So, some of the members (apparently not all) want to clarify how they feel about the Permanent Comprehensive Day Center. They feel the media didn’t report their full position.
Dear Tenney-Lapham Neighbors,
On Oct. 30, an article entitled “Tenney-Lapham neighborhood group opposes homeless shelter” was posted on madison.com. The article also appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal on Oct. 31.
As indicated in the article, TLNA Council unanimously endorsed the statement that went to our listserv, county supervisors and the media. That statement is repeated below this email.
The undersigned TLNA Council members feel that the article and its headline do not properly convey our intent when we voted in favor of the statement. The Council carefully crafted wording to convey our disenchantment with the County’s lack of process and lack of communication with the neighborhood. We purposely did not take a position on the day shelter itself, wanting only to highlight the County’s disregard of the neighborhood in hopes that the County Board would reassess when they vote on the proposed site purchase on Nov. 5.
The undersigned believe that the County should not vote to approve the purchase on Nov. 5, but should instead conduct the inclusive site selection process that they themselves designed. Whether or not the Messner property is the best site for a day shelter and resource center should be determined during a detailed, public evaluation of multiple sites, not in private negotiations on a single site with almost no opportunity for neighborhood input.
We also feel that the TLNA Steering Committee for the Messner site should be allowed to complete its work before the Council takes a position on the entire proposal, including its configuration, operations and impacts on the neighborhood. We regret that the newspaper did not ask for clarification on these matters.
Best Regards,
TLNA Council Members – Patrick Heck, Keith Wessel, Bob Klebba, Sarah Herrick, Marta Staple, Sue Babcock, Steve Wilke, Mary Beth Collins
** Note that this is not a communication from the full TLNA Council **
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STATEMENT:“The Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association Council met on October 27, 2015 and voted unanimously to oppose the County’s purchase of the Messner site for use as a permanent day shelter and resource center for the homeless.
The County’s failure to follow the comprehensive process outlined in 2015 Res-072 and the 2013 Homeless Issues Committee Report has left the neighborhood without the needed information to evaluate the appropriateness of this or any other site.”
