So, a conservative (?!) on the county board is the one pushing to let the people stay at Token Creek.
Truth be told, I don’t want people to stay at Token Creek. It is isolated, allies and supporters don’t go there as often, people have lots of transportation issues, there is no water, etc etc etc.
However, I applaud County Board Supervisor David Wiganowski (a.k.a. Wiggie) for requesting an extension. He has a resolution asking for an extension for the group to stay at Token Creek until May 1. And its the only solution we have at the moment. There are no good answers. No legal place to go. None. Zip. Nada.
Of course, there are sure to be issues. The county board doesn’t decide, the Parks Commission does. And it is going to cost more money for the transportation.
Are there other options on county land?
– Lyckburg Park behind the Alliant Energy Center is in town and it would save the transportation costs – and would be better for the people living at Token Creek. And, Alliant Energy Center has a campground permit. And there are showers there.
– Lake Farm Park is pretty big – there must be some land there that won’t get ruined by the mud and melting snow. They could do a temporary fire pit and I”m sure we could figure something out about electricity and soon the showers there, too, could be opened.
– The nurses dorm on Lakeview Hill is just sitting there empty.
Anything you can think of?
Seriously, we’re desperate. There are no good answers. We’ve looked at so many pieces of property, had so many ideas (hundreds) and tried several things. We are out of ideas.
So, county board supervisor David Wiganowski might have the best idea at the moment. (Wow, did it pain me to say that!) 🙂
All joking aside, I do appreciate the efforts he and other conservatives have made to try to figure this out. The financial support they have shown, the water and other goods they dropped off, the night Ronn Ferrell and Mike Willett stayed overnight to learn more and the ideas Dennis OLoughlin had early on. Thanks for trying.
The only liberals I know who have come to camp are Dorothy Krause and Heidi Wegleitner. Others may have been out there, there have been a lot of gawkers driving by and I’m not there very much.
Finally – here’s the resolution:\
EXTENDING SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT AT TOKEN CREEK CAMPGROUND
In November, Dane County provided the Occupy Madison group a 90-day permit to camp at Token Creek Park. That permit is set to expire on February 17th. Although campers and organizers believed they would be able to access alternative housing by mid-February, these options have not yet been finalized. While there are other county parks that allow winter camping, it would be necessary for the Occupy Madison group to move every 2 weeks, per Dane County Parks rules.
Extending the special event permit to May 1st would allow the Occupy Madison group an additional two and a half months to make alternative arrangements for housing. While this will present a challenge for preparing this campground for the 2013 season, which typically begins in April, it will provide continued shelter for a number of individuals.
Dane County Department of Human Services has arranged for a van to transport those camping at Token Creek in to Madison in the morning and back to the park in the evening. If the special event permit is extended, the transportation will also need to be extended so that individuals are able to access services during the day.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Dane County Board of Supervisors requests Dane County Parks extend the special event permit granted to Occupy Madison for the encampment at Token Creek Park to May 1, 2013.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Services extend its contract with Porchlight to provide transportation to and from Token Creek Park until May 1, 2013.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that $4,000 be transferred from the General Fund to the Department of Human Services to cover the cost of transportation twice a day to and from Token Creek Park.
Curious to see if there is any support. Right now, I haven’t heard of any alternative proposals.
