LIVING HERE
Lake Geneva has no department of human services.
Nothing. It has a personnel committee that is so distant and useless that it cannot function to compile its own information. It must hire very expensive ‘survey’ companies. Lake Geneva has no department of parks and recreation. It must depend upon a very busy public utility and street department to lend labor and equipment to keep the parks even in their current state of disrepair. Parks take specially educated and experienced employees to take care of. Regular utility workers are not set up to understand the diversity of biology, ground analysis, fertilizing, as well as service of complex playground equipment.
Lake Geneva does have a great core of terrific organization in its police and fire departments. Why not in those other areas? The park board is in the same nearly powerless state as the personnel committee. Where is the city administrator in all of this? He doesn’t answer his phone, at least not when our staff calls. He doesn’t return phone calls either, at least not back to us. How is the public supposed to know about and consider these areas of administration if the reporters can’t get any information? The front staff of the city operation in the municipal building are outstanding. He has to be credited with the continuance of that. But, come on! Even the small court system in the city is outstanding. What a fabulous judge, and helpful counter worker. Finally, why did this wonderful idyllic city build city buildings where the people inside all work behind protective glass and locked doors? What is it the city’s waiting for?
Many of the City of Lake Geneva’s sidewalks need to be replaced.
This subject has been brought up by many residents over and over again during public comments at city meetings throughout recent years. Many areas have deteriorated, are uneven or so broken that they have to be avoided or very carefully gone around. This is not easy for the elderly or pedestrians with disabilities using a wheelchair, walker, or cane. It really comes down to a serious safety issue. Even after all the comments and concerns brought forward by residents and city officials alike nothing has been done.
That was until last week’s public works committee meeting. The committee is discussing the possibility of a 50/50 cost-share program between residents and the City of Lake Geneva to help improve the sidewalks. The thought is that since the city only budgets a certain dollar amount dedicated to sidewalks that if the cost is shared with the residents across the property where the repairs and replacements need to be done. If a new policy is written the city would have to transfer funds to cover the additional costs, the committee would need to determine how much could be spent each year, who could do the repairs, and whether the city would offer a rebate up to a certain dollar amount to the property owners, and many more details. The committee voted to continue this conversation until the next meeting. This program has worked well in other communities and could be just the thing the City of Lake Geneva needs to get back on track with getting these much-needed repairs completed.
