Northside participates in neighborhood center conversation hosted by city

Nearly 40 people attended an open discussion on the importance [1]and impact of community centers at the Lakeview public library March 8. City of Madison Neighborhood Services Coordinator Lorri Wendorf-Corrigan led the conversation by  posing open-ended questions to community members.

North Madison residents responded to questions regarding the purpose of a community center and what it should  provide to residents in their neighborhood. Over the course of an hour, members of the community voiced their thoughts and opinions while Wendorf-Corrigan recorded each comment. 

“They should help with resume making, and provide programs that help with job services and assistance,” one resident said of community centers.

Other community members expressed a need for assistance to certain groups in the neighborhood, like children and young men.

“There should be services for young men, eighteen to twenty-five,” another resident said, as many around her nodded in agreement. 

After compiling a list of different attributes, definitions, and goals of a community center, people were encouraged to select three issues they thought were most important.  

Residents demonstrated the evening's theme, neighbor relationships, as they gathered around and conversed about what should be at the forefront of the community center services.

“If you don’t know the other people around you, and if something happens to you or your child, you don’t have anyone to reach out to, a community center supports relationships,” one woman said.

Meetings for the East, West, Central, and South neighborhoods will be held throughout March. For more information, head to www.cityofmadison.com/communityservices [2].