Letter to the editor: The virtues of small city life
Recognizing the projects and people that make Marshfield unique
Dear editor,
Living in a small city clearly has distinct advantages that are often taken for granted, and rarely are its virtues extolled in meaningful media outlets. Our family has lived in Marshfield for 45 years, and only now have I felt compelled to speak out on its many intangible advantages.
Communication, news, rumors, etc., are always being conveyed throughout the community. People know one another and are aware of what’s going on in their city. City council news, minutes, and decisions are open to the public, and input is always welcome. The ease with which citizens of the community can get involved with important issues is unique and effective.
Looking back over the past four and a half decades, I have been well aware of the huge advantage the medical complex — Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph’s Hospital — has provided for incentives for growth and progress for others in the community.
However, this community is more than just the home of a thriving, reputable health care facility in central Wisconsin. One need only look at the community’s growth over the past 5-10 years and its plans for the near future to recognize the input of the many individuals who have been an integral part of this growth and progress: a new public library and community center, a unique bear pen exhibit at Wildwood Zoo that is the envy of all the zoos in Wisconsin, a new science building being constructed at the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus to complement the already stellar public education system that has been a hallmark of the community, plans for an animal shelter in north Wood County, and a major expansion of the city’s YMCA facility.
These additions did not just happen because the Marshfield Clinic is here, but rather it was and still is the input of the citizens, the business community, and special people who fueled these projects.
Many people are unaware of the commitment and support provided from within the community to make all this happen, and there are individuals and groups who have chosen to downplay their role in these projects. It seems appropriate that those people need to be recognized and lauded for their effort and contributions. A few names that quickly come to mind are the Roehl and Hamus families. However, obviously, there are many others in the community who, with their support and contributions, have made a major impact on the progress of this city and community.
So, for the record, it is time to pay homage to these special people who make Marshfield a unique place to live.
Joe Mazza
Marshfield
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