Ashwaubenon envisions tomorrow Daniel Iacofano of Moore, Iacofano and Goltsman, a planning consulting firm, facilitated Saturday's 'Visioning Workshop' at the Ashwaubenon Village Hall, 2155 Holmgren Way (photo by Tina Gohr). Residents offer their ideas about the village's future By Michelle Kennedy News-Chronicle ASHWAUBENON - While residential areas of Ashwaubenon resemble those of a sleepy, small town, attendees of a "Visioning Workshop" Saturday were quick to point out that the village's population can crest to more than 60,000 on any given workday. With help from planning consultant Daniel Iacofano, approximately 50 Ashwaubenon residents voiced their pride and concerns about the future of their village. The session marked the first phase in the creation of Ashwaubenon's "Smart Growth" plan. Iacofano opened with praise for the village's involvement with such developments as the renovation of Lambeau Field and the building of the Resch Center. "You have at your doorstep a major driver of change," he said. "These major, new investments would have huge impacts on cities like Chicago, so that's why we need to plan." Iacofano said he is impressed with the village's foundation. "What you've done so far is truly impressive," he said. "The quality of the business centers and neighborhoods is something that other communities in your position don't have." The discussion began with a look at the assets of the village. "I think a huge asset is our ability to change," Dick English said. "When Fort Howard, who was a major force in our economy for so long, pulled out, we decided that we couldn't live on them anymore. We adapted to that." The Fox riverfront is another asset residents are proud of. "Any town would love to have that to build and grow on," English said. The school system, parks, shopping centers, transportation opportunities from river to rail to highways were mentioned as large parts of the success of the village. The challenges residents see for the village are much broader in perspective. "I have lived in the community for so long, and talked with a lot of people," English said. "And things have changed rapidly. Seventy percent of our land is developed. One of our major resources has always been our land and we really have to look at that time when that last 30 percent is developed." English said the size of the police, fire and other service departments would have to increase proportionally. Ashwaubenon Historical Society President Mike Aubinger said a point to bear in mind was that while 18,000 people live in Ashwaubenon, more than 60,000 work in the village. "The fire, police, garbage - all of those services need to be maintained accordingly," he said. The question on Ken Bukowski's mind was: "How much growth is enough? "I mean, the 18,000 people who live here want some peace and quiet," he said. Another issue was maintaining the portions of the village that have grown, such as roads built with Tax Incremental Financing district money. Roads built with those funds will need to be maintained and the money will need to be found in other places. Larry Obermann advocated burying power lines to increase the aesthetic value of the village as well as looking into building more office space vertically, rather than continually building out. Creating inviting and safe areas for pedestrians, particularly with the amount of foot traffic expected for the Resch Center and Green Bay Packers attractions, was a favored issue. Residents would like to see better traffic flow, particularly on and around Oneida Street. Obermann said he would like to see the relocation of businesses to the Lombardi Avenue corridor so that pedestrians going to Lambeau and the Resch Center can walk and visit those businesses. When asked "What or where is the center of Ashwaubenon?" by Iacofano, the most common answer was "The mall" or "Nowhere." A "village green" idea was championed as a place where young people could go without having to spend money, where graduations and other ceremonies could be held, and where other activities could take place that would give the village a more community feel. An interconnected system of trails or paths was also suggested as a way to keep people connected to the community. "Getting people out is a tradition in many European countries," Iacofano said. "There are so many places for people to visit in Ashwaubenon, but they can generally only get to them safely by car. There might be ways to create those opportunities here."