Incourage

– Obituary of William F. Huffman, former owner and publisher of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

These words embody the spirit and vision of Incourage’s recent purchase of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune building.

William F. Huffman helped develop Riverview Hospital, and he was the founding director of both the South Wood County Economic Development Corporation and the South Wood County YMCA. He also financed city parks, scholarships and awards which continue to benefit the residents of our community. For that, Mr. Huffman was awarded the Wisconsin Rapids Citizen of the Year award in 1965. During his acceptance speech, Mr. Huffman said, “If a fellow can get this just for doing his duty, what a wonderful world it would be if we all really tried.”

Incourage shares Mr. Huffman’s sentiments as we progress with the development of the building he once owned.

Concordia, a unique community-centered planning and design firm based in New Orleans, will design and develop the process for the adaptive reuse of the Daily Tribune Building. We selected Concordia for their expertise in organizing resident-led projects. They’ve completed fantastic redevelopment work, like the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Mich. and the Liberian Renaissance Education Complex, a K-12 school, in the West African nation of Liberia. Concordia also organized a resident-led plan to revitalize New Orleans’ Upper 9th Ward neighborhood, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Most importantly, Concordia shares the values of Incourage and Mr. Huffman. They believe, like we do, that residents should have a voice in their community and the opportunity to shape its future. They share our view that local contractors using local resources should be the ones to do the work. And in each of their projects, Concordia strives to incorporate the local history and culture into the structure’s design.

Their work, along with others like the Market Creek development in San Diego, are our inspiration as we continue the process of transforming the Daily Tribune building.

You can find out more about Concordia at www.concordia.com. More information about the Market Creek development is available atwww.marketcreek.com.

Your participation in this process is vital! Get involved by taking a tour of the Daily Tribune building during Cranberry Blossom Festival, June 20-23. Call 715-423-3863 or email [email protected] to reserve your tour.

Thanks for reading,
Kelly