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West Bend BID discusses downtown lighting, facade grants and fall landscaping ahead of completion of master plan
Summary
Board members reviewed progress on the downtown master plan, including a deeper look at inconsistent street lighting, upcoming facade grant committee work, and suggestions to diversify fall plantings in hanging baskets and planters.
The West Bend BID discussed follow-up steps on the downtown master plan Oct. 7, focusing on inconsistent public lighting styles, upcoming facade-grant committee deliberations and possible changes to fall landscaping for 2026.
John, a city staff member, said the downtown area currently uses multiple types of streetlights — some rented from We Energies, some rented by the city, and some owned by the city — and the committee wants to narrow choices to achieve a consistent downtown character. He said staff will meet with public-works, parks and We Energies representatives to inventory which lights are rented or owned and to evaluate maintenance and lifecycle costs before the consultants finalize recommendations. John said that while some residents prefer contemporary fixtures, others favor historically styled lighting, and the committee wants to assess practical maintenance and cost implications before choosing a style.
The board reviewed facade-grant timing: the facade-grant committee meets Oct. 9 to prepare the next round of applications, with the board aiming to release the application earlier than last year and to set a January deadline for submissions. John said recent large proposed projects have been awarded grants but not advanced to construction, leaving funds to return to the pool; the committee will discuss whether to focus funding on smaller projects or continue to support large projects. The committee is also considering small seed grants (for example, design assistance capped at a modest amount) to help applicants develop refined concepts that could lead to funded work.
On landscaping, staff said feedback on hanging baskets called for fuller, cascading plants. Parks staff plan to include more petunias and cascading varieties in downtown hanging baskets; for fall plantings, the BID discussed adding kale, cabbage and ornamental grasses alongside mums to create more varied seasonal displays. Staff noted that early ordering timelines mean decisions typically must be made many months before installation.
John told the committee the downtown master-plan consultants expected to wrap up in November, but staff recommended a deeper review of lighting options before finalizing; that review could extend the timeline by a month or two to ensure choices are sustainable and maintainable.
The board also heard updates about a new piece of public art and plans to convert a future vacated fire station into a museum entrance to further activate downtown, items included in the quarterly downtown master-plan update.
