Downtown Marshfield’s Road to Renovation
business, flower power, marshfield, rita meier, south central avenue reconstruction project,
Marshfield’s downtown district is getting ready for its close-up.
South Central Avenue, a well-traveled thoroughfare that runs through the heart of the city, is about to change hands from state ownership to local care, and before it does, it’s going to get a little TLC.
The road itself is in need of significant repairs, and while the jackhammers and cement trucks are already out, the city is throwing in cosmetic improvements as well. Local officials, community leaders and business owners are now working furiously to prepare for the South Central Avenue Reconstruction Project groundbreaking in April 2009.
Main Street Marshfield works to promote and preserve the downtown district. Denise Sonnemann, executive director of the organization, has been working for months on reconstruction preparations. Sonnemann is excited about the upcoming improvements that will give downtown Marshfield a whole new look.
Bells and whistles of the new downtown include updated flower pots, brick inlays for the sidewalks and crosswalks, historic lamp posts and benches for pedestrians. The idea behind the project is to redefine downtown as a locale within the city for shopping, dining and leisure.
“We want it to be a destination where people want to come and shop and walk around, and just kind of hang out and have a cup of coffee,” says Rita Meier, chair of Main Street’s organization committee. “It can be that. We have some great ideas.”
Hopes for the future include a small park and a shuttle to transport people to and from the downtown district.
Color is one of the most noticeable ways to enhance a city’s vibrancy, which is why former Marshfield Mayor Nate Norberg and his wife, Arlene, don’t mind getting their hands a little dirty. Together, they coordinate Flower Power, a completely volunteer-driven brigade of flower planters who bring life to downtown Marshfield and other parts of the city. Flower Power is working with the city on the reconstruction to fold their flowery efforts into the larger design.
“It’s very important to the city for beautification, and it’s enjoyed by everybody,” Norberg says. His group also offers wintertime wagon rides and hopes to begin leading warm-weather wagon tours of the downtown’s various gardens. “We want to bring people downtown and make everybody aware of what we’re doing.”
A cornerstone of Main Street’s efforts is the preservation of the district’s historic charm.
Bill Mitten of Mitten’s Furniture, Appliance & Electronics understands what Main Street means by “historic.”
“When our business started, the downtown was basically the only business area in any city or town,” says Mitten, whose grandfather opened the store more than 70 years ago. “We’ve always been proud to be downtown, and we’re going to continue to feel that way. What is happening is going to be good, and it is going to bring the people downtown.”
The reconstruction project is slated to be completed by fall 2009, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by Todd Bennett
