Henes Park: The Next Century

Trails are named for great thinkers.

Now in its 110th year, Menominee's Henes Park, through the generosity of the family whose name it bears, will see an update.

Read the story here.

The late John and Jewel Henes, as thoughtful and as community-minded as any local couple could be, conceived a plan for a park building that takes the park well into the 21st century. The Heneses, along with people like Sara Lambrecht and Tom Kuber, are largely responsible for Menominee's gem of a preserved downtown with its 19th/early 20th century buildings and turrets.

No they didn't build it, but the Heneses and Lambrecht were tireless promotors of historic preservation. Kuber and his wife, Sandy, purchased many of the old buildings and preserved and maintained them for many years.

The iconic lifeguard stand.

The Heneses and their deep sense of pride in Menominee have contributed greatly to the quality of life there.

Now the park, located on Poplar Point, and given to the city by John Henes' grandfather in or before 1907, will get a new building, a lodge of sorts - not the kind with rooms to rent - with a kitchen and sanitary facilities that can accommodate large gatherings like family and high-school reunions.

What a wonderful idea! Menominee, consider yourselves lucky.

The park was designed by Ossian Cole Simonds, a Michigan native, who followed the landscape design ideals of the arguably more famous Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known as the designer of New York's Central Park.

Both men knew that parks serve a number of audiences, those who seek activity and those in search of quiet contemplation. That idea gets lost all too frequently when misguided individuals - often the more athletically inclined - think parks are meant only for frenetic activity.

The road along the shore.

Just meander the inner trails of Henes Park. Despite whatever is happening at the beach and volleyball court, here you will find the sound of woodpeckers and nuthatches, the rustle of leaves, the crisp crunch of twigs underfoot. The trails are named for philosophers, not athletes.

So it made a lot of sense to me to know that Mayor Jean Stegeman asked if such a building was what the public wanted. To destroy the park's tranquility would be disastrous.

But I don't think that is what John and Jewel Henes had in mind. Quiet, gracious individuals, they surely understood and appreciated the need for silence and pondering at Henes Park. Huge patrons of art and the arts, the Heneses likely wanted to bring more creative and educational opportunities to this verdant semi-peninsula north of town. Their legacy will be well served in the hands of their niece Joanna Lewis.

At any rate, Menominee should consider itself fortunate to have thoughtful donors like the Heneses and the anonymous individual responsible for spiffing up the Menominee lighthouse.

Fortunate indeed.

I’m adding this link because it does a wonderful job describing the public parks movement. A friend told me of an older woman railing against the Henes gift because it would take the park away from kids. Parks are for everyone!

The Second Time Around

Once again there is talk of cooperation and communication among area recreation departments and related entities.

It’s a good idea, especially with a community recreation center under construction in Marinette.

The last time the idea was proposed, in 2009, a discussion filled the council chambers in Marinette’s city hall. An area recreation oversight entity was proposed. And then nothing happened.

Maybe the time wasn’t right. Menominee was between city managers and Marinette had Bob Harbick in the mayor’s seat. Local school districts were under temporary leadership.

Fortunately, that’s no longer the case.

One of the goals of the current proposal is to avoid duplication of recreation programs. To do this requires understanding the mission, vision and values of every local organization involved in recreational programming. Councilwoman Dorothy Kowalski has already alluded to this challenge.

But it also requires participants to take a good look at the economic needs of area families, especially those with children. Cutting a duplicate program won’t always be a wise move if it robs one group of access: An eight-year old on the north side of Menominee, for example, won’t necessarily benefit from a program only offered on the south side of Marinette.

It will certainly be interesting to see how this nascent effort shakes out.

Using Kids to Promote Mining?

Reports indicate that Aquila Resouces, promoters of the controversial Back Forty open-pit sulfide mine, have taken their public relations campaign too far.

At a recent Stephenson High School football game, Aquila allegedly donated $1,000 to the gridiron program, complete with small keepsake footballs imprinted with the Aquila logo. These were then tossed into the crowd by young girls, some reportedly as young as kindergarten age.

A well-written letter from Tina Lesperance, an anti-mine activist, described the scenario in today’s EagleHerald.

The tactic she descrbed is wrong on so many levels.

I don’t care what the cause is, using kids to promote it is beyond the pale. To be fair, it should be noted that some anti-mine protestors have brought their children to demonstrations. I don’t like that either. The difference is that the children are with their parents and generally not being used as cute little gimmicks.

Aquila has repeatedly tried to buy support from the community by making donations to community causes and institutions. I’ve never felt comfortable with that, but it’s a public relations tactic used in by just about every for-profit organization in the country. It’s just especially distasteful when employed by a tobacco company, a war-profiteer - or a mining enterprise.

But using kids as part of the strategy?

No. Really disgusting. No ethical public relations practitioner would do that. It carries with it the notion that we are a bunch of rubes who will buy into a mine that gives away mini footballs. Moreover, no savvy PR person should deliberately insult the audience.

What we don’t know is whose idea it was to involve kids. If it was the school’s suggestion, wow, I’m glad I don’t have children in that district. It’s not only unethical, it’s downright immoral. I hope parents will bring their concerns to the school board.

I don’t expect Aquila to take the high road. But I expect more from a public school district. And you should, too.

Shirking their Duty

Sounds like the Menominee City Council meeting got a little heated last night. Read about it here.

A majority of the council refuses even to discuss the Back Forty Mine, much less take a stand on it, something every other major area municipal oversight board has done.

Only two council members - Frank Pohlmann and Steve Fifarek - plus Mayor Jean Stegeman have been vocal in their opposition to the open-pit sulfide mine, to be located not far from the Menominee River.

Opponents of the mine are understandably frustrated. They’ve been diligent and persistent in their protests.

By refusing to discuss the issue at a council meeting, the remaining six council reps are shirking their duty to constituents and the community. I’m disappointed, especially in Bill Plemel.

Another Road Work Challenge for Local Drivers

We've had our share in the past 20 years: The Interstate Bridge, Marinette Avenue, Hall Avenue, Tenth Street in Menominee and countless smaller projects.

This year, the projects have been smaller in scope, but no less annoying to some drivers: The Hattie Street Bridge, 14th Avenue in Menominee, 10the Avenue in Menominee, and now Marinette Ave/US 41/Highway64 in Marinette.

Wouldn't it be terrific if both states, both cities and the railroad would coordinate their efforts?

No Great Loss to Green Bay

I no longer read the local paper daily because the errors and inconsistencies irritate me, but I do buy one at least once a week when I want to read something behind the paper's paywall.

Equally irritating in Tuesday's paper were a letter and a Sound Off from people pledging to abandon their support of the Green Bay Packers. (No great loss to the team, I suspect.)

Both former fans profess to be from military families. They don't like arm linking and they don't like knee taking. They want players to salute the flag.

No matter where you stand in this controversy, swearing off the team seems silly and dramatic.

I'm not much of a professional football fan myself, but abandoning support for the local team just seems like an overreaction. Most of us disagree with loved ones from time to time but it rarely leads to estrangement in normal, healthy people.

Clearly there are more important things to focus on, like mass shootings, natural disasters, racial/gender equality and possible collusion with foreign enemies.

Get a grip, former Packers fans.

More Bad News for Wisconsin's Quality of Life

The Wisconsin Idea may be on its way to becoming a mere fleeting notion.

The state has always taken great pride in its belief that the boundaries of its world-class university are "the boundaries of the state." In other words, the UW system extends beyond campus to small towns and rural outposts.

That is why Wisconsin counties have UW Extension offices which employ experts to help with agriculture, food, family life, economic and community development and a whole raft of other areas.

Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, never graduated from college and doesn't place too high a premium on education of any kind. He's tried to trash the Wisconsin Idea in the past.

Now it's under threat again, albeit in a sneakier fashion. The UW Extension will be restructured because of the governor's budget. Read more In the EagleHerald.

Expect Walker's toadies to defend it. They don't care much for education either: Because the smarter the electorate, the greater the chance the toadies - and the dimwit governor - will be thrown out of office.

 I don't know one single informed person who likes Scott Walker.