Downtown Whitewater News

Downtown awards nominations sought
Now’s the time to make your nomination for the 2007 DWI awards! Local winners will be sent on to the state competition later in the spring. Last year Whitewater garnered two major state awards: Can we top that this year? Look for an email next week with a nomination form; nominations are due by January 25th.

SAVE THE DATE! The Cravath Lakefront Arch Dedication will take place on Sunday, April 20, from 2 to 4 PM. Come see the welded steel arch designed by Brady Lueck, a Southeastern Wisconsin artist, and fabricated in collaboration with Charlie Scharine. Sculptures in the arch celebrate Whitewater’s unique history. The archway was made possible by donations from many area businesses, organizations, and individuals.

Focus on the Design Committee
The design committee was very busy in the fall reviewing façade plans for several buildings applying for façade grants, such as the Stewart Building, Mitchell’s/Pumpers on Whitewater Street, and the old Hallmark Building. These reviews often involve several meetings about renovations of storefronts. It was sometimes difficult to reconcile concerns in maintaining historic features with the developer’s wishes, but in general the result is that the buildings have been improved without losing too many of their historic details.

For example, the opening up the enclosed windows of the Mitchell/Pumpers building and removal of paint from the old brick are both major improvements that showcase the beautiful old brick and window arches. With the Stewart Building, there were some concerns about renovation details on the Main Street storefronts that were difficult to resolve, but on the Center Street side, the committee encouraged the renovation of the old storefronts and the maintenance of the decorative glass transoms that are now seen in both storefronts. The Main Street side of the old Hallmark Building has yet to be renovated, but plans call for the removal of much of the inappropriate modern storefront details, resulting in a much more appropriate match to the historic second story.

The design committee also reviews façade plans for downtown buildings that are not applying for façade grants, offering advice to the plan commission and providing important information and expertise. The committee does not have any say in “land use” issues such as whether there should be first floor housing in the downtown. We do weigh in on how an interior change affects the building façade, but not whether the use is appropriate.

(Editor's note: A moratorium on first-floor housing is being considered at the Monday, January 7 Plan Board session. See below for more information.)

Committee updates

ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING

• Working with property owners to help recruit national businesses into the Downtown Whitewater district
• Getting ready to send out a mass mailing to include our cover letter and marketing profile to all businesses within a 30 mile range and then hit bigger cities as well, such as Madison, Milwaukee etc.
• Sending out a press release January 2 fully defining our business wish list; you can read the press release at www.downtownwhitewater.com
• Putting together an Entrepreneurial Fair
• Next meeting: Thursday, January 24, at 5 PM at Commercial Bank

DESIGN

• Approving work plan for 2008
• Continuing education about design issues in the downtown
• Reviewing the grant application forms and rules
• Working on recommendations for downtown signage and landscaping
• Next meeting: Monday, January 14, 2008, 8 AM Municipal Building 2nd Floor

ORGANIZATION

• Overseeing the Local Main Street awards in January
• Gearing up for the annual update: surveys and information will be sent out in January and the annual meeting will be in early February
• Updating goals for 2008 work plan
• Board member orientation packets distributed; working on volunteer packets · Finalizing nonprofit status for DWI (status currently under the Whitewater Community Foundation)
• Working up the 2008 budget, based on committee work plans
• New members: Jan Bilgen Craggs (DWI Board member), Tonilee Piechura (UWW student), and Tom Stroinski (Blawkhawk Tech College computer networking student)
• Next meeting: Tuesday, January 15, at 3 PM at DWI

PROMOTIONS

• Talking with Charter Media to put together a co-operative marketing plan to have commercials made of downtown Whitewater
• Gathering information on a complete downtown business listing
• Working on the Got Chili Cook-Off (February 8)
• Annual work plans
• Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 8th at 1 PM at DWI

OTHER UPDATES
A subcommittee is finalizing a new logo and branding for DWI, so get ready for a new look to be unveiled at our annual meeting!

Upcoming meetings/events
JANUARY “Rural Wisconsin” at the D3 Gallery Visit the D3 Gallery at the Double Dip Deli during January to see collages, paintings, photography, and 3D/sculptural art with a focus on rural Wisconsin.

Monday, January 7, 7 PM Plan & Architectural Review Commission Municipal Building, 1st floor Community Room. Agenda items include a public hearing to consider a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for first-floor residential at 214 S. Second Street (previously rented by the Whitewater Community Church) and consideration of a possible moratorium on first-floor housing in the downtown district. For a complete meeting agenda go to www.ci.whitewater.wi.us. Please note that starting in February the Plan & Architectural Review Commission will meet monthly (generally the third Monday of the month) as a cost-savings and efficiency measure.

Tuesday, January 8, 8 AM DWI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Regular meeting of the Downtown Whitewater Board of Directors in the second floor Lakefront Room of the Whitewater Municipal Building.

Tuesday, January 8, 1 PM PROMOTIONS Regular meeting at DWI office.

Monday, January 14, 8 AM DESIGN Regular meeting at the Municipal Building, 2nd Floor Lakefront Room.

Tuesday, January 15, 3 PM ORGANIZATION Regular monthly meeting at DWI: 162 W. Main, suite L.

Monday, January 21, 7 PM Plan & Architectural Review Commission Municipal Building, 1st floor Community Room.

Thursday, January 24, 5 PM ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING Regular meeting at the Commercial Bank.

Saturday, February 9 FREEZE FEST & CHILI COOK-OFF The City of Whitewater will be kicking off the second annual Freeze Fest bright and early with a pancake breakfast at 6:30am located at the Downtown Armory. At Cravath Lakefront you’ll find ice carving, a quilt show, and polar bear plungers, or visit Big Brick Park where a DJ will serenade the ice skaters. At the Downtown Mall cooking enthusiasts will battle in the Chili Cook-off and at the Cravath Lakefront building there will be hot chocolate and finger food. Take a ride on the horse-drawn wagon that will be circling downtown. See www.ci.whitewater.wi.us for detailed information.

Executive Director Tami Brodnicki
P.O. Box 688; 162 W. Main Street, Suite L
Whitewater, WI53190
director@downtownwhitewater.com

Downtown Whitewater committees

DESIGN chair: Carol Cartwright (262.473.6820) ccart@idcnet.com
members: Karen Coburn, Peter Disley, Rick Fassl, Ryan Garcia, , Dawn Hunter, Harriet Kaluva, Linda Loomer, Terry Race, Dave Saalsaa, Steven Shaw

ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING chair: Jon Kachel (262.473.1111) jkachel@commercialbankww.com
members: Rod Dalee, Scott Gittrich, Geoff Hale, Mary Nimm, John Patterson, Dennis Stanton

ORGANIZATION chair:Kevin Brunner (262.473.0500) kbrunner@ci.whitewater.wi.us
members: Bill Bowen, Jan Bilgen Craggs, Tami Brodnicki, Stuart Charland, Donna Lentz, Tonilee Piechura, Tom Stroinski, Kristine Zaballos

PARKING (called in an as-needed basis)chair: Greg Torres; torresgm14@uww.edu members: Bill Bowen, Jim Coan, Dean Fischer, John Patterson

PROMOTIONS chair: Derek Henze(920.222.1574)henzedm07@uww.edu members: Bridget Bowar, Bill Bowen, Shane Brossard, Kim Clarksen, Jeff Hawkes, Bob Herold, Therese Kennedy, Linda Platner, Jon from Dapper Dogs, Marty Ridenour

Downtown Whitewater Board of Directors
Russell Devitt, President (262.473.5105) russelldevitt1@sbcglobal.net
Bill Bowen, Vice-President (262.473.2855) bill964@sbcglobal.net
Jon Kachel, Treasurer (262.473.1111) jkachel@commercialbankww.com
John Patterson, Secretary (262.473.3482) pattersj@uww.edu
Jan Bilgen Craggs (262.473.2788) janbilgen@gmail.com
Bruce Birling (262.473.3843) bbirling@musicrnr.com
Kevin Brunner (262.473.0500) kbrunner@ci.whitewater.wi.us
Geoff Hale (262.473.1900) ghale@homelumber.com
Derek Henze (920.222.1574) henzedm07@uww.edu