By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
When a planned Women’s Resource Center shelter in Burlington hit a brick wall this fall, WRC Executive Director Cherie Griffin tried to remain positive.
“I think Women’s Resource Center really believed the site we had chosen was a good site for us,” said Griffin Tuesday of the planned site across from Cooper Elementary School. “We believed in our mission and being able to further that mission in Burlington.”
Parental community pressure against using the multi-family dwelling on Amanda Street forced the WRC to take a step back and find someplace new.
On Monday, the Racine County Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee will hold a public hearing to consider the WRC using the site most recently known as Dover School for the planned shelter and resource center.
The property, at 23303 Church Road, is owned by the adjacent St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Dover, and served as the parish grade school before being leased to the Burlington Area School District and used as Dover Elementary School. The district closed Dover School in 2010 as a money-saving measure.
The WRC is seeking a conditional use permit to operate the shelter in the former school. That request will be the subject of a public hearing on Monday before the Racine County Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the county’s Ives Grove office complex.
Griffin said the WRC kept options open after the Amanda Street site fell through. However, she expressed disappointment in not being able to make the Amanda Street property work out.
“I was disappointed that we couldn’t see that property to fruition,” she said. “There was never a second where we felt we were abandoning this cause altogether.”
Having to abandon that site did cost the organization money as well as time.
“It cost us staff time, and board time,” she added. Griffin also said that organization was committed to using volunteer dollars and resources to their best effect.
The new property being explored has its own appeal, she explained.
“We like it,” Griffin said. “This is a restoration of a property. It gives us an opportunity to be good neighbors and good community partners.”
Griffin also added that the property is very peaceful and has a history of being used to better the community.
“It’s had children (with)in its wall,” Griffin said.
As of now, Griffin also hasn’t heard objections to using the former Dover School site.
“I’m hoping it’s going to stay that way,” she said. “We are responsible, as an organization, we are responsible to do good and peaceful things.
“Women’s Resource Center would never put itself in a position to do something that’s non-peaceful or dangerous for our county or our communities.”
Griffin was also grateful that, throughout the process in Burlington, people were open to the idea – if not the site.
“We have gained new friends in this process,” she said. “We have opened people’s eyes to domestic violence.”
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