MONROE - In the first of two final input meetings for the Monroe Comprehensive Plan Update held Wednesday, citizens took part in a forum to provide ideas for projects that could improve the city.
The 14 previous meetings and final two session have been an ongoing part of a plan to improve the city over the next 20 years and to gain feedback on how to proceed in doing so. The planning is in conjunction with the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
SWWRPC Planning Program Manager Troy Maggied told the group of roughly 30 citizens, an assortment of business owners, private residents and city officials, that his job should not be needed due to how much potential communities have, but that he has been happy to point capable people in the right direction.
"There is so much capacity in these communities," Maggied said. "I want to be a capacity builder and then get out of the way of these extremely competent people within communities."
Participants began by providing "purposeful words," terms which they would use to define the best parts of Monroe. With those in mind, a small group of volunteers could use the overarching theme of words like "historical," "inclusive" and "creative" in order to create a mission statement for the comprehensive plan.
A core piece of the forum was referred to as a "project round robin" in which those present broke into groups of about six and traveled from table to table, assigning project to various issues. Conversation filled the small community room at First National Bank. Examples included a desire for a public dog park within the city and a larger availability of senior housing. Then participants were tasked with the challenge of describing a feasible project, why it met the needs of the request, who the stakeholders in the issue were and possible areas of funding.
John Baumann, president of Colony Brands, remarked within his work group on the desire expressed by people who were surveyed regarding economic development. A point made was the need for more job skills to be taught to young people, which he thought was a positive idea. Baumann said he also hoped a plan could be put in place for young professionals looking for quality rentals within the city but who he has seen retreat to Madison instead.
Project ideas varied from enclosing pieces of local parks and providing doggy disposal bags at entrances to make them more dog friendly, to how to utilize city space for a gardening area. Some included how to provide bike paths on city streets. Others tried to tackle the problem of lack of affordable and quality rentals for millenials within the city.
The final forum session is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10.
The 14 previous meetings and final two session have been an ongoing part of a plan to improve the city over the next 20 years and to gain feedback on how to proceed in doing so. The planning is in conjunction with the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
SWWRPC Planning Program Manager Troy Maggied told the group of roughly 30 citizens, an assortment of business owners, private residents and city officials, that his job should not be needed due to how much potential communities have, but that he has been happy to point capable people in the right direction.
"There is so much capacity in these communities," Maggied said. "I want to be a capacity builder and then get out of the way of these extremely competent people within communities."
Participants began by providing "purposeful words," terms which they would use to define the best parts of Monroe. With those in mind, a small group of volunteers could use the overarching theme of words like "historical," "inclusive" and "creative" in order to create a mission statement for the comprehensive plan.
A core piece of the forum was referred to as a "project round robin" in which those present broke into groups of about six and traveled from table to table, assigning project to various issues. Conversation filled the small community room at First National Bank. Examples included a desire for a public dog park within the city and a larger availability of senior housing. Then participants were tasked with the challenge of describing a feasible project, why it met the needs of the request, who the stakeholders in the issue were and possible areas of funding.
John Baumann, president of Colony Brands, remarked within his work group on the desire expressed by people who were surveyed regarding economic development. A point made was the need for more job skills to be taught to young people, which he thought was a positive idea. Baumann said he also hoped a plan could be put in place for young professionals looking for quality rentals within the city but who he has seen retreat to Madison instead.
Project ideas varied from enclosing pieces of local parks and providing doggy disposal bags at entrances to make them more dog friendly, to how to utilize city space for a gardening area. Some included how to provide bike paths on city streets. Others tried to tackle the problem of lack of affordable and quality rentals for millenials within the city.
The final forum session is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10.