WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The issue of a proposed renovation at North Central Health Care will once again be in the spotlight Saturday morning at a meeting of District 1 residents hosted by Wausau Alder Pat Peckham and Marathon County Supervisor Katie Rosenberg.
Rosenberg says her and Peckham aim to hold these listening sessions once every six months or so as a way to connect with the people they represent on a personal level. “We are both pretty on it when it comes to email and social media, but sometimes there is something to be said for having that conversation in person.”
She says it’s just as important to have those dialogs throughout the year, and not just when you are asking for the public’s vote in an election cycle. “It’s an opportunity for people to bring the issues to us, and for us to bring the issues to them.”
In addition to Rosenberg and Peckham, 85th Assembly District Representative Pat Snyder is scheduled to appear. Wausau Mayor Robert Mielke may also make a brief appearance early in the event.
Rosenberg says NCHC’s Michael Loy will also be on hand to hear the thoughts of those in the neighborhood and give a brief presentation on the plans as they stand right now. She expects that dialog will take up much of the air in the room for the duration of the event since she has been getting mixed messages from residents.
“[Some say] ‘we don’t like that the building is so close to the road and so close to our line of site. We’d really like it if you took the opportunity to rethink the position of the building.’ I’ve also heard from people who say ‘you know what, these programs a critical, I don’t care if you take up that whole green space.’”
She adds that the dialog is healthy because it moves the conversation towards finding a middle ground that can satisfy both sides. “This is the perfect opportunity for the county facilities team and project team to go back and look at what we can do to find a reasonable compromise or solution.”
Leaders with both the City of Wausau and Marathon county held discussions on the matter in the last week. Wausau’s Plan Commission passed the plan 5-2 on Wednesday with Mayor Mielke and Director of Public Works Eric Lindman providing the no votes because they’d like to get more information on how the project would impact traffic in the area.
RELATED: City of Wausau Holds Public Hearing on NCHC Expansion
Saturday’s event begins at 9 AM and is scheduled to run until noon.
