planning program manager for SWWRPC, said the process of gathering input is to develop a community plan, not a city plan. Input garnered won't be "lumped together and handed to the city to do," he said. Instead, the goal is to help determine a shared and coordinated vision.
Communication was identified as a weakness on several fronts. While most agreed there are numerous services and resources available, people - particularly those new to the community - don't always know where to find them. There's also duplication of services, indicating a lack of communication and coordination among groups.
Other weaknesses are the community's unpreparedness for an increasingly diverse population; a lack of a municipal golf course; and difficulty in securing funding for programs.
Weaknesses also included a lack of inter-generational activities; a lack of space at the senior center; a lack of a court-appointed special advocacy program for children who are abused or neglected; and a lack of outreach to smaller communities in the county.
Participants translated many of the weaknesses into potential opportunities: A lack of inter-generational activities could spur the opportunity for an "adopt-a-grandparent" program to match youth with senior citizens, for example. Other opportunities brought up included capitalizing on the local-foods movement; expanding the parish nurse program; and encouraging a greater participation in government.
Challenges ranged from infrastructure to interpersonal. Ideas included pushing for a long-term transportation program to help attract industry to the area. Monroe also needs to develop a willingness to change; develop more of an appreciation of the arts; and look for ways to support K-12 education in light of budget constraints, participants said.
Many topics fell under multiple categories. For example, the lack of funding for programs, such as in the arts, is a weakness. But because funding exists through grants, it was also identified as an opportunity - and because grants can be difficult to obtain, it is also seen as a challenge.
A second meeting, set for noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the YMCA, will take a closer look at the issues and seek to find solutions.