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To the editor:
Again, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all those individuals who have supported our family’s efforts to restore the Monk family name, in honor of my father, to the the gardens he so generously donated. It is my understanding a petition to this effect is being circulated, and the number of signatures now exceeds 5,000. Please know we are grateful.
Unfortunately, the current board and professional leadership is not getting the message. This morning I read a board response to our concerns from board member Vicky Richmond Hawkins. Her response begins her discourse by claiming the gardens “were not a gift of the Monk Family, or even supported by them at the time of the gift.”
She goes on to say that “Bob worked with us, a small group of volunteers, to make his dream of a botanical garden in Wausau a reality. He didn’t believe his kids would do that with the property he worked on.”
Ms. Hawkins blathers on by saying it was our intent to turn the property into condos. This is absolute nonsense. The “kids” spent countless hours helping Dad with the development of the property in furtherance of his dream. At no time was there any discussion about turning the property into a commercial endeavor. (Given the family owns all the land to the East of the gardens, there would be plenty of room for commercial expansion, were that our intent.)
Robert W. Monk IV
