Downtown boosters urged to dream big

Visioning Session includes sweeping changes in Manitowoc over decade

By: Charlie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — With state Main Street program designation assured for the next five years, downtown boosters were invited Tuesday night to offer financial support and ideas.
They included:

• A bullet train transit center will be opening next to the Badger carferry dock.
• Manitowoc's outdoor performing arts amphitheater will feature Bruce Springsteen, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, and, even England's old geezers, the Rolling Stones.
• Downtown retail storefront space will be at a premium, with a waiting list for vacancies.

Those were among the hoped-for stories written by about 25 Mainly Manitowoc members and supporters of a revitalized downtown at Tuesday's visioning exercise held at the Manitowoc County Historical Society.
Facilitator Jay Schlinsog's first assignment was to have the downtown business owners, interested residents and civic officials fill in story and photograph holes in the Sept. 30, 2018, edition of the Herald Times Reporter.
If one can't dream of a bullet train speeding along the Lake Michigan shoreline, or local appearances by mega rock stars, or a 100 percent occupied downtown in the next decade, how can it be achieved was the challenge put forth by the consultant to the state Department of Commerce.
Gov. Jim Doyle selected Manitowoc, Tomahawk and Port Washington earlier this year to receive free technical assistance.
A downtown revitalization specialist with the state, Catherine Dunlap, said a five-person Main Street team will visit Manitowoc to "take that vision step to reality."
Before that occurs, the Mainly Manitowoc board will select in the next few weeks one of three finalists for its executive director position.
This individual will have the opportunity to attend quarterly Main Street gatherings of directors of the other 37 Wisconsin cities in the program to share and brainstorm ideas.
The salary for the executive director is expected to come from fulfilled pledges from individuals and businesses, as well as $50,000 annually from the city of Manitowoc.
Mainly Manitowoc board members are soliciting those who indicated they would be of financial assistance in the application phase in the spring.
The vision of downtown Manitowoc in 2018 included participants asked to offer responses in several areas:

• List three positive things about downtown Manitowoc today.
• List three negative things about downtown Manitowoc today.
• What are downtown's three best opportunities for the future?
• List three things that should change immediately.
• List three things about downtown that should never change.
• List three distinguishing or defining features of downtown Manitowoc in 2018.
• List three single words that will describe downtown Manitowoc in 2018.
• Describe what downtown will be known for in 2018.
• It's 2018, and everything has gone right. You're in a hot air balloon, looking down at downtown. What do you see?
• What's the one thing you want your children and grandchildren to remember most about downtown Manitowoc?

Select responses will be posted on Mainly Manitowoc's Web site, www.mainlymanitowoc.com, as part of a draft action plan.
For information about Mainly Manitowoc, call its board chair, Patricia Roth, (920) 482-3141, Ext. 112.