Two weeks ago, about 55 citizens and community leaders gathered in downtown Rhinelander to help start planning how our city will look and feel for the future. The downtown revitalization project, spearheaded by the city of Rhinelander and Downtown Rhinelander, Inc, promises to provide much-needed improvements to both city infrastructure as well as our city’s image. Both improvements will prove valuable in making Rhinelander an attractive place to live and visit.

During the next two years, the city will be making much-needed updates to underground infrastructure in the downtown district. With the streets torn-up and improvements already being put in place, leaders saw this as an opportunity to start from a clean canvas and to put our city back in better shape than it was before.

Rhinelander has the desirable position of being able to support both a year-long industry as well as seasonal tourism industry. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, we must ensure we are staying competitive by making our city a desirable place to live and visit. This means providing services to our citizens and businesses that will allow them to thrive, as well as giving visitors an enjoyable place to explore and experience. We need better social spaces for people to gather and enjoy. We want to provide a clean and updated city that young families will choose to settle in.

Downtown revitalization will help us achieve these goals and will prove to potential investors and business people that we are serious about making our city the best it can be. In order for this project to work, however, we must be confident in the backing we have from both public and private entities. Throughout this process, I implore everyone to engage themselves in the planning and to provide feedback on the plans provided. This is our opportunity to truly shape our city and make it into one which we can be proud of.

There will be another planning meeting July 23 during which the public can provide feedback on what has already been mocked-up. These plans will not be final, which means it’s all the more important that the planning committee knows it’s getting true feedback from all citizens. You can also always find information and updates on the process at the website dedicated to the project at www.rhinelanderstreetscape.com. You should also always feel free to contact the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Rhinelander, Inc, or the city of Rhinelander with questions, input or feedback on the entire process.

This is an exciting time for the city of Rhinelander and all of its citizens. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to help shape our city’s future.

Dana DeMet is available at (715) 365-7464.