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PART II
PLAN ELEMENTS
Note
Unless otherwise noted, data
source is the 2000 US Census.
ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Introduction
The purpose of this section is to present the
existing population, housing, agricultural, and economic conditions
that help define the Town of Spring Brook. In addition, projections
of future population and housing demands have been created. General
trends in the agricultural community are also discussed. Understanding
these factors is the first step in developing the land use plan for
the Town of Spring Brook.
Brief history of current land use planning
endeavors
The Town of Spring Brook approved its comprehensive
land use planning initiative at the Dec. 9, 2002 board meeting. This
action was undertaken in response to the passage of the Comprehensive
Planning Law, 66.1001, by the Wisconsin legislature and the availability of cost sharing funds to support the
planning efforts prescribed by that legislation. After several public meetings, the Town Board
chairman selected a plan commission and that commission was sworn in
and had its first meeting on Dec. 16, 2002. Since that
time, the Spring Brook Plan Commission has had an open monthly meeting
on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM at the Town Hall in Spring Brook. The
plan commission meetings are posted in several locations (e.g. at the
town hall) and in the Dunn County Reminder and Dunn County News newspapers.
The plan commission has sought community input through several
other forums including visioning sessions on March 22 and April 12, 2003, an open house on Sept. 11, 2003 and a Citizens opinion survey sent out in the spring
of 2003. Response on the survey
was particularly good with 419 surveys returned.
Basic Objectives
- Document public participation
- Identify key issues
and opportunities that the plan revolves around
- Research selected trends
in the local economy and demographics
- Generate population
projections
Key survey results
The citizen opinion survey and the entire survey analysis
are in Appendix B.
Key issues and opportunities, including
possible conflicts
Population growth and conversion of farmland
to residential or other commercial use appears to be the most significant
source of conflict identified in the survey by this commission. Balancing the rights of current owners to use
commercially, or profit from the sale of their property while not adversely
affecting remaining residents and owners with the subsequent development
is the conflict the commission will need to focus its recommendations
on.
EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS
Township Employment Characteristics and
Projections
See
Economic development / Local Employers
EDUCATION CHARACTERISTICS
School Enrollment
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Town of Spring brook
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Dunn County
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Subject
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Number
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Percent
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Number
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Percent
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|
Population 3 years & Over in school
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388
|
100.0
|
14,115
|
100.0
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|
Nursery school, preschool
|
22
|
5.7
|
543
|
3.8
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|
Kindergarten
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18
|
4.6
|
496
|
3.5
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|
Elementary (grades 1-8)
|
183
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47.2
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4,261
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30.2
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High school (9-12)
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109
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28.1
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2,358
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16.7
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College or graduate school
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56
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14.4
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6,457
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45.7
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Educational Attainment
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Town of Spring Brook
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Dunn County
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Subject
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Number
|
Percent
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Number
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Percent
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Population 25 years & over
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835
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100.0
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22,644
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100.0
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Less than 9th grade
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18
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2.2
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1,161
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5.1
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9-12, no diploma
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58
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6.9
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1,862
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8.2
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High school graduate (includes equivalency)
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339
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40.6
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8,353
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36.9
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Some college, no degree
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191
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22.9
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4,621
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20.4
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Associate degree
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86
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10.3
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1,875
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8.3
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Bachelor’s degree
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94
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11.3
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3,120
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13.8
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Graduate or professional degree
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49
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5.9
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1,652
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7.3
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High school graduate or higher
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90.9
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86.6
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Bachelor’s degree or higher
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17.1
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21.1
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POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
Population change is the primary component in tracking
a community’s growth and in predicting future trends and needs. Change
in population affects all aspects of a community: recreation, transportation, agriculture, housing
needs, and all community services. In
2000 the Town of Spring Brook had 223 single, 687 married, 75 divorced,
and 28 widowed people.
Population
profiles
Gender and Age
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Town of Spring Brook 1990
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Town of Spring Brook 2000
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Dunn County
2000
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Total Population
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1,297
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1,320
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39,858
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Subject
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Number
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Percent
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Number
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Percent
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Male
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671
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51.7
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692
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52.4
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20,094
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50.4
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Female
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626
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48.3
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628
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47.6
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19,764
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49.6
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Under age 5
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113
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8.7
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76
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5.8
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2,285
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5.7
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5-9 years
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116
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8.9
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90
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6.8
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2,415
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6.1
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10-14 years
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100
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7.7
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124
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9.4
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2,844
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7.1
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15-19 years
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69
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5.3
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120
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9.1
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4,175
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10.5
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20-24 years
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96
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7.4
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55
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4.2
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5,496
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13.8
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25-34 years
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216
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16.7
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168
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12.7
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4,817
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12.1
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35-44 years
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189
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14.6
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227
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17.2
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5,444
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13.7
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45-54 years
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129
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9.9
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226
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17.1
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4,988
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12.5
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55-59 years
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48
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3.7
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60
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4.1
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1,689
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4.2
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60-64 years
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45
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3.5
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44
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3.3
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1,230
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3.1
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65-74 years
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89
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6.9
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87
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6.6
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2,231
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5.6
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75-84 years
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68
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5.2
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38
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2.9
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1,569
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3.9
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85 years & older
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19
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1.5
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5
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0.4
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675
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1.7
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Median age
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36.2
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30.6
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There were 1,320 residents in the town of Spring Brook
with the distribution listed in Gender
and Age. The township population has slightly more men than women,
while the county is more evenly split. By age, the township and county
seem to be distributed the same.
Age (2000 Census)
The Town of Spring Brook had a median age of 36.2 years
in 2000. The Dunn County median age was 30.6 years in 2000. Dunn county’s population distribution is partly
influenced by the presence of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, which introduces a significant number of people ages
18 to 25 to the distribution. Similarly,
the loss of college-aged persons is evident in Spring Brook’s population
distribution.
In 2000 Spring Brook had 234 people 55 or older (17.7%). Dunn County, as a whole, had 7394 persons aged 55 and older (18.6%).
The ages of the population may have an impact on the services
provided by the Township.
Minority Population in Dunn County
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1980
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1990
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2000
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Black
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175
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175
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135
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American Indian
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190
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195
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107
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Asian
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125
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640
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849
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Hispanic
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175
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105
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335
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Other
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110
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180
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148
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Two or More Races
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320
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Minorities (U.S. Census, 2000)
The town of Spring Brook has a very small minority population
(1.1%) that has grown more slowly than the minority populations of Menomonie City
or of Dunn County. Over the past ten years the minority
population in Dunn County has increased from three to four per cent. The state has a minority population
of 11%, and the nation has a minority population of 24.9%. The largest segment of the Dunn County minority population is the Asian community, while Spring
Brook’s small minority population is primarily Hispanic.
Historical Population Counts
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1950
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1960
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1970
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1980
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1990
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2000
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1,174
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1,169
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1,168
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1,293
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1,293
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1,320
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Source: West central
regional Planning
Population Changes
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Selected Townships
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2000 Population
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Density/square mile
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Town of Menomonie
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3174
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76
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Tainter
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2116
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64
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Red Cedar
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1492
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41
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Dunn
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1367
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24
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Rock Creek
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793
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26
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Elk Mound
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1121
|
33
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Sherman
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748
|
21
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Spring Brook
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1320
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22
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Tiffany
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633
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21
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Colfax
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909
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27
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Weston
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630
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15
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Grant
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426
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12
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Peru
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247
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13
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Otter Creek
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474
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13
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Dunn County
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39858
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46.8
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Dunn County Population
Density Graphic
Population Trends
The town of Spring Brook is the 6th most
populous political entity in Dunn County, representing 3.3% of the county’s population. According to the 2000 Census, there are 1320
people living in the town of Spring Brook.
Since 1970, the population in our town has grown more slowly
than the population of Dunn County (13% increase in 30 years, vs 37.5% for the
county as a whole). Dunn county
growth characteristics are dominated by the largest population center--the
city of Menomonie--and population upturns of Menomonie’s
nearest lying neighbors. In the
year 2000 the population forecast for 2015 for Spring Brook was 1492,
an increase of 13%--though the forecast misses the actual population
for 2000 by 61 (1320 actual, 1381 predicted).
Based on trends in townships between Spring Brook and the city
of Menomonie, Spring Brook could be challenged by a wave of development
and corresponding population growth originating in the city of Menomonie. This development
has resulted in population growth discontinuities in Dunn Township and Red Cedar Township between 1999 and 2000. The Town
of Spring Brook has a population density of 21.7 people per square mile,
compared with an average for Dunn County of
46.8 people per square mile.
Population Projections
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2000
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2010
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2020
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1,396
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1,514
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1,643
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Source:
West Central regional Planning
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2000
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2005
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2010
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2015
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1,381
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1,427
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1,458
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1,492
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Source:
State of Wisconsin
Population projections from both, West Regional Planning
and the State of Wisconsin,
were made back in 1990. Comparing those projections to actual 2000 data
indicates that the population is increasing but, at a slightly lower
rate than was originally projected.
Population &
Growth
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Population Growth, U.S. Census Data
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|
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1970
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1980
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1990
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2000
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2015*
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|
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28991
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34314
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35909
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39858
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42007
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18.4
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4.6
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11.0
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5.4*
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Spring Brook
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1168
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1293
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1293
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1320
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1492
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10.7
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0
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2.1
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13.0*
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Summary
Assuming that there are no major changes, the data indicates
that the Town of Spring Brook will continue to grow at a rate slower
than that of the county as a whole.
Growth around the city of Menomonie, as well as Eau Claire and the Twin Cities Metropolitan area, could change
the growth pattern of Spring Brook, but that is speculative, rather
than based on past growth patterns of the township.
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