Baraboo Economic Development Commission (BEDC) Common Council Update June 2010

Commission Members: Michael Palm, BEDC Chairman Ann Burke Aural Umhoefer Buddy Huffaker Christine Kortbein Kim Kalepp Sandy Anderson Phil Wedekind Brett Topham Tom Pleger Baraboo Economic Development Commission

Mayor’s introduction and history-

By-Laws - Section 2 - Power and Duties - The Commission shall work on various projects as assigned by the Mayor and/or City Council for the improvement of the economic vitality of the Community. These projects may include redevelopment planning, tourism, nature conservancy, or other matters related to economic development or the improvement of municipal operations in the community to serve such. The Commission shall cooperate with the Sauk County Development Corporation to study and make recommendations to the Council for the continuing improvement of the economic climate of the City. The Commission shall, at least once a year on or before October 1 st of each year, report to the Council concerning its activities and recommendations with regard to economic development matters

BEDC held a spring workshop series in 2009 which identified Baraboo Economic Interest Groups, SWOT analysis, and Baraboo’s differentiators.

BEDC Mission Statement – To provide intellect, vision and advocacy for community development to serve as a catalyst for diverse economic growth - Spring 2009

BEDC created a: Development Review Subcommittee, Economic Strategy (marketing & branding) Subcommittee and Education/Business Technology Subcommittee to discuss specific items identified at the spring workshop. These committees meet independently for discussion and report back to BEDC on progress/ideas/discussion

We have developed a list of ideas to proactively position Baraboo for economic growth and are in the process of prioritizing those ideas for implementation.

Some of the identified areas of Baraboo expected to undergo economic activity/enhancement in the foreseeable future include: Downtown Area

Ringling Riverfront

Highway 12 By-pass area and Gateway Industrial Park

East Side

South Boulevard

Other issues that will affect the long term economic health of the City include:  Resolving City Government Space Needs Issues  Living and Learning Center at UW Baraboo Sauk County  Potential Education and Technology Center  Airport Improvements  Library Expansion  Community/Senior Center  Riverwalk/Ice Age Trail Completion  Circus World Museum, International Crane Foundation and Aldo Leopold Legacy Center  K-12 Education Improvements  Financial Capital Requirements for Development Projects  Current Commerical/Industrial Vacancies and Residential Foreclosure Issues  Affordable and Diverse Housing Stock

We recommend facilitating ongoing collaboration between the Baraboo Economic Development Commission (BEDC), the Sauk County Development Corporation (SCDC), the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce, the Community Development Authority (CDA), Downtown Baraboo Incorporated (DBI), the Business Improvement District (BID), and other interested parties to discuss and further refine economic development drivers for the City.

At some point we will need to engage outside assistance to create the economic strategy vision that we believe is necessary to position the city for pro-active development. We ask for the council’s continued enthusiastic support in these efforts.