(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen says a vote on the next round of borrowing for the downtown revitalization plan will likely happen this fall. Last month, the Beaver Dam Common Council approved partial phase one borrowing of $580-thousand dollars to address four primary elements of the plan: landscaping, trees, a façade grant program and the acquisition and demolition of a Front Street building.
Glewen says that vote came too late and funds must be secured right after a budget is adopted in order to stay on track and have projects go out to bid at the beginning of 2019. She says approval of phase two borrowing needs to be voted upon at the end of this year. During a recent appearance on WBEV’s Community Comment, Glewen provided an update on where phase one work will be by next winter. She says she expects the planting of trees to be completed. Changes to the façade improvement grant program should also be in place this year with a focus on promoting the opportunity to downtown business owners.
Discussions are still being had on the acquiring and teardown of a Front Street building. Several suggestions include creating an open walkway through the building rather than demolish it completely. Glewen says that plan might not be the best course of action. She says the pathway would be roughly nine-to-ten-feet which is too small than what was originally thought. Three buildings have been referenced but not yet identified. The timeline for removal could be several months as the city works through the acquisition process, which may include eminent domain. Glewen says she expects more significant progress on the downtown revitalization plan will be made in 2019.
Watch the video stream of Community Comment program with Mayor Glewen:
