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Outstanding programs cited as 2008 Top Rural Development InitiativesSubmitted by RickyR on October 21, 2008 - 2:36pm.
Wisconsin's Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2008
Project Briefs
Alliance for Sustainability, Ashland
The Alliance for Sustainability developed in 1993 after a Northlands College project that organized community groups to read Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce. A group of interested citizens from Ashland, Washburn, Bayfield and the Red Cliff and Bad River reservations formed and attracted broader appeal. In January 2007, the Alliance hired a full-time coordinator. The overall strengths of the Alliance are staying on the cutting edge of understanding how to be sustainable and engaging residents at all levels. Their accomplishments include:
In a region with no intergovernmental council, an overarching achievement is bringing elected local and county government officials together to work toward common goals. Collaborators include the Ashland-Bayfield County League of Women Voters, area public libraries and associated book groups, the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, as well as numerous municipalities. Support has been provided by the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, Xcel Foundation, Wisconsin Environmental Education Board, Focus on Energy, Wal-Mart, and over 300 individuals.
Through the efforts of the Alliance for Sustainability, residents see local evidence of “green” practices and this is helping to build consensus for sustainable decisions at home and business. Citizens have a local, respected organization that provides technical assistance to those looking to save energy, money, and the earth!
Contact:
Alliance for Sustainability
Brandon Boys
PO Box 141
Ashland, WI 54806
715-682-1189
sustainablecheq@gmail.org
Dunn County Partnership for Youth The Dunn County Partnership for Youth connects agencies, schools, communities and individuals to create an environment that promotes healthy lifestyle choices and nurtures resilience through fostering and partnering of effective programming, while upholding community responsibility and dedication to youth.
Unofficially formed in 1998, the group evolved and in 1994 assumed its current name, always maintaining the goal of collaboration. In 2003 the Partnership conducted a comprehensive community needs assessment and completed a strategic planning process to address areas of concern.
Membership in the Partnership is open to all community members, and also includes representatives of many local agencies including representatives of Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Treatment agencies, Area School Districts, Law Enforcement, Faith Organizations, Health and Human Services, University of Wisconsin – Stout and many interested citizens and youth.
There are several committees under the umbrella of the Dunn County Partnership for Youth, including the Youth Development Committee, Partners for Resilience, Parenting Committee and the Environmental Committee. The number of active members of the Partnership continues to grow.
The Partnership has also been instrumental in providing information and solutions to the community about local issues. The results include increases in number of people attending informational classes, a reduction in the number of high school and college students reporting that they use alcohol, and fewer retailers selling to minors.
Contact:
Jill Gamez
320 21st Street, NE
Menomonie, WI 54751
715-235-4537
Housing Task Force – City of Berlin
Berlin Wisconsin is small town full of home town flavor constantly striving to meet the needs of its residents. Berlin faces many of the same struggles every other Wisconsin town faces on a daily basis. Berlin’s Housing Task Force is one of the things that makes the City stand out. The group enjoys representation from the financial sector, government, realtors, and the building trades field. Their task is to look at the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of Berlin and lay the groundwork for growth.
Three partnership programs have been created as a result of Task Force efforts.
The City has partnered with developers and builders to generate a New Construction Incentive Program. An incentive payment of 4% goes back to the builder/developer or homeowner, greatly assisting new home construction. With a City contribution to the incentive program of $115,000, new construction has added $3 million to the city’s tax base.
Berlin Community Pride provides loans to homeowners for exterior home improvements to the city’s great existing housing stock. Each of the local banks contributed $50,000 for the loan fund, and over $130,000 has been loaned so far.
The most recent Task Force effort involves rental housing. The city generated a database of all rental properties, and engaged landlord, who have now formed their own group. This has opened communications lines between the private and public sector tremendously.
The Berlin Housing Task Force has been instrumental in creation of several programs for the city. Their foresight into community growth has assisted Berlin in creation a bright future for our residential needs. The Housing Task Force realizes there is no single player, collaborative efforts get results.
Contact:
Mary Lou Neubauer
108 N. Capron Street
Berlin, WI 54923
920-361-5402
neubauer@dotnet.com
Honorable Mentions
Community Partners for Medication Safety
Community Partners for Medication Safety began as an initiative of the Langlade Memorial Hospital and now includes the County Public Health Department, the Department on Aging, ASPIRUS General Clinic and local pharmacies.
The Partners launched a medication safety campaign, which featured a medication safety bag labeled, Take me Too, as a reminder to patients to use the bag to bring all medications to doctor and hospital visits. A Rural Hospital Safety grant was received which expanded the program to include medication disposal, and the program is expanding to help more residents avoid the dangers of medication mismanagement.
Contact:
Sue McVey, RN, BSN
Langlade Memorial Hospital
112 East 5th Ave.
Antigo, WI 54409
715-623-2331
Southwest Business Partnership
The Southwest Business Partnership was formed to provide small business development services to residents of six counties in southwest Wisconsin. The Partnership is a collaborative effort of Southwest Community Action program, the Service Corps of retired Executives, the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Blackhawk technical College and the Southwest Small Business Development Center. In its first 18 months, the partnership has served over 330 people, coordinates the region’s Inventors and Entrepreneur Club network, and given entrepreneurs expanded access to resources and much less confusion.
Contact:
Barbara Kueny
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Program
2745 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414-263-5450
Barb.kueny@wwbic.com
Monroe County Local History Room
The Monroe County Local History Room developed a unique website, which substantially increases public access to archival holdings and public records and generates much needed earned income for the library.
Nine complete collections are indexed with information easily retrievable to online patrons, including newspapers, court records, cemeteries, census indexes and more.
Never before has community and family information been so accessible for a rural area like Monroe County, proving rural museums can do great things.
Contact:
Jarrod Roll
Monroe County Local History Room
200 West Main Street
Sparta, WI 54656
608-269-8680
MCLHR@centurytel.net
Darlington High School Bridge to Tomorrow Project
The recipe for this unique “real world” building trades project goes like this: Mix together a creative educator, energetic students, a progressive school district, and insightful businessman, and a community filled with pride. Stir In great community support, cooperation with the UW-Platteville engineering school and state recognition.
The result is an outstanding, hand-made covered bridge crafted by Darlington High school students for use in a new housing development. More projects are underway that will provide students in this small town in southwest Wisconsin with real world skills in construction and business.
Contact:
Richard Anderson, Darlington High School
11838 Center Hill Road
Darlington, WI 53530
608-776-4001
andersonr@darlington.k12.wi.us
Painted With Love Project
The Painted with Love Project built bridges between rural disabled children and their “abled” counterparts in Oconto County through a series of collaborative mural projects. These children, learning and working together, produced seven large community murals and scores of small renderings.
As planning progressed the number of partners and participants grew by leaps and bounds, serving 621 youth, though 13 partner agencies and schools and 42 participating teachers.
The seamless cooperation and shared responsibilities between all project partners resulted in a very special Valentines Day art project, and collaborations among youth that continue today.
Contact:
Tim Friesen
Arts Vitally Enrich Communities
1784 Maple Ave.
Wabeno, WI 54566
NewsoftheNorth.Net, Inc.
NewsoftheNorth.Net is a solely online community newspaper featuring local news with local contributors, supported by local dollars. The community had lost local ownership of both its newspapers, reducing the amount of local coverage.
NewsoftheNorth.Net has attracted a variety of Northwoods voices who volunteer their passions and interests and talents in the form of columns, blogs and news features.
The effort has created a “gathering room” for news and information in the rural Northwoods, promoting dialogue among many groups that have been operating independently, and improving the lives of those living there by connecting them with their neighbors.
Contact:
Ruth Sproull
1780 Larsen Drive
Rhinelander, WI 54501
715-362-0455
gardener612@yahoo.com
June, 2008 - Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc.
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