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'Monroe Main Street' poised to start anew
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MONROE - Main Street Monroe, Inc. is expected to become a separate corporation, an entity distinct from the city, within a week.

The current board of Monroe Main Street, operating as an arm of the City of Monroe, approved the new articles of incorporation Monday and authorized Rex Ewald, city attorney, to file the document with the office of the Secretary of State.

Ewald intended to file the articles of incorporation as early as Tuesday.

"Once they accept them, they will send back a document for us to register at the (Green County) Register of Deeds," said Ron Spielman, vice-chairman of the Monroe Main Street.

Spielman expected the registration could be finished within a week.

The new seven-member board of directors will meet as soon as possible, possibly within two weeks, to elect officers and adopt the by-laws, according to Spielman.

The new Main Street Monroe, Inc. board of directors will be John Baumann, JoAnne Leuenberger, Ron Spielman and Ryan Wilson, members at-large; Brooke Baumann, city appointee; Marilyn Pfarr, Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Inc. appointee; and David Riese, Business Improvement District (BID) appointee.

The current board will continue to meet before dissolving, to approve the change-over of funds, checking accounts and insurance policies.

Once legal incorporation is finalized, Main Street Monroe, Inc. can proceed to establish its tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) corporation. That process could take as long as a year, said Spielman. Incorporation can't come too soon for the Concert on the Square committee. The committee must have city approval of its event permit before the concerts, scheduled to begin June 9, can happen.

Monroe Main Street agreed to allow Green County Humane Society to sell beer at the concerts, but now Main Street Monroe, Inc. must have its insurance policy in place as part of the city's event permit policy. The event permit must go before the city's Public Safety Committee May 16, in time for the Common Council to approve the permit May 17. Barring the event permit approval next week, Concerts on the Square would have to wait for approval at the next council meeting on June 7 - two days before the first concert.

In the past, the committee and council has approved event permits tentative upon the insurance policy being in place before the event begins.

Concerts on the Square will be moving to the west side of the Square this year to accommodate the detour routes for the construction on 8th and 9th streets. Six Thursday concerts and one Saturday concert are scheduled for the summer. Little Vito and the Torpedoes, playing classic rock music, is slated June 9.