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UW Extension introduces new ag educator Tawonga Zakeyu and previews Draper survey findings
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Summary
At a Sawyer County committee meeting UW Extension introduced new agriculture educator Tawonga Zakeyu and summarized a Draper community survey that fell short of its 500-response goal and highlighted strengths (Northwoods character, safety) and concerns (roads, internet, drinking water).
Laurie, a University of Wisconsin Extension representative, introduced new Sawyer County agriculture educator Tawonga Zakeyu and presented early results from a Town of Draper community needs assessment during the county economic development committee meeting. "My name is Tawonga Zakeyu," Zakeyu said, describing her agronomy training in Malawi and postgraduate work in global food security and nutrition.
The extension presenter said the Draper survey targeted about 500 responses but has so far collected roughly half that number, limiting the depth of analysis. The presenter described extension’s role — questionnaire design, administration in Qualtrics and analysis — and said the product provides a preliminary snapshot to support early planning discussions and grant applications.
Survey respondents named Draper’s quiet Northwoods character, outdoor recreation, lakes and sense of safety as chief strengths. The survey flagged infrastructure and service gaps as top concerns: road conditions (potholes and washouts), inadequate internet access, and drinking-water quality for older residents and families. Respondents also expressed concerns about property taxes relative to services and asked for clearer communication from town government, favoring website updates and email newsletters over social media.
Laurie and the presenter said extension can provide comparisons to prior work (including a Spider Lake survey) and that Round Lake requests were paused while the community organizes. The extension team recommended communities form local committees to help with outreach if they want a more complete response rate or to use survey results in comprehensive planning.
What happens next: extension offered to pull prior evaluations and provide additional data to the committee on request. No formal committee action on the survey or staffing was recorded; the meeting moved to other agenda items after the presentation.
