A new teen center will come to Fitchburg but first, Dane County wants to hear what the youth wants in a public workshop.
On Monday, June 17, the City of Fitchburg, Dane County and the Latino Chamber of Commerce will host a public workshop to hear community feedback on what the youth wants for a newly planned teen center, which is slated to be completed in the next few years and aims to address the needs of Fitchburg’s growing youth population.
“There is a lack of services for young people in this community, particularly in the King James Bay area,” Fitchburg alder Joe Maldonado tells Madison365. “Part of this process is determining what youth want. It’s important that if we’re going to build a space, that it be informed by young people.”
Fitchburg has seen rapid growth, outpacing most of Wisconsin, with a 33.59% increase in population between 2013 and 2023.
Fitchburg’s mayor, Julia Arata-Fratta, has been calling for the need for the city to expand its public services amidst the population boom over the past decade. In February, Fitchburg officials released a report where respondents of a survey saw an overwhelming need to increase property tax to fund priority services in public safety.
The coming workshop for the planned Teen Center aims to be a continuation of addressing Fitchburg’s growing needs.
In the workshop, attendees will get the chance to voice what they want to see in the center. Dane County Extension will be there to help draw up ideas to help give people a look at the design process to show what they envision. Attendees of the workshop will get to voice what they want the center to look like, what features they want and what programming should be offered.
The public workshop will be held Monday, June 17, 5-7 p.m. at the Latino Chamber, 5262 Verona Rd. Registration is required to attend.
