MONROE - The World Cheese Discovery Center almost lost its ability to submit a community development block grant application Tuesday at a meeting of the city's Common Council.
A show of support for the project by city resolution was tabled once before being taken up again and approved with an amendment that stipulated the support did not include financial support.
Ron Marsh, a member of the World Cheese Destination Center, Inc.'s executive board, said the city's show of support was needed for the application.
"Without it, there wouldn't be an application," he said after the meeting.
Council President Tyler Schultz, by a motion seconded by Alderman Jan Lefevre, brought the resolution to a vote, but quickly added that he saw a problem with not enough information about the project for the council to vote on the measure.
Schultz said after the meeting that his concern was a lack of support from citizens and business owners, some of whom are worried about the center intruding upon established businesses.
The center is proposing to include an educational cheese-making demonstration for visitors and to sell that cheese as well as products made by other cheesemakers.
Schultz and Brooke Bauman voted against the amended resolution that stipulated no financial support from the city.
Bauman and Michael Boyce raised objections to the resolution in its original state - they said their concern was the lack of information on financial support the city may be agreeing to, or may be asked to give.
Marsh was asked to address any financial requests connected to the resolution of support.
"We are not coming to the city to ask for money right now," Marsh told them.
Marsh explained that the city had given the project a letter of support in the past, allowing the board to apply for a grant to study the feasibility of the proposed center.
hat grant was supplemented with a grant from the city's Visitors and Promotion Board.
Satisfied that the idea for the center, as well as the center's ability to support itself in the future, would be successful, the executive board proceeded with finding a building in downtown Monroe to house the center.
The new show of support would do the same for the Community Development Block Grant application, Marsh added.
The grant money, up to $500,000, would go toward remodeling the building, the former Monroe Cheese Corp. on 12th Street.
"I don't see the city loaning any money to any non-profit organization," said Marsh, "so I don't see a problem" with the new show of support document.
The council did not balk at approving a second, separate resolution regarding the center and the grant, and unanimously approved adopting a citizen participation plan for the project.
The citizen participation plan, required for recipients of a block grant, encourages citizen participation and provides citizens access to meetings and information, as well as public hearings and complaint procedures.
The first public hearing is held during the development of an application for block grant funds. A community development block grant citizen participation public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 15 at the city hall, in regard to the grant application for funding the proposed World Cheese Destination Center.
The second public hearing is held during the implementation of the program. Official notices of meetings must be made in the public newspaper.
A show of support for the project by city resolution was tabled once before being taken up again and approved with an amendment that stipulated the support did not include financial support.
Ron Marsh, a member of the World Cheese Destination Center, Inc.'s executive board, said the city's show of support was needed for the application.
"Without it, there wouldn't be an application," he said after the meeting.
Council President Tyler Schultz, by a motion seconded by Alderman Jan Lefevre, brought the resolution to a vote, but quickly added that he saw a problem with not enough information about the project for the council to vote on the measure.
Schultz said after the meeting that his concern was a lack of support from citizens and business owners, some of whom are worried about the center intruding upon established businesses.
The center is proposing to include an educational cheese-making demonstration for visitors and to sell that cheese as well as products made by other cheesemakers.
Schultz and Brooke Bauman voted against the amended resolution that stipulated no financial support from the city.
Bauman and Michael Boyce raised objections to the resolution in its original state - they said their concern was the lack of information on financial support the city may be agreeing to, or may be asked to give.
Marsh was asked to address any financial requests connected to the resolution of support.
"We are not coming to the city to ask for money right now," Marsh told them.
Marsh explained that the city had given the project a letter of support in the past, allowing the board to apply for a grant to study the feasibility of the proposed center.
hat grant was supplemented with a grant from the city's Visitors and Promotion Board.
Satisfied that the idea for the center, as well as the center's ability to support itself in the future, would be successful, the executive board proceeded with finding a building in downtown Monroe to house the center.
The new show of support would do the same for the Community Development Block Grant application, Marsh added.
The grant money, up to $500,000, would go toward remodeling the building, the former Monroe Cheese Corp. on 12th Street.
"I don't see the city loaning any money to any non-profit organization," said Marsh, "so I don't see a problem" with the new show of support document.
The council did not balk at approving a second, separate resolution regarding the center and the grant, and unanimously approved adopting a citizen participation plan for the project.
The citizen participation plan, required for recipients of a block grant, encourages citizen participation and provides citizens access to meetings and information, as well as public hearings and complaint procedures.
The first public hearing is held during the development of an application for block grant funds. A community development block grant citizen participation public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 15 at the city hall, in regard to the grant application for funding the proposed World Cheese Destination Center.
The second public hearing is held during the implementation of the program. Official notices of meetings must be made in the public newspaper.