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Fond du Lac, Wis.
In an effort to revitalize Downtown Fond du Lac, drive consumerism and tourism and economic health, more than 150 members of the public met at the Windhover Center for the Arts and the Ramada Plaza Hotel on February 15-18, 2010 for a community immersion workshop. Through one-on-one interviews, focus groups and community forums, participants shared ideas for a new downtown Fond du Lac cultural arts district.
A cultural arts district would leverage existing downtown facilities, as well as create new arts, education and entertainment facilities in a central downtown location. Essential access points to the proposed cultural district include the North gateway as the main entrance to downtown located along Main Street between Johnson Street and Merrill Avenue; and the river walk encompassing the area adjacent to the Fond du Lac River and Hamilton Park including a recreational trail.
The four-day immersion workshop was hosted by Kevin Miller, executive director of the Fond du Lac Arts Council and Amy Hansen, director of the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership. Professional community development consultants have been engaged; team members include Schreiber Anderson Associates (SAA) of Madison, lead planning consultant; the North Group, Inc., a New York cultural arts firm; BEST Real Estate Group, Inc., Cottage Grove, Wis., a market analysis and real estate consultant; and Coalesce Inc., Appleton, a strategic marketing agency.
At the center of discussion was the redesigned Fond du Lac Downtown which will serve as the community “great room” as well as provide the city with business, job, and tourism growth.
Business owners, property owners, civic leaders, educators, members of local arts and culture groups, and citizens provided valuable input for the proposed districts. “Our goal is to leverage Fond du Lac’s existing assets and create new facilities for arts and entertainment to encourage and stimulate business development,” said Kevin Miller, arts council executive director. “This will help to drive tourism in the area.”
Proposed ideas included new, upscale restaurants, pubs, coffee houses, museums, gallery space, a venue for film festivals, an open-air amphitheater, specialty shops, better-marked parking and signage, university downtown classrooms, a community school for the arts and historically consistent facades and lighting for the district.
Results of the Community Immersion Workshop will be incorporated into a vision plan and shared with the public at a community vision forum scheduled for April 29, 2010 at Windhover Center for the Arts.
For More Information, Contact:
Kevin Miller – Arts Council Executive Director
kevin@windhovercenter.org
(920)-921-5410
 Resource As the going-green bandwagon overflows, here are a few organizations helping make your business, community and lifestyle a little more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is a national non-profit organization, providing a convenient and cost-effective way for restaurants, manufacturers, distributors and consumers to become more environmentally responsible.
The GRA website includes resources for restaurant owners and for restaurant product manufacturers and distributors to receive endorsement. It is also a resource for dinners who want to make enviromentally-friendly choices about their next restaurant meal. More Information…
The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) is a non profit membership organization with the goal of encouraging collaboration within the meetings industry to develop green standards that will improve the environmental performance of meetings and events on a global basis.
The GMIC has members in over twenty countries worldwide who lead change, challenging the status quo and striving to create a more sustainable world. The GMIC is a global community for sustainability education, research, policy and standards for the meeting, conference and event industry. More Information…
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay hosts an Environmental Management and Business Institute (EMBI) to promote environmental awareness and eco-friendly initiatives.
The EMBI strives to work with public- and private-sector partners throughout the New North region to make the region synonymous with sustainability and environmental leadership. Helping businesses develop opportunities to reduce their environmental impact while increasing profitability is good for business. Today’s public view has evolved to where good business is not only profitable, but is also recognized for good stewardship of the environment. More Information…
The Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (WGBA) is a non-profit educational organization that serves the entire state of Wisconsin and an affiliate of the US Green Building Council. We sponsor and participate in many events throughout the year, including various LEED workshops. We bring people together in a professional network focused on sustainability, and work to promote green business activity within our member network. Green Building is the way of the future, and we’d like to assist you in getting there! More Information…
 Education ongoing, online and around the state
The Wisconsin Entrepreneur’s Network (WEN) provides access to entrepreneurial resources and expertise to enable Wisconsin to be competitive in a global economic environment. In addition to their online resource center, WEN hosts an array of educational and networking opportunities. Below are just a few of the courses offered this month; check the calendar for upcoming events near you!
Hiring and Firing Employees - June 25, Kaukauna
Grant Writing Workshop – June 27, Wonewoc
Starting Your Own Business – July 1, Madison
Project Management Certificate – July 6, La Crosse
Social Media and Business Presence – July 8, Stevens Point
If you’re looking for even more localized resources for entrepreneurship, check out ORIGIN, the Oshkosh Regional Innovation and Growth Incubator Network; or the Green County Development Corporation (GCDC). Each organization has a host of entrepreneur resources and network opportunities through their websites.
Resource The National Trust for Historic Preservation – the parent organization of the Wisconsin and National Main Street programs – provides links to a number of funding resources for property restoration and nonprofits organization, as well as a guide to federal grants. Deadlines fall throughout the year so check their website for current opportunities. More Information…
ongoing, around the country
 The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) offers a number of conferences and workshops throughout the year that address the needs of industry professionals, business owners and entrepreneurs. As the national trade association for the wind industry, AWEA strives to create and deliver educational events that capture the energy of the rapidly expanding wind market and offer necessary opportunities for organizations to learn and network with fellow wind professionals. The revenue generated from AWEA events is used to promote and advance the wind industry through policy analysis and promotion, to ensure wind industry interests are addressed in renewable energy legislation, to communicate the benefits of wind energy to all.
Education ongoing, around the state
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association promotes renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable living through education and demonstration. As part of their mission, the offer a wide assortment of workshops on construction, design and various sources of renewable energy. More Information…
Resource Looking for ways to attract some local attention to downtown?
Wisconsin communities host a plethora of quirky, unique and, most of all, fun events. If you’re looking for event ideas for your community, check out these calendar sites:
Key Milwaukee / WiscOnline / TravelWisconsin
Resource June – October, Milwaukee WI
In a struggling economy, it’s hard to attract tourism with traditional (pricey!) events and activities. Walking tours of historic or unique downtowns are easy on local and out-of-town tourists’ pocketbooks, increase foot traffic downtown and showcase retail, restaurant and specialty businesses.
Milwaukee – for example – offers a wide variety of walking tours, including skywalk, mansion and twilight tours.
Resource The Wisconsin Department of Commerce has launched a website for the Office of Recovery and Reinvestment, the organization created to receive project ideas and coordinate stimulus fund dispersal across the state.
With passage of the federal stimulus bill projected to occur this week, the State of Wisconsin is working hard to make federal stimulus funds to create jobs for hardworking people. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act designates spending in over 130 different state and federal programs. The Office of Recovery and Reinvestment is working with communities, local governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to quickly put stimulus money to work here in our state. Visit recovery.wisconsin.gov to follow the latest developments on the stimulus package, understand how stimulus funds will be used in Wisconsin and submit projects to be considered for available funds.
Resource The Making Cities Livable movement aims to enhance the well-being of inhabitants of cities and towns, strengthen community, improve social and physical health and increase civic engagement by reshaping the built environment of our cities, suburbs and towns.
Making Cities Livable promotes balanced transportation planning that makes possible commuting via pedestrian networks, bicycle networks, traffic quietened streets and public transportation. The movement seeks to generate cities that are both ecologically sustainable (by reducing energy consumption, emphasizing infill and reconstruction rather than greenfield development), and socially sustainable, by promoting the individual’s social, mental and physical well-being and the community’s cultural, economic and social well-being.
The 2030 goals of the organization are:
- Rebuilding community by replacing sprawl with compact, human scale urban fabric
- Recognizing and combating the negative impact of our built environment on physical, social and mental health
- Adopting planning and urban design decisions that will make our cities more livable for children and the elderly
- Emphasizing ethical land use patterns to reduce extreme economic disparities
- Strengthening compact urban neighborhoods to maintain diversity of ethnic and cultural identity
- Building multifunctional town squares that, like the ancient Greek agora or medieval marketplace, are capable of regenerating civic engagement and democratic participation
More Information…
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