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12/19/2006
We're not dumb. Talk to us.
The Appleton West sports complex issue continues mo-o-o-v-i-n-g at a snail’s pace. That’s because government always moves like that – and it’s just darn hard to get information.
As much as I appreciate Mayor Hanna and the Plan Commission for sitting in hard, straight-back chairs for almost four hours last week, the format of the so-called “public hearing that wasn’t a public hearing” wasn’t very helpful. Folks with comments had to sign up in advance. No exchange of ideas, no questions asked or answered. And the Plan Commission didn’t deliberate a whit before they approved this 2-page “concept plan.”
I appreciate too, those dogged Terror Backers pursuing a wonderful vision – but one that comes with a contingent of challenges. What comes first? Acquiring some properties, acquiring all the properties, getting the property rezoned (city council approval), getting the school board’s blessing… what a mess.
Perhaps working to get everybody on the same page should be a little different.
The bottom line is folks need information. All sorts of information, and all sorts of folks. Citizens, owners of homes targeted for demolition, school board and West faculty, athletes and students, city alderpersons.
Alderperson Jirschele has asked for a second information session. How about making it kind of like a trade fair? Seriously.
Set up a big room – or a number of smaller rooms. Assign each expert/interested party to his/her own corner. Let’s see – name the interested parties and/or “experts.”
1. School Board members, district administrators
2. West faculty and students
3. Terror Backers
4. West-area homeowners and their attorney(s)
5. The Director of Public Works (traffic, stormwater, etc.)
Are there others?
Each of these “experts” is in their own corner or small room. Then the agenda is something like this – members of the public choose a corner to start in. Each “expert” or interested party talks for 5 minutes to whatever group is gathered in his or her corner, then opens it up to questions for 10 minutes. Then folks circulate to a different corner, the 5-minute presentations are repeated, with 10-minute question times, until members of the public have attended whichever presentations they’re interested in learning more about. Do you see? It’s kind of like an information round-robin. If making a public record of the goings-on is important, make sure all is recorded.
Ok, it’s different. But it’s all about getting our questions answered in an orderly, informed manner. It IS possible to listen to folks, to answer questions, to have civil exchanges – without a riot ensuing.
Here are a few of those questions I’d like to ask at an information round-robin:
• Are alternative sites being considered and/or have they been? Has the school board expressed interest in any site that might not involve the destruction of homes, such as Wisconsin and Badger or any area west of Wilson school? What are any safety concerns of a remote site and how can they be satisfied?
• Where will folks park if a new football field were built adjacent to West?
• How might the Banta Bowl be made into a permanent situation? (What a great place for high school football!)
• What is the tax levy impact to the city, county and school district when the 21 homes are removed from the tax roll and a sports complex is built?
• What needs to be done for current track and field facilities to be adequate for sports team practices and physical education classes?
• And lastly, I’d be interested in a discussion about the value of existing housing stock and under what circumstances it should be destroyed.
Ok, I’m done. What questions do you have?
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