Working Together for a Better Madison Region
Strong partnerships are key to balancing the diverse needs of a community, from education and culture to business and infrastructure.
In the Madison Region, this collaborative approach is driving impactful and unique solutions. Stakeholders, from funders supporting vibrant public spaces to university researchers tackling complex challenges, are working together to shape the region’s future. Here are three examples of these revitalization efforts in Madison and South Central Wisconsin.
Beaver Dam: Main Street Makeover
Beyond working as an art educator in the Beaver Dam Unified School District, Kris Schumacher-Rasmussen owns Art on the Town Wisconsin in downtown Beaver Dam. The studio provides instruction in pottery, painting and jewelry making, and also hosts events such as children’s parties and bachelorette celebrations.
To advance her business, Schumacher-Rasmussen applied for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s (WEDC) Main Street Makeover contest.
“Kris is a talented art teacher, and she had said to me that she wanted the outside to inspire art and creativity,” says Tracy Propst, executive director of the Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce.
After WEDC approved the application, Art on the Town Wisconsin worked with branding experts at Milwaukee-based Retailworks Inc. The team identified opportunities to enhance the building exterior with fresh paint, new signage, display windows and awnings while creating a more defined flow inside.
“Programs like the Main Street Makeover contest provide valuable support to small businesses, helping to revitalize both our communities and storefronts,” Propst says. “As businesses see the positive impact of these transformations, they become inspired to invest in their own spaces, sparking a ripple effect of ongoing improvement.”
“Programs like the Main Street Makeover contest provide valuable support to small businesses, helping to revitalize both our communities and storefronts.”
Tracy Propst, Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce
The UniverCity Alliance Approach
Founded in 2015, the UniverCity Alliance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison works to connect the university with local governments in Wisconsin to address community-identified challenges.
“Everything falls under that banner of community and economic development,” says Gavin Luter, managing director of the UniverCity Alliance. “We are trying to help communities build better places together, in part because we’re the state land grant university. I think we have some responsibility to be responsive to the needs that communities around the state are saying that they need help with.”
The program initially partnered with the City of Monona, tackling more than 30 different projects. Since then, the UniverCity Alliance has worked with communities across the Madison Region, including those in Dane, Green, Columbia and Iowa counties. More than 2,000 students have participated in the program, with several of those students also a part of the UniverCity Alliance Scholars Program.
Luter says that while the projects have varied widely, from revitalizing a sister county program to creating an opioid data-sharing database, listening is key to every new collaboration.
“We show up and say, ‘What are the things that matter to you?’” Luter says.
Investment in Tourism and Talent
In the resort destination of Wisconsin Dells, the Elm Street Plaza provides a significant new central gathering space to the city’s downtown, says Jill Diehl, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau (WDVCB).
“Not only is it a fantastic place for kids to play and visitors to relax in the shadow of a giant, Wisconsin Dells-inspired mural, this 35,000-square-foot space is a dynamic live music venue, with free nightly entertainment from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day,” Diehl says.
It also hosts farmers markets, pop-up specialty markets, seasonal celebrations and various other events. “It has been successful in drawing additional visitors into the downtown area and has also been a popular gathering place for local residents, enhancing the community’s quality of life,” she says.
A joint venture between the WDVCB and the City of Wisconsin Dells, Elm Street Plaza received roughly $5.9 million in initial funding from the WDVCB’s Tourism Economic Development Fund. The “shovel-ready” project then received a state grant of $3.5 million in 2022 to fund construction.
While the idea for such a space was initially proposed in 2014, the result was well worth the wait. These types of community investments help attract talent, since people who are considering relocating are looking for more than just job opportunities.
“In the case of Wisconsin Dells, prospective employees know they will be joining a vibrant community with a strong economic base, excellent schools and a wonderful quality of life,” Diehl says. “It’s a hometown in which they can feel confident investing their lives.”