County, city hear pitch for Apex funding

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 6, 2000

Dr.

Thursday, September 07, 2000

Dr. John Hagen believes the existence and community support of the Welcome Center will be key in "bringing Austin in for a soft landing" as the face of the community continues to change.

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In a presentation to both the Mower County Board of Commissioners and the Austin City Council on Tuesday, Hagen and other advocates of the Welcome Center told elected officials "the time is now" for financial support of the center. Bonnie Tangren, chairwoman of the Welcome Center board, asked for a commitment of $25,000 from each for the next five years.

They got the support of Second Ward council member Jeanne Poppe for sure.

"I think it’s a no-brainer," Poppe said. "It’s people helping people and a corporate sponsor stepping up to the plate, thank goodness. What we’re being asked for is little by comparison … I don’t think we need to twiddle our thumbs for long on this one – I think it should be supported and go on forever."

While no official votes were taken Tuesday, county officials told the Welcome Center envoys that they would make a decision before Sept. 15, when maximum tax levies are due. As for the city, although they didn’t vote specifically on the funding, the requested $25,000 already has been included in the city’s 2001 budget.

The most repeated criticism, and the most rebutted statement, was the question of duplicating services.

"Think of the Welcome Center as the hub of a wheel, the spokes we already have working in the community will go out from there," board member and Apex Austin executive committee member Pat Ray told the elected officials.

"It will be a place where people coming into the community – whether they’re from New York or Blooming Prairie – can come to find out where to go for a doctor or a Social Security card or whatever they need," Tangren said. "We will connect newcomers to resources, not replicate the services they provide."

George Thomas stressed the need for "vision" from the commissioners and the council.

"I’ve found Austin a welcoming place, and I’ve talked to other people of color who agree, but they also agree that we can do more," he said, referring to the problems that Rochester experienced with its changing population and asking that Austin be more proactive in facing its changing population. "I’m asking you to agree to a vision of Austin as an open, more welcoming, more accessible place. This center and what it grows to be will benefit us and our children."

The estimated budget of the center, which is set to open in the south wing of Reeve Chiropractic Center in October, is $140,000 a year. For this year already, the Hormel Foundation granted $100,000 in start-up monies and the United Way announced a grant of $25,000 two weeks ago.

Explaining that the center needs a diversified base of financial support to succeed, Ray said the organization has been waiting for the city and county to "step up to the plate" before looking for any further funding from the community.

"The time is now," Tangren said. "We have the resources we can match, we have the place, we have the face," she added, referring to the recent hire of a director for the center, Liliana Silvestry.