Kristopher Gasch, Incourage board chair, was pleased to invite Kyle Kearns, City of Wisconsin Rapids Director of Community Development, to speak with WFHR Morning Magazine Host James Malouf about the City’s application to EDA and WEDC for funds to create a Recovery and Redevelopment Plan for the Verso Mill and surrounding properties.
Kyle shared that the plan takes a proactive approach to redevelopment. While the funds aren’t being dispersed directly to businesses, the plan may lead to initiatives to redevelop the mill site and adjacent properties in the downtown area that are underutilized or vacant. It also provides an opportunity to create business/TIF districts and pursue other funding sources through the federal and state government.
These projects take time. As Kristopher stated, “We can look at any number of initiatives or projects through our community’s history that don’t just materialize overnight. We certainly want them to, but thinking back to things like the Centralia Center, the Aquatics Center, certainly we’d put the Tribune Building in that same boat as well, that in order to do it the right way, it’s a process that can’t be rushed. It needs to benefit the community in the best way possible.”
With strong partnerships and keeping our community and its people at the center, we can move forward in the best way, together. Tune in!
