CHAMBER SUPPORTS COMMITTEE’S LONG RANGE DEVELOMENT PLAN by Jon Whitney

Members of the Thomson Chamber of Commerce voted last Thursday night to recommend adoption of the Village of Thomson’s capital development committee’s proposed long range village plan. The Village Board is expected to vote on accepting the five year plan during it’s November 10 board meeting, but committee chairman Art Donart said he believes there is some opposition to the plan. He did not specify the nature of the opposition.

Among a litany of items, the ambitious plan lists the possible purchase of the Thomson school building the development of a community center, construction of an $80,000 basketball pavilion and a $250,000 tornado shelter for Curley Park. Included in the plan is annexation of land for an industrial park, the construction of an 80,000 pound road and extension of the waste water treatment facilities. The plan also includes new playground equipment and fencing for the park by the library, lighting for the hardball diamond at Curley Park, bleachers for the hardball and softball diamonds, a fitness trail and an ice skating pond-hockey rink for winter use coupled with the basketball court for spring, summer and fall use.

The plan outlines a number of other items on the wish list as well as a timetable for implementation running through 2018. Part of the impetus to develop the plan is a state requirement that the village have such a plan to be eligible to apply for state grants.

Chamber members are encouraged to express their opinions on the proposal which will be posted on the Chamber’s website.

During the last board meeting, Donart said the plan hinges on securing state grant funding for the major proposals, adding “if the state will fund, we’ll go with it. I recommend asking for full funding. I’d suggest not being bashful, after all, it’s our tax money.”