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Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News May 21, 2005 - City needs clear plan before condos Daily Tribune Community leaders who envision a beautiful condominium complex along the river in downtown Wisconsin Rapids ought to be commended - not criticized - for their foresight. Even so, others have a legitimate concern that building condos should not take precedence over creating well-paying jobs locally. Common Council member Maynard Paterick expressed that view in clear language as he talked about a recently completed market study of the condominium concept. "It looks good," he said of the condos, which have not been formally proposed, much less approved by the city. "Everything is promising, but I think we need to get some jobs here. ... I believe once we get industry and jobs here, the rest will follow." This debate is healthy for Wisconsin Rapids, but it also highlights the need for a more formal and comprehensive plan for the city's future. A bold artist's rendering of upscale condos would not stick out like a sore thumb if it were just one element of a long-range plan that addressed desired land use and projects not only downtown but on the east, west, south and north sides. Right now, the drawings of this grand riverfront project must be a bitter sight for a man or woman still recovering from losing family-supporting wages and the security of a paper mill job. People in that situation number in the hundreds in this community. Thousands more are toiling away at low- or middle-income jobs just to get from paycheck to paycheck. They can scarcely find better pay, much less dream of plunking down $172,000 for one of the 30 to 40 condo units that might be part of this project. But no simple solutions exist. It is sheer folly to place the community's focus on attracting a large operation with high-paying manufacturing jobs. That kind of employment is on the decline nationally, and communities face intense competition as they scratch and claw for the few available big-factory jobs. The best bet is to foster the development of small, locally owned businesses and concentrate on training the workforce to match skills with high-growth industries such as health care. That kind of transition takes time, even years. It's why the Community Progress Initiative was created in 2004 as a three-year plan for the south Wood County area and why most of the project's economic components focus on local entrepreneurialism. Working to create good jobs ought to be a top priority for community leaders in Wisconsin Rapids, but it's debatable how to achieve that goal. It's the classic chicken vs. egg conundrum. Which should come first - new jobs, or new community attractions? The business and city leaders who formed the Riverwest Development Group and paid for a $7,200 market study of the condos also want to create jobs. And they see the riverfront housing project as part of a long-term effort to do just that. But the rest of that plan is not as clear. The more immediate job for the Wisconsin Rapids Common Council ought to be to conduct a long-range planning process that engages the community, creates a five- or 10-year vision for every part of the city and sets realistic timelines for meeting goals. In that context, condos might be easier to support.
		Copyright © 2005, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome