Dwayne underscores the true opportunity for Winona and the Winona Community
regarding the Wilson Annexation discussion. The focus of these types
of discussions is not simply a business transaction between two parties.
Yes, there are complex legal, financial, and tax considerations that need to be
addressed. That is why we have experts in law, finance, and taxes; all
these areas are important. However, legal rights, financial return on
investment, and tax revenue implications are only a very small subset of the
items that need to be considered and discussed in an issue that impacts the
broader Winona Community to such a high degree.
The real opportunity here for civic and community leaders is to show that
complex discussions such as these can also be used to build a sense of community
and common vision within the Winona area. People value and are
concerned about the process by which these issues are decided just as much as
they are concerned about the eventual outcome.
The Great River Shakespeare Festival is an excellent example of how Winona
City Leaders showed great foresight in viewing this not simply as a
"contractual/business" relationship between the GRSF Company and the City of
Winona but also an opportunity to build community and create a vision for
Winona. Winona's leaders are to be commended for seeing the GRSF as this
type of opportunity and for involving so many members of the broader Winona area
in the planning and decision aspects of the GRSF.
The question at hand is whether Winona City Leaders can capitalize upon the
success of the GRSF and show the same type of foresight and community
involvement with issues that are acknowledged to be much more complex and
contentious. The type of leadership exhibited by our political leaders during
these types of discussions is what will make or break a sense of community.
The legal question of whether the City of Winona has the right to annex land
is a simple yes. If necessary the City Leaders can vote on this
and close the issue tomorrow and are not required to discuss or
consult on this issue with County Residents, County Leaders, or anyone else
in the Winona Community. This type of approach, however, would
obviously be foolish and would correctly be viewed as poor
leadership, irregardless of one's position on the
issue.
Please take a minute to compare this issue to another one we are all familiar
with and have deep feelings on. Whether Congress and the President
have the right to take the country to War without the consultation of other
global leaders? The quick answer is yes and that in times of great
national crisis (Dec 8, 1941, April 13, 1861) the President and
Congress can and have shown strong leadership by taking quick decisive
action in this area.
The question is whether Winona is in a community "growth crises" that
requires quick and decisive annexation action by our political
leaders? The clear answer is no. St. Charles is not going to
swoop in and annex the land if Winona does not take quick action. Wenonah
Canoe is not going to cancel their expansion plans if Winona does not take quick
action. In this case the City of Winona has time to discuss this
issue and to build a broad consensus and sense of community via discussions
how the broader Winona Community will manage growth. These discussions
should involve leaders and community members from the entire Winona area
including Rollingstone, Wilson, Stockton, and Lewiston.
The goal is not a public "vote" on the Wilson Annexation issue but a
democratic forum on the issues surrounding long term planned growth in an
area of natural scenic beauty.
Several things can be assured with this type of approach:
1) The process will take time. This is acceptable since there is
no "imminent growth threat" to Winona.
2) A lengthy discussion is probably unfair to Mr. Phillips who has been
patient and has done nothing wrong in presenting a business proposal to the
city. However, a consensus development decision will untimately likely
result in a better return on investment for Mr. Phillips by ensuring that future
community development has a broad level of support.
3) Any community forum is sure to result those who see this as an opportunity
to voice personal issues that are either uncalled for or simply not related
to the issue at hand (war in Iraq, etc). There is a time and a place to
voice all concerns but it will be up to community leaders to ensure that these
type of comments are held in check so that a sense of community and civility can
flourish.
Dave Derks
7045 Woodland Blvd
Minnesota City, MN 55959
507-453-0902
[Winona] Wilson Township Involves More Than City & Mr.
Phillips Dwayne Voegeli voegeli
at hbci.com
Sat Jul 17 10:56:36 CDT 2004
The population of the City of Winona and Winona County is basically flat.
We've had very little or no increases in population over the last 25 years.
Some would say that is a bad thing. Is it?
The issue of developing hundreds of acres in Wilson Township is then a
"want" and not a "need." That is one reason why the questions that two of
the Wilson Township Supervisors have asked of the City are very important.
If people were hanging out of the windows in Winona due to overcrowding,
then it would be a need and of course we would have to make room. But this
is not the case.
-----
The developer has a (very) short term monetary interest in the property and
has rights that need to be respected.
But all levels of local government have long term economic, environmental,
and social responsibilities in the community and those rights need to be
respected.
-----
Development used to viewed as a simple matter between two parties, a city
and land developer.
Today, planners and elected leaders have available to them new tools and
new ways of thinking about development issues.
Today we now have knowledge of how biology, economics, pollution, traffic,
and other issues all interconnect and overlap. The ten cent phrase for
that relationship is "systems thinking." We also have tools to measure,
map, and predict what will happen to the system that were not available
10-20-50 years ago.
Will we have the wisdom and humility to use these new tools and new ways of
thinking?
-----
The issue is NOT just between a developer, whose only purpose is to make
money in the short term and then move on, and the City, whose main purpose
is to grow just for growth's sake because growth has always assumed to be a
good thing. Especially focusing on growth that means large expensive homes
in newly acquired burbs. A process that usually means the City leaders
neglect the "old" city neighborhoods with their time, attention, and money.
(Again, is progress and growth the same thing? Could the city be improved
by renovating and investing in it's older neighborhoods and public
services? I believe that's referred to as "redevelopment.")
I believe that in addition to the property owner and the City; that Wilson
Township, the neighbors, and the County also have important concerns and a
right to be involved in the decision making process.
The Wilson Township issue isn't just a business agreement between the City
and Mr. Phillips. (By the way I respect Mr. Phillips. He has been very
helpful and professional. This is not about him, it's not personal, it's
about the project itself.)
Here are some other people and problems the proposed development in Wilson
Township affect:
-----
Short Version
1. Impacts on Farmers and Neighbors
2. Traffic Problems
3. Water Pollution
4. Future unintended consequences and problems
-----
Long Version
1. Impacts on Farmers and Neighbors:
Modern economics has shown that one of the strongest forces pushing farmers
off of their land is the arrival of subdivisions. Subdivisions literally
eat up farm land. According to the U.S. Census, we've lost 16 MILLION
acres of farm land and about 85,000 farmers over the last 5 years.
Subdivisions also have a bow wave affect by raising the property values of
surrounding farm land that causes their property taxes to rise. Many
believe that family owned farms are a bedrock of communities and democracy
itself. The neighbors who are not farmers also have legitimate concerns
and rights.
2. Traffic Problems:
At least twice every day I drive by lines painted on a road where a young
man was killed in a traffic accident. I want to be very respectful of that
tragedy and the family so I will not mention their name or the road. One
reason of many the fatal accident happened was that city and county road
design and construction can not keep up with new development growth. If
Wilson Township has between 150-200 more homes in it (not to mention Mr.
Marafie's 300-500 acres sitting right behind the Phillips property waiting
to be developed), you can bet the traffic on County Highway 17 will
increase. We've all driven through the traffic craziness around the Twin
Cities. That will happen here.
3. Water Pollution:
Modern science and planning have shown the tremendous impacts that the
impervious (solid) surfaces of roads, driveways, roof tops, parking lots,
and other buildings have on water pollution. If we fool around with the
hydrological cycle, we risk destroying a very important natural system.
Additionally, about 40-50% of septic systems in Minnesota are failing.
Southeast Minnesota is already called the "E-Coli Capital of Minnesota."
Who gets to pay to fix that? Taxpayers. That's why local and state
government needs to be involved. Even city water and sewer lines have
their own problems because they sometimes can not handle large loads of
waste water. Their treated water is discharged right into the once
beautiful Mississippi River. Sometimes that water is not able to be
treated at all. That is why the mouth of the Mississippi in the Gulf of
Mexico is a huge dead zone. I was in Milwaukee last month and the
headlines in the newspapers were talking about hundreds of BILLIONS of
gallons of raw sewage being discharged directly into the Great Lakes
because of rain storms.
4. Future Unintended Consequences and Problems:
Almost all of today's worst problems are human made, not "natural."
Most of tomorrow's problems are avoidable if people take responsibility for
the future consequences of their actions, think differently, and are
willing to make tough decisions today. Of course the easier and more
traditional method of dealing with tough issues is to ignore future
consequences and instead do it the way it's always been done and in a way
that benefits a few people the most in the present.
What do we want Winona County to look like in 10, 20, 30 years?
What is economically/environmentally important? In addition, what is
beautiful and what do we want our children to have and see? In addition,
can we keep on doing things the way we've been doing them for the last 50
years?
Those are future realities our decisions today will determine. We have
that power. We have that responsibility.
It makes decision making more complex, some would say "messy," but isn't it
important enough to do?
Individual fisherman don't intend to destroy the Northeast fish banks but
their actions taken together as a group are destroying that whole biosystem
so that it may not be able to recover (this situation is one example of
"The Tragedy of the Commons" concept).
No one developer intends to drive farmers off their land, pollute the
water, cause traffic problems, and eat up all the beautiful natural land
but their actions taken together as a group, taken over time, will have
those affects nonetheless.
-----
We have a systemic problem. We have outdated local government structures
dealing with modern problems that require us to think differently, plan
smarter, and work together.
The City of Winona has a land use plan whose main purpose is growth for
growth's sake. Concerns for farmers, water pollution, and traffic are also
mentioned but all those appeared trumped by the desire to grow.
The County has a Comprehensive Land Use Plan that has many goals in it but
the first one is to protect farmers, farmland, and the natural areas. The
goal is to preserve and protect for future generations.
Despite a stable population, the City appears to want to grow no matter
what, the County's plan seeks to preserve. A conflict exists. To add to
the mix, Wilson Township has it's own land use plan. At the very least,
the three need to talk and wisely plan for current and future problems. Jan
Turek's suggestions were great ones.
I also think we may need to reform and improve how local governments work
on development planning. Some areas around the country, including Olmsted
County--Rochester, have created joint city-county planning departments.
The City's planning process has strengths and weaknesses. The County's
planning process has strengths and weaknesses. Wilson Township's planning
process has strengths and weaknesses. If the three could at least talk, if
not combine their strengths resources, then better decisions could be made.
-----
At best I'm only an amateur or student in the fields of planning, biology,
engineering, and areas like that. I readily admit that.
I respect the work of people like Keith Nelson, Phil Carlson, Eric
Sorensen, Chuck Dillerud, and other professional like them. They know much
more than I do but no one knows everything.
My questions and concerns are not meant to question their experience or
knowledge.
I just worry that some are defining the problem too narrowly or may not be
open to others input.
I definitely do not claim to have all the answers. Heck, I have a lot of
questions.
But I also think this is a problem that is so big and affects so many
people, both now and in the future, that no 2-3 people in City Hall can
best solve it by themselves.
I think many people need to put their heads together, seek out lots of
public input, discuss and debate ideas in public, and then try to make the
best decision possible.
Yes, it may take time but isn't it more important to do it right rather
than rush it or take the more traditional easy route of ignoring the wider
and future consequences of todays land use problems?
What do others think?
Dwayne Voegeli
July 18, 2004
------------
Dwayne Voegeli
Winona County Commissioner, District #2
(507) 453-9012
voegeli at hbci.com
359 Pleasant Hill Dr.
Winona, MN 55987
------------
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