Changing Splash Pad Plans Questioned
City leaders in Shawano gathered at city hall Wednesday night for a joint meeting that sought to help guide decision making regarding plans for a downtown plaza concept and a splashpad.
Shawano is in the midst of building out a $1.85 million-dollar park and rec referendum that includes $400,000 for a splash pad, but a recent tourism study within the city and Shawano County have some thinking about changing their approach.
Before the city continues with their plans to complete the buildout of Franklin Park, tourism expert Roger Brooks suggests placing that focus on a downtown plaza instead, in the heart of the spending district, which would draw people to Main Street on a consistent basis.
City Administrator Brain Knapp acknowledged that there’s been a lot invested in Franklin already.
“That’s a big change,” Knapp said. “That’s 180 degrees and a couple of corners to boot. Why not bring Main Street to Franklin Park?”
Two concepts presented to those in attendance included a corridor that connected Franklin Park to the projected area which would feature a downtown plaza. It would offer vertical elements, a water feature that doubles as a skating rink or room for programmable space and other areas for vendors and dining.
“The amount of emotional effort and emotional capital that’s spent on Franklin is there and it’s going to stay there, but you can bring Main Street to Franklin by making this kind of connection,” Knapp explained.
The corridor however would include aspects of the plaza on both sides of Main Street and Bob Dumke of the Shawano’s Farmer’s Market raised the question regarding the logistics of heavy foot traffic.
“Is that practical to consider we could manage that safely,” Dumpke questioned “Are we talking maybe rerouting traffic? It just seems like I didn’t see any of the other plaza ideas with a street running right through the middle of it.”
Knapp believes traffic would slow down through the area, or they may have other means of traffic control such as crossing guards, but he admits that a solution isn’t easy.
“It isn’t perfect,” he responded. “There are going to be logistical issues. The reason for this is because you can expand the space and we have a very old building that is in such terrible shape that we don’t believe the community can afford to spend the kind of money necessary to bring this thing back to usable condition.”
A key aspect of revitalizing the downtown requires business cooperation. In Brooks’ findings he says businesses need to be open later than 6 p.m., but it could be hard getting everyone on the same page.
“We want to move forward and we want to find reasons to stay open later at night,” said one local business owner downtown. “I recently purchased a business downtown and I asked my team who’s done this many many times over the last four years and they’re like it’s true. You could shoot a cannon down the of the street and not hit anything. Even though we stay open it’s crickets for hours because there isn’t anything drawing people downtown.”
Some say they’re more than willing to support local businesses if they have that draw.
“I want to take my kids out to children’s museum type stuff,” said one resident. “I have to go to Green Bay, Appleton. I’m spending all my money outside the city. I would prefer to be able to just walk around downtown and just spend my money there, but I can’t.”
Mayor Jeanne Cronce is encouraged of the downtown’s potential and the willingness of business owners to work together and adapt, but it has to start small, like trying later hours one day a week.
“It depends on what the citizens want,” Cronce said. “If that’s what they want, they’re willing to do that. They have these businesses, they want them to succeed. We as a city want to see them succeed. You as a community want to see them succeed.”
After discussions, committees were asked to vote on two questions:
Question 1: Should the development of the plaza be pursued?
Committee/Commission Votes: 5 Yes, 0 No
Advisory Votes: 4 Yes, 0 No
Committee/Commission Votes
Plan Commission- Yes
Redevelopment Authority- Yes
Industrial Commercial Development-Yes
Business Improvement District- Yes
Park and Recreaction- Yes
Advisory Votes
Park Builders Board- Yes
Farmer’s Market- Yes
Shawano Downtown Business Association- Yes
Chamber- Yes
Question 2: Should the currently planned splash pad investment be incorporated to the downtown plaza?
Committee/Commission Votes: 3 Yes, 2 No
Advisory Votes: 3 Yes, 1 No
Committee/Commission Votes
Plan Commission- No
Redevelopment Authority- Yes
Industrial Commercial Development-Yes
Business Improvement District- Yes
Park and Recreation- No
Advisory Votes
Park Builders Board- No
Farmer’s Market- Yes
Shawano Downtown Business Association- Yes
Chamber- Yes
Council will further seek opinions from community members. Council President Sandy Steineke says they’ll get the word out.
“I myself as a council person will be calling people in my district, as I’m sure my fellow council people will do the same, getting their feedback, asking people to call, make some people understand what’s going on,” she said. “Make some people understand what’s going on and try to get this all put together, all this information and see what the community would like to do.”
It’s unknown when the next meetings regarding downtown will take place.