(Watertown) Watertown was recently recognized for its efforts to revitalize a downtown space. The city received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Brownfields Success Award.
The award celebrates the Bentzin Family Town Square brownfield redevelopment project, an anchor in the community’s downtown corridor. Watertown used funding for the project from the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies program and Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant, as well as over $2-million in additional dollars from other sources.
Watertown city officials wrote in their 2022 Impact Report that this investment in redevelopment “has already paid dividends by increasing downtown activity, opening doors to more employment opportunities and encouraging other business owners to update their properties.”
The Bentzin Family Town Square, a one-acre property located at 1 West Main Street, formerly housed a hair salon, pharmacy, restaurant, karate studio, and the printing press and offices of the local newspaper.
Environmental investigations identified petroleum-contaminated soil prior to cleanup and demolition. After almost a decade of planning, the official ribbon cutting for the Bentzin Family Town Square was held in May.
The town square was designed to be an open, inviting and beautiful space that provides a central location for community activities and gatherings for guests of all ages and abilities.
