Mainly Manitowoc has turned in Main St. application

Group will get 25 minutes to talk with state council

By Charlie Mathew, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — Mainly Manitowoc supporters have raised about $100,000 of first-year Main Street Program support, Heart & Homestead owner Cathy Karl said Wednesday.

Karl will be part of a contingent traveling to Madison on April 22 to try to convince Commerce Department officials and Main Street Program council members that Manitowoc should be awarded the same status held by about 35 other Wisconsin cities.

"There are five applicant (cities) and they can select three," said Karl, who expects a decision by July. Four individuals, yet to be determined, will speak for 25 minutes on behalf of Manitowoc's bid. Council members will have already reviewed a voluminous application.

A PowerPoint presentation will offer a "windshield tour" of the proposed Main Street Program district. North of the Manitowoc River, the district is roughly bounded by Eighth and 10th streets north to Chicago Street.

South of the river, the district extends south to Marshall Street, with another leg extending west to 15th Street between Washington and Franklin Streets.

Karl is one of several Mainly Manitowoc volunteers who have put in hundreds of hours on a voluminous application, hoping to qualify for five years of free training and technical assistance aimed at revitalizing historic downtowns.

"Downtown is everybody's business" has been Mainly Manitowoc's theme in its education and fundraising endeavors, and it is echoed in many of the dozens of letters of support that are part of its application.

"I believe that downtown is a 'billboard' that speaks of a community's character, vision and pride," wrote Mark Swanson, the superintendent of the Manitowoc Public School District.

"A vibrant downtown is essential to our community," wrote Pat Mecca, a Mainly Manitowoc member and owner of Grape, Grain & Bean on Eighth Street. "With an investment of time and energy, we can create a dynamic downtown increasing property values, increasing the tax base and helping to preserve our unique heritage."

The state's Web site states selection criteria, including financial need, organizational capability, public sector commitment, private sector commitment, financial capacity, physical capacity (critical mass of buildings and businesses downtown), and historic identity.

City supportive but challenges remain

"It has been encouraging to see a shift to the positive," Elizabeth Wergin, co-owner of Etched in Stone and a Mainly Manitowoc member, said Wednesday.

She cited the cooperation of business owners with civic officials, including the commitment by the Common Council to allocate $1 from the municipal budget to the Main Street Program for every $2 raised from the private sector.

Wergin said strengths of downtown Manitowoc are the historic buildings and views of Lake Michigan. "The biggest continuing challenge is the doubt that some people have that businesses can survive downtown," Wergin said.

Wergin believes several thriving historical downtowns in Wisconsin can serve as inspirational models for Manitowoc.

Karl said one factor, which emerged during the group's research, was the difference in upkeep of buildings when occupied by their owners and their businesses, compared to buildings available for rent.

"Vacant buildings do cast a shadow on those businesses doing well," Karl said. "But, in spite of that, there are still a lot of great people supportive of the downtown businesses."

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