|
|
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
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
Madison, WI ▪ April 14-15, 2010
It’s the Economy Stupid!
| |
- Keynote Speakers
- Rogier V. Kamerling, PhD. (Economist, M&I Capital Markets)
- Scott Walker (Milwaukee County Executive; Candidate for Wisconsin Governorship)
- General Sessions
- Planes, Trains and Automobiles – How Transportation Will Effect the Future of Retail Development
- The Newlywed Game
- Moving Ahead in Today’s Economy – How Industry Leaders are Adapting to Succeed in the New Economic Reality
- Roundtable Discussions
Three 15-minute sessions, repeating to allow participation in multiple discussions. See the program for a complete list of topics.Link is below
http://www.icsc.org/srch/mt/descs/2010WI/2010WI.pdf
- Deal Making
Your chance to network and conduct business with retailers, brokers, developers, owners, lenders, suppliers and city, municipality and economic development agencies from across the region. See the program for a Deal Making Table/Booth Request form.
- Plus Member-Sponsored Reception and Next Gen Social Hour
|
|
WDAC again collaborates to offer downtown webinars
In its second season, the webinar series called Revitalizing Wisconsin’s Downtowns provide downtowns with sound advice, local dialogue and peer-learning.
Local leaders, downtown directors and local economic development professionals (and anyone interested in your downtown) have an opportunity to contribute to supporting your downtown district. State and national experts present information relevant to the topics and are available to address questions.
You and your community can easily be part of these quarterly sessions.
Topics & Dates: (Thursdays noon until 1:30pm)
March 11: Shopping Downtown and the “Deliberate Consumer”
May 13: Living Downtown
September 9: Working Downtown
November 11: Entertainment Downtown
You can access these webinars from home or business with the appropriate computer and phone setup, the full value of the program is achieved when everyone participates from a regional host site where you can learn from and interact with your peers and share in the local dialogue.
In most cases, local sponsorships are used to help defray or reduce the cost of participating in these programs. For more information and to register contact the appropriate UW-Extension host in your area.
Check out: http://lgc.uwex.edu/downtowns/
Revitalizing Wisconsin’s Downtowns is a collaborative effort among Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, Wisconsin Main Street Program and University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Kaid Benfield
Director, Smart Growth Program, Washington, DC
It’s been terrific to observe and report on America’s great downtown comebacks, quite clearly a trend at this point. The latest set of facts I have run across concerns Milwaukee, courtesy of the very well-written blog Urban Engagement Webcity.
The story cites progressive zoning changes that dramatically boosted downtown housing and the removal of a downtown freeway segment that opened up land for walkable development, both attributed to the leadership of former mayor John Norquist.
Read the entire post
 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 Energy Center University offers and array of training and education opportunities listed on their calendar. Some current opportunities include:
- Daylighting: Lighting Every Building Using the Sky – Architects, lighting professionals, interior designers, building design professionals, engineers and anyone interested in learning about daylighting is invited to take advantage of this streaming webinar.
- Building Systems: Commissioning and Retro-commissioning – Commissioning and/or retro-commissioning of buildings is a cost-effective means of improving their energy efficiency and ensuring their safe and efficient operation over time. Learn about systematic processes for documenting building operation and system interactions and how to determine whether an existing building is a good candidate for retro-commissioning. Workshops to be held September 22 in Madison, WI and September 23 in Chicago, IL.
- Commercial Solar Thermal Design and Installation – Workshop to be held September 22 in Delafield, WI.
- Other program topics include: daylighting/lighting, demand control, energy efficiency, energy modeling, geothermal, HVAC, motor systems, power quality, sustainable design, water efficiency
Programs focus on green building and are held around the state and online throughout the year. See the Energy Center University calendar for more information and to find trainings near you!
 In the News June 15 – Reuters
Mayors Say Cities Need Direct Economic Help
While federal spending is never universally popular, it is exactly what is needed, according to America’s mayors. At the annual meeting of US Mayors last June, many rallied behind the position that federal aid needed to be channeled directly to struggling municipalities, so as not to be lost in the bureaucracy of the state budget process.
In the News June 10 – New York Times
To Your Left, a Better Way of Life?
Rethinking priorities means rethinking lifestyles – is there a better way to make housing options fit the new-found American desire for affordable, green and socially responsible (as well as sociable) living? Co-housing is one suggested alternative to the typical suburban housing structure and such communities are being piloted in rural, urban and suburban areas around the country.
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.
|
