Oconto Falls will benefit from the tail end of a government program that provides funds to enhance the look of a community where a highway project occurs. In the case of state Highway 22 reconstruction in Oconto Falls, the result is fresh landscaping at City Hall, the library and the public parking lot on Main Street.
“I think it’s going to add some warmth and welcoming to the area,” said Gail Yatso, president of the Oconto Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, who served on the committee to develop the enhancement plans.
She said the city lost the beautiful, old trees that lined Chestnut Avenue, so the committee wanted to replace some of that greenery with new plants and soften the look of the concrete streets.
“I think the flowers and plants give a nice little facelift to the city,” she said.
A total of $111,550 in state and federal dollars has been allocated to the city through a program known as Community Sensitive Solutions. Of that amount, $11,700 will be used for beautification at City Hall.
No city money will be used for the landscape improvements.
Government funding for the CSS program has since been discontinued, requiring communities to pay for enhancements themselves if they have funds available.
Dan Segerstrom, project development supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, said the CSS federal highway program, begun in 2002, goes beyond safety and mobility as goals of a road construction project. It also integrates the social, cultural and natural surroundings into the project. These can include colored crosswalks and decorative motifs on bridges.
“What most people see are amenities,” Segerstrom said.
CSS incorporates collaboration by pulling together community members, elected officials and others to decide what improvements to make. The Oconto Falls CSS committee, formed in 2013, was composed of Yatso, City Administrator Vicki Roberts, Mayor Brad Rice, Street Superintendent Terry Magnin, Main Street business owner Melanie Rice, DOT engineers and the Highway 22 project manager.
The standard amount of CSS, 3 percent of the project cost, is allocated when the state and municipal agreement is signed, long before street work begins.
Landscaped areas in Oconto Falls include City Hall, the library and Main Street public parking lot in front of Impressions Salon. Part of the CSS allocation was tapped for the red-colored pavement in the crosswalks, pedestrian crosswalk signs, garbage cans and benches.
Willems Landscaping, of De Pere, performed the landscaping at City Hall on Sept. 25. Yet to come are a drinking fountain, bench and garbage can at the City Hall entrance. Landscaping at the library and city lot are scheduled to be completed this fall.
The Oconto Falls Street Department will maintain the new plantings.
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