Nature Illuminated lights at Monk Gardens in Wausau, WI. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – We all want to be remembered for something. Leaving a legacy at the end of our lives is very… human.
Robert Monk’s legacy to our community was donating 21 acres of land to become a community garden on Wausau’s west side. Since then, funds have been raised to buy additional adjacent land. The new board of directors proposes classroom space, a gift shop, perhaps a beer garden. They also propose charging admission – $7 per person, or $35 for a yearly pass – and a name change. It will now be known as the Wausau Botanic Gardens.
This is a mistake.
Everyone in Wausau knows the site as the Monk Botanic Gardens. Name recognition is one of the biggest assets that any group can have… from Granite Peak, to Athletic Park, to WSAU. Needless name changes squander all of the name recognition that’s built up over the years. Even if this change was non-controversial, it’s a mistake.
You would think that a community garden would be non-controversial. Removing a donor’s name will almost always lead to backlash. I suspect people who have donated in the past to expand and improve the propertly may hold back their money now. After all, their generosity was extended to the Monk Botanical Gardens, not some other-named entity.
In general, I am opposed to charging admission to city and state parks. Parkland is held in public trust; it should be free and open to everyone. The Monk Gardens is somewhat different. It’s a private non-profit facility. While it is a community asset, it’s not owned by the city. My sense is that a $7 admission fee is steep to look at flowers and to tour a garden. I’m fully aware that as parks are used, they need to be maintained. I prefer the Lee Yawkey Woodson Art Museum model. There museum and its sculpture gardens are supported by a large endowment fund, and admission to the building and grounds are always free to the public. I make a voluntary donation when I visit. They hold other fundraising events, apply for grants, and charge facility rental fees for private events.
My advice to the now-named Wausau Botanical Gardens board is this: you are throwing away community goodwill each day that you stubbornly stick to an unpopular name change. Your other goals won’t be achieved if you’re mired in controversy. Apologize. Restore Robert Monk’s legacy. Change the name back immediately.
Chris Conley
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