A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

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 September 20, 2004 By Colin Atagi, Daily Tribune Staff Tuesday's Community Progress Initiative rally will give Wisconsin Rapids residents a second chance to talk about what they like about the community and what they'd like changed. The Community Progress Initiative's Make It Happen meetings are scheduled to be held in Wisconsin Rapids and Rudolph this week, and one will be held in Vesper next week. At the meetings, attendees will be asked what brought them to their community and why they continue to live there. They'll also be asked to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the community, said Connie Loden, executive director of the Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance, one of the organizers of the initiative. The Wisconsin Rapids meeting was originally set for July 2, but was rescheduled because only 25 people attended - about a quarter of the number at the initiative rally in April. Organizers expect the meeting to be a bigger draw this time. About a dozen of the people at the April meeting volunteered to convince more people to attend. The group developed brochures and posters, and they organized a child care service for the meeting, and food will be served, said one of the volunteers, Jennifer Lemke. "I think Rome had about 200 people at their rally, and it would be nice to have a couple hundred people at the Wisconsin Rapids meeting," she said. Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Jerry Bach spoke with members of the Wisconsin Rapids Common Council about attending the meeting, and they were receptive, he said. "I think, rather than council members making suggestions, they need to hear the message from the average citizen of what they're looking for in the city," he said. "So I'm encouraging them to go more to listen than to take over the conversation." Council member Marion Hokamp plans to attend. "With all these different volunteers in the cluster groups, they're putting in a lot of time and effort in improving the economic situation in Wisconsin Rapids," she said. "I hope to learn a lot by attending." Meetings were previously held in Rome, Port Edwards and Nekoosa in July. This week's meetings were scheduled about two months after the earlier rallies to coincide with the availability of David Beurle, founder of Innovative Leadership Australia, who has helped guide the Community Progress Initiative. The initiative is a three-year effort to help build enthusiasm and improve the economies in south Wood County communities and the town of Rome. You can reach Colin Atagi at 422-6728 or at catagi@wisconsinrapidstribune.com.
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