SURPRISING STUFF
What about affordable housing?
The former mayor of Lake Geneva, whom the staff of the Geneva Shore Report did not support for mayor in his second run, was a big proponent and supporter of bringing affordable house to Lake Geneva. Even people who earn six figures can’t afford to live in Lake Geneva anymore. Is that what the current residents, owners and businesspeople want for the growing image of Lake Geneva? Only the wealthy are going to actually take up residence here or come and play? The wealthy are not always the nicest most in touch individuals in the culture, one may have noticed. You think the owners of Tesla, Amazon, Facebook, and more are regular people you want to hang around or even be around?
Think again.
The GSR is going retro and seeking out the former mayor to try to figure out how to work affordable housing back onto the city’s agendas. Currently, Mayor Mayor appears to be ‘frozen in place’ when it comes to making any decisions about almost anything, assisted by her Sancho Panza (which one is the donkey, again?) befuddled companion Joanie Yunker (alderperson of no note). There are other mediocre restaurants around the area but none more than her very own, although the rhetoric she spews forth from that place is almost worth going in to listen to in spite of the overpriced underperforming food. She allegedly is rumored to have a list of people she hates and carries on about. Go in and get yourself on that list, and you can be talked about too…but only order a cup of coffee in the place, or something made using well-boiled water.
Hillmoor Ad Hoc Committee members, and their vision for the property.
Small town charm, scenic beauty, and enhances quality of life, that’s what the Hillmoor property is to provide. The ad hoc committee believes Hillmoor is a cherished place, where people can connect with nature, themselves, and each other. The committee has received approximately forty-five different ideas for the property and have discussed each idea thoroughly. The ideas range from a nature park, developed hiking and biking trails, a community space including a community building and green space, the YMCA, a golf course, a parking lot, and or a combination of two or more.
The Hillmoor ad hoc committee has been meeting every two weeks since February. Mike Kajourvic spoke for the committee and shared its vision for the property. The property was purchased by the city in September of last year and the council approved an initial trail project in April of this year, and the property still sits inaccessible to the community. The goal is to come up with a plan that is well thought out and broadly supported by the community. The property has deed restrictions, and its main purpose is to provide space for the public. The committee wants to come up with a plan that is fair, thoughtful, consistent, and strategic. The primary customer is the resident, and the secondary is the visitors to the city. The committee believes that years from now the speed in which the property was planned and executed will not be an issue, but instead the thoughts and feelings will be wow, the city got this right. Some locals are getting frustrated at the lack of a plan and the lack of any speed, a lot of talk and no plan of action.
Ongoing public input is necessary as the public is who inevitably will be paying for the property and whatever goes on it. The committee thinks it will be possible to apply for grants and other creative funding sources to help offset any project that is approved. That means the project must be broadly supported. Public comments included several residents who shared their thoughts on the Hillmoor property and their opposition regarding the potential of the YMCA relocating on it. The reasoning behind this opposition has a lot to do with the traffic on HWY 50 and the traffic nightmare this would cause and the belief that the YMCA lacks specialness and the Hillmoor property needs something special.
The committee has spent its time collecting ideas, researching those ideas, site planning, talking with other communities which have developed a similar space. The council seems to believe the committee has spent its time wisely and appreciate their work. The frustrated public agrees but are anxious to see something done with their six-million-dollar purchase.
