Public hearing to be held on plan to honor Rouman family

Unsure whether to honor the Rouman family by renaming Eisenhower Parkway or West Side Park, the Rhinelander Common Council voted Monday to hold a public hearing on Aug. 26 to gather community input.

The city also plans to conduct a survey to gauge public opinion.

During the public comment portion of the council’s June 24 meeting two residents suggested the city do something to honor the Rouman family following the untimely loss of George Rouman in a June 9 car accident and the death of patriarch Mike Rouman last August.

“We’ve suffered in our community a terrible loss. Completely and utterly unexpected was the death of George Rouman following the death of his father last year,” Rhinelander attorney Brian Bennett, a spokesperson for the campaign to rename Eisenhower Parkway, said. “And it really cannot be overstated the positive impact on our community the Rouman family has had. And a lot of folks have, as they oftentimes do when we have a sudden tragedy in our community, a desire to do something.”

“The short street (Eisenhower Parkway) is perfectly situated between the current Rouman Cinema and the former site of the Rouman Drive-in, both locations that have brought movie magic to countless Hodags,” a petition posted on change.org states.

For three generations and over 100 years, starting with a confectionary and the State Theatre, the Rouman family has been entertaining the community, Bennett noted.

At the time of his death, George Rouman was president of the Rouman Amusement Company, which operated Rouman Cinema and the Fun Factory Sweet Shoppe. He also operated a gelato business.

Bennett closed his June 24 remarks by urging the city to do something “audacious for the family, not something easy.”

“Running that theater and bringing joy to our town was not easy, we should reflect back to them the effort that they gave us,” he suggested. “So let’s not do something easy here, let’s make something good.”

Josh Wanty another speaker during the June 24 public comment period, offered an alternative. He suggested changing West Side Park to Rouman Memorial West Side Park. 

Having grown up on the west side with George and Patti Rouman, Wanty thought that location might be more fitting.

“It wouldn’t cost anything to any of the residents or businesses and (the Roumans) spent a lot of time down there,” Wanty said. “They were part of the west side community, they knew everyone there.”

The council was scheduled to discuss the idea on July 8 but that meeting had to be rescheduled to July 15 due to lack of a quorum.

Mayor Kris Hanus started Monday’s discussion by asking city attorney Steve Sorenson to outline the process for renaming a city street.

Sorenson explained that the city has the “absolute right” to change a street name and the process involves notification of all those affected, including any residents or business located along the street, the post office, the school district, other people that rely on addresses and information. After a public hearing is held to gather input, the council can take whatever action it deems appropriate, he added.

Hearing that, alderman David Holt spoke out in favor of renaming Eisenhower Parkway.

“I personally think that the Eisenhower Parkway option is the best,” he said. “Just renaming a park is a little too easy and seems a little bit trite. And the fact that there are no residences on Eisenhower Parkway is a really beneficial aspect of it.”

Alderman Steven Jopek said he didn’t have a strong feeling either way. 

His concern was ensuring the city explains the name change via a plaque or marking. As a high school history teacher, he said he believes it’s important for a historical record to be made.

“From a history perspective, I’d like to see the Rouman family immortalized in Rhinelander with some kind of plaque... something that tells the story so that people understand why it’s named that and why that’s significant to our city,” he said.

Alderperson Luke Kramer said he was leaning toward renaming the park.

“I do think West Side Park is the better idea. that would not require any resident or business change except for the actual west side sign,” he said. “We could do something very spectacular. And being that it’s an easier fix doesn’t mean that it’s cheaper or less. It just means that it could be the right decision.”

Alderperson Carrie Mikalauski, whose district includes the West Side Park neighborhood, said her constituents have reached out to her to express support for changing the name of the park.

“I’m not opposed to renaming Eisenhower Parkway but either way I think the park should probably be renamed,” she said.

The group also briefly discussed the concept of honorary street names. Jopek mentioned that the City of Merrill recently implemented honory street names as a way to remember local individuals who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. military.

Ultimately, the panel decided additional input is needed and scheduled the public hearing for Aug. 26 at City Hall.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].