MONROE - In an effort to improve the MERIT Center, Monroe Fire Department Deputy Chief Lane Heins said the 6-acre site needs a classroom and structural bathrooms and that fundraising for the $500,000 project has already begun.
The center, a bright red, four-story structure on a small area of Monroe's North Industrial Park, has been used by a number of area entities for different types of training events.
Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff trains deputies at the center, and the Monroe Police Department does as well. Heins said it isn't just Green County entities who use the facility, or even emergency services. Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill trains officers at the MERIT Center.
"The classroom, especially for emergency services, would open up a large area," Heins said. "The police department, the sheriff's department have both indicated that classroom space is critical. By having this classroom, they would be able to conduct more trainings instead of sending the trainings out, which is a cost expense."
Ellen Andrews, the Green County University of Wisconsin-Extension 4-H youth development educator, said each April the MERIT Center serves as a unique tool to instruct those under 16 about tractor safety, as well as offering training in grain and fire safety. The annual course totals 24 hours of instruction, with three hours spent at the training center to teach students in a more hands-on environment.
"It's definitely a lot more effective to have the education out at the MERIT Center ... but the classroom would be a great addition," Andrews said. "We're fortunate to have this type of resource in our community."
While the facility has been a positive influence on teaching those who learn better by going through the motions of an action rather than analyzing the theory behind it, Heins said being able to stay in one space would be an improvement. Currently, firefighters who are learning procedure in class either listen to instructors at one of the city's police stations or a classroom at Blackhawk Technical College.
Both options pose distractions and separate each method of learning, Heins said. If those hearing a lecture could immediately step out into the training center to practice, he added, then they could learn more efficiently.
"Classroom is important when you learn theory and why," Heins said. "But it's more critical, with the different types of learners out there ... in the emergency services a lot of people are more hands-on, so that's why you try to balance between the two."
The building recently received nonprofit status. Support so far has been promising for Heins. The city maintains the center, but those who want to add to the area have "got to have the money on hand before" the process can begin, Heins said.
The addition of the building could provide a storm shelter and structural restrooms. Having no restrooms on site adds to the cost of using the facility because portable bathrooms must be brought in during training times.
Individuals and businesses in Green, Lafayette and Stephenson counties have expressed support for the project. Though fundraising has only been in effect for a few months, Heins said he has $120,000 in the bank and a number of businesses have pledged funds along with equipment and material assistance. Multiple grant applications also have been filed seeking support for the project, he added. There is currently no date scheduled to begin construction.
The center, a bright red, four-story structure on a small area of Monroe's North Industrial Park, has been used by a number of area entities for different types of training events.
Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff trains deputies at the center, and the Monroe Police Department does as well. Heins said it isn't just Green County entities who use the facility, or even emergency services. Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill trains officers at the MERIT Center.
"The classroom, especially for emergency services, would open up a large area," Heins said. "The police department, the sheriff's department have both indicated that classroom space is critical. By having this classroom, they would be able to conduct more trainings instead of sending the trainings out, which is a cost expense."
Ellen Andrews, the Green County University of Wisconsin-Extension 4-H youth development educator, said each April the MERIT Center serves as a unique tool to instruct those under 16 about tractor safety, as well as offering training in grain and fire safety. The annual course totals 24 hours of instruction, with three hours spent at the training center to teach students in a more hands-on environment.
"It's definitely a lot more effective to have the education out at the MERIT Center ... but the classroom would be a great addition," Andrews said. "We're fortunate to have this type of resource in our community."
While the facility has been a positive influence on teaching those who learn better by going through the motions of an action rather than analyzing the theory behind it, Heins said being able to stay in one space would be an improvement. Currently, firefighters who are learning procedure in class either listen to instructors at one of the city's police stations or a classroom at Blackhawk Technical College.
Both options pose distractions and separate each method of learning, Heins said. If those hearing a lecture could immediately step out into the training center to practice, he added, then they could learn more efficiently.
"Classroom is important when you learn theory and why," Heins said. "But it's more critical, with the different types of learners out there ... in the emergency services a lot of people are more hands-on, so that's why you try to balance between the two."
The building recently received nonprofit status. Support so far has been promising for Heins. The city maintains the center, but those who want to add to the area have "got to have the money on hand before" the process can begin, Heins said.
The addition of the building could provide a storm shelter and structural restrooms. Having no restrooms on site adds to the cost of using the facility because portable bathrooms must be brought in during training times.
Individuals and businesses in Green, Lafayette and Stephenson counties have expressed support for the project. Though fundraising has only been in effect for a few months, Heins said he has $120,000 in the bank and a number of businesses have pledged funds along with equipment and material assistance. Multiple grant applications also have been filed seeking support for the project, he added. There is currently no date scheduled to begin construction.