Common Council Envisions Warsaw’s Future
Members of the Warsaw Common Council, clerk-treasurer and mayor Monday, Jan. 4, front, from left, are Lynne Christiansen, clerk-treasurer; Diane Quance, District 5; Ron Shoemaker, District 2; Cindy Dobbins, at large. Standing in back are Mike Klondaris, District 3; Jeff Grose, District 1; Jack Wilhite, at large; Jerry Frush, District 4; and Mayor Joe Thallemer. (Photos by Deb Patterson)
WARSAW — Yesterday evening, Monday, Feb. 1, members of the Warsaw Common Council met for the second part of a series of discussions surrounding the city’s strategic plan, which was last revised April 19, 2012. The meeting focused on establishing basic goals and objectives for the city for the next four years.
Led by Warsaw City Planner Jeremy Skinner and Assistant City Planner Tim Dombrosky, the two-hour meeting began with a discussion on business attraction, retention and expansion. Skinner noted though the city has done a lot of work in creating surveys to examine parking and other needs for businesses in the downtown area, this has not been done for areas outside the downtown.
In addition, the council took a moment to assess the balance in attracting industrial, commercial and residential sectors.
“It is just as important to have a strong commercial base as it is to have have a strong industrial and residential base. You really have to look at everything with a broad picture and identify those target areas that you are trying to improve,” Skinner said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer noted he believed focusing first on creating industrial expansion, which would create jobs in the area, would lead interested commercial and residential parties to follow.
Skinner noted that, though that model has been effective in the past and continues to be effective for certain demographics, new studies are indicating those in their 20s to 30s, the age group known as Millennials, are choosing where to live based on quality of life instead of potential jobs in the area. The council noted attention to continuing initiatives that target those seeking amenities and “quality of life” could be included on the new plan.
“Industry. Commercial. Residential. If you think back 50 years, that was typically how it worked. If you have the industry you will have commercial and residential follow. What you are seeing nowadays is, frankly, quite the opposite. Younger generations are saying, ‘I just want a good place to live.’ They are looking for commercial … quality of life … amenities and stuff to do. These are all important. You can’t have one without the other,” said Skinner.
The council briefly touched on parking and the downtown streetscape. Though Skinner noted the specifics of what the council would like to see could be expanded upon at a later time, he asked council members to take a moment to envision what they would want the streetscape to look like in the downtown. A few areas the council noted for improvement would be handicap accessibility, investigating new trees that were more manageable and adding artwork through the streets.
Branding and marketing were deemed as one of the biggest areas of improvement the city could focus on in the coming years. Thallemer noted the city’s website and phone app (GoWarsaw) do offer venues to put out information, however people still need to be drawn in to read the information posted there. Skinner noted the age of the newspaper was dying, leaving those looking to put out information to seek to do it on a digital front.
One avenue for growth Thallemer and council members noted would be increasing the city’s social media presence. Branding the city and creating an advertising campaign that set Warsaw apart was also discussed. Dombrosky asked the council to consider what they want to come to mind for those moving to or visiting the city when thinking of Warsaw.
