[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6158485,"mediaKeyId","5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0","parentId",5458397,"title","New London reports downtown openings, business renovations and summer kickoff drew about 3,800 visitors","audioSeconds",286,"startMs",5352000,"endMs",5638000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0&start=5352&end=5638","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0/thumbnail_5352000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6158485/New-London/Waupaca-County/Wisconsin/New-London-reports-downtown-openings-business-renovations-and-summer-kickoff-drew-about-3800-visitors","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6158485-317999be07cdc86f60f3ee452a0f0824/orig.mp4?Expires=1770954788&Signature=C79kk9O8e5ET~0~1UKGL~wiTGklm8YlKaSgrqoSvrSF-SeUoB3fuah2QRzS-b26o1~PUNmnL7bGJ~2C8zqTPzXc5HzFgLv5Mcg1MgvjGsa1K6BRRKBiAzCpyJSGfmyPekrfTpiUsJPjUJM4wlylR9158GVG6jJ7vYySup5KIKVmRCeJvu1dhOXiDw9Sfq7-E-J85FFpGrN~2Y3~hz9L0Uo2YWyFpgizy66rY-b0chH52tIQSzL3npMVgqXZC5Vx~YE0604kZSoXmcJVN6IjeMcazmjYUzWmAG64Eupl2ax3VtiRptxCWlwDekQnmZ511JmDlSbNCuZzMgvIKUYrOyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-07-24T05:02:06.65Z","article","City economic development staff reported several downtown business updates and shared results from a June summer kickoff night market during Tuesday’s Economic Development Committee meeting.
Staff member April (not fully identified in transcript) said Riverfront Spa opened this month at 504 West North Water Street and noted a major renovation at a Taco Bell location. She also said an entire building at 1817 North Shawano Street is under contract and that a theater parcel price had been corrected with the listing agent.
April reviewed results from the June 6 summer kickoff and night market on North Water Street. Using place‑based geofencing data and a study prepared through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, organizers estimated about 3,800 people were downtown during the event. The report found roughly 70% of attendees were local, about 5% had traveled 50 miles or more, and the median household income of attendees was about $70,000.
Event organizers sold 5,682 beer tickets and reported that many food trucks sold out; 13 downtown businesses were open for the event. The WEDC impact estimate suggested the night market generated approximately $118,335 in local economic activity.
City and committee members praised the event’s community partnerships — the chamber, New London School District, parks and recreation, fire department and Wolf River Art League — and asked the staff to plan future events while noting staff resource limits for larger concerts.
No formal actions were taken; the report was informational only. Staff said they will continue downtown façade grant processing and noted the city had about $1,200 remaining in the current façade improvement fund. The city also applied for an East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission strategic planning and revitalization facilitation grant for a conceptual design next to the Berninger Riverwalk and will report back if selected for the program.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Jul 22, 2025 Economic Development Committee","oneSentenceSummary","City staff reported a new spa opening, restaurant renovations and a summer kickoff night market that organizers estimated brought roughly 3,800 attendees and generated an estimated $118,000 in local economic activity.","taxTitle","New London, Waupaca County, Wisconsin","taxId",72731,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6158490,"Waupaca County EDC outlines $250,000 downtown small‑business loan/grant match; applications to open after press event",162,4353000,4515000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0&start=4353&end=4515","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0/thumbnail_4353000.jpg","/articles/6158490/New-London/Waupaca-County/Wisconsin/Waupaca-County-EDC-outlines-250000-downtown-smallbusiness-loangrant-match-applications-to-open-after-press-event","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6158490-9d8bfb4eabd6b4ea1d26b4d572689138/orig.mp4?Expires=1770954788&Signature=f9qsLeDyt51S25Eo2NwO-IPZrRE9KHdzLIyhR37G3WSDxN48h~JsMoDCi4fV4w1oIFzKD37M-kyKSoqDJSWF4bkeXjfYw~WdoVG6h-ie6dm-MQNIJbC730ViIYdSfwd-Y2h8LSkC3eO3LYmFm3~k51tmqsdO9LUpE-zH4CjSmxvzbWsgVBHClikGtDr0Og7yTjpG6Fs8DUTsKuZ4lPp00A10hd1PCgEncu4CBcKRwCh-pW3IP45CobhRWRcbp2~cQBGDKlpIpXwFU2EP~7isdwXnkPulcEkBKA44DJWfZblRts10OAcR0spxaTK8Ajn~3~aLDeX0I2TOcq4-Grd0Pg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Waupaca County Economic Development Corporation on Tuesday described a new program to encourage businesses to buy or renovate downtown buildings by pairing loans with state settlement grant funds.
Jeff McCluskey, executive director of the Waupaca County Economic Development Corporation, told the Economic Development Committee the county agency received $250,000 from a state settlement program and will match approved local business loans for downtown properties.
Under the program, an eligible business that obtains a business loan through WCDC — loans can be up to $100,000 — may receive a grant equal to the loan amount up to $50,000 to pay for building improvements such as energy efficiency upgrades, roof repairs and accessibility work. If a borrower qualifies for less than $50,000, the grant amount will match the loan amount, McCluskey said.
McCluskey said the state provided 18 months to deploy the funds and that the WCDC would pair the county and city grants with WCDC loans to encourage downtown reinvestment. “If a business either is located in an older building in downtown or purchasing a building in downtown, and they get approved for a business loan through us... they can apply for up to $100,000 business loan,” McCluskey said.
The program will be administered on a first‑come, first‑served basis after loan committee approval, McCluskey said. He also said several downtown businesses have already expressed interest; no awards had been made as of the meeting.
Committee members asked about timing and prioritization; McCluskey said the contracts were completed recently and that a press conference was scheduled for the following Tuesday to open applications to the public. The county’s portion of the program will be coordinated with municipal partners; the committee would review any city contributions before disbursing city funds.
McCluskey also reviewed other WCDC projects: workforce development partnerships, a veteran entrepreneur training program providing up to $5,000 to qualifying veterans, and a regional tourism grant program funded with ARPA dollars to seed events expected to draw visitors and overnight stays.
McCluskey said two projects already supported by the tourism program are the Iowa Car Show grounds hosting the Wisconsin Bluegrass Bash and an Iola Winter Sports Club mountain‑bike trail expansion; both projects are expected to increase visitor numbers and overnight stays in parts of Waupaca County. McCluskey said regional tourism funds were divided into three geographic sections to spread resources across the county.
No committee motion or vote was taken; staff and WCDC will publicize application details after the press event and return with recommendations when applicants are ready for committee consideration.","Waupaca County Economic Development Corporation told the committee it secured $250,000 from a state settlement grant to match local loans for downtown building purchases and improvements; the program pairs a business loan (up to $100,000) with grant funds (up to $50,000) to cover building improvements and accessibility work.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6158495,"Residents press committee over proposed Avangrid 150‑MW solar project; developer says battery storage withdrawn",1847,543000,2390000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0&start=543&end=2390","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5458397-475bbf536ee573e8fb4a4f90ded9c4c0/thumbnail_543000.jpg","/articles/6158495/New-London/Waupaca-County/Wisconsin/Residents-press-committee-over-proposed-Avangrid-150MW-solar-project-developer-says-battery-storage-withdrawn","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6158495-de12ea54f03042b5310b4c6e19dcf952/orig.mp4?Expires=1770954788&Signature=OrfRX~ZqE1CBYX5XZ-RRjV6i9OqAzYUdtUNdM7OaP6bRjuEjsLdH7CylADg660kX6UX0Lr7CbP8G2uAOudJMRXUWbjNfcLHCqx3sbN45isC9L2Z0Gaknl0ZKkC5ymnOpYystHQosqRNT9EkyOJmKY39CKX1rq0h1PnAlDIVOi-sIRnaoGsSYC3U6geBTHN6HIde8SB0Es0TKuldwq8~JP6w7YjJz5ilCQ6qjJ5TM6KbsBEjo~OyR95-UTlekR2TzG5OP7zeeG0c~Dt2oEXptnMy56s4l7z7hDghiMUcRihPnaciyFzXdzz4GccanP2c5q5uxUyg8c80X~Aaikijw2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee members and Maple Creek residents spent more than an hour on Tuesday debating a proposed Avangrid solar project that would place roughly 1,200 acres of panel arrays and a substation in and around Maple Creek and New London.
Residents told the Economic Development Committee they do not want prime farmland converted to a utility‑scale solar array and raised concerns about property values, wildlife, road damage and long‑term soil or water impacts. Derek Buss, lead developer for Avangrid, said battery storage has been withdrawn from the company’s current filings and described the state and regional permitting steps required for a project of this size.
The discussion matters because the project would be large enough to fall under state review, not local zoning. That shifts decision authority from town or county permitting to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, which reviews projects of 100 megawatts or larger through a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity process that includes public information meetings, environmental review and hearings.
Residents at the meeting said the proposal would remove large contiguous tracts of productive farmland and change the rural character of Maple Creek. “We would love to keep Maple Creek rural farmland,” said Susan Griffin, town chair for Maple Creek, adding that at a 2023 town meeting “99.9% of the people that were there did not want the solar field to go in.” Lynette Gitter, clerk for the town of Maple Creek, provided committee members with a visual map of the proposed array during public comment.
Several speakers said they feared a small number of large landowners were deciding for the rest of the community. “It ain't like it's 20, 30 guys that are going for this. It's 1 or 2,” said Scott Carriage, a resident of Maple Creek, describing how leases concentrated control among few owners.
Avangrid’s Derek Buss said the panel area would be seeded with native grasses and that leases require restoration of land to its prior use after decommissioning. “Our lease agreement requires us to restore the property back to its existing use,” Buss said, adding that under the company’s plan the vegetation under panels would be a native seed mix intended to reduce soil disturbance and runoff.
Buss confirmed Avangrid had paused its separate battery storage application. “We have pulled back on our battery storage application with the utility,” he said, and said the company would accept contract language restricting future battery development if the city or county required it.
On local revenues, Buss cited a state calculation that projects pay $4,500 per megawatt annually. Using that figure, he said, a 150‑megawatt project would generate roughly $675,000 a year; about 58% would go to Outagamie County and the remaining roughly $283,000 annually would go to the town of Maple Creek. Buss also described tax calculations for an operations and maintenance facility and substation inside New London, estimating an initial first‑year payment in the low hundreds of thousands tied to the substation’s assessed value.
Committee members said they are not prepared to vote on any land sale. John (unidentified city official) told residents the city needs a written sales or lease agreement to analyze tax and other implications formally. “I think that for this committee, they need to see that agreement to see what it would be before you guys have enough information for the full decision,” he said. No sale, lease or contract was presented to or approved by the committee during the meeting.
The committee’s next step, as recorded in the meeting, is to continue negotiations with Avangrid and to request any proposed sale or lease agreement for review; committee members said they would not forward or recommend a sale until they could review a written agreement and fuller technical details, including the company’s PSC filing documents and environmental studies.
Community members were told they will have further opportunities to comment during the PSC process if Avangrid applies for a CPCN. Buss said Avangrid has applied to MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) for interconnection studies and that the PSC process typically takes 12 to 18 months and includes public information meetings, an environmental assessment and potential hearings.
No formal motion or vote on land sale or approval of the project took place at the meeting. The committee adjourned after agreeing to continue discussions and to seek documentation before considering any formal action.","Town of Maple Creek residents told the Waupaca County Economic Development Committee they oppose selling land proposed for a 150‑megawatt Avangrid solar array and substation; Avangrid’s lead developer said battery storage is not part of the current application and outlined the state permitting process and local tax estimates.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

New London reports downtown openings, business renovations and summer kickoff drew about 3,800 visitors

Waupaca County EDC outlines $250,000 downtown small‑business loan/grant match; applications to open after press event

Residents press committee over proposed Avangrid 150‑MW solar project; developer says battery storage withdrawn