Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Fort Atkinson gives visitors positive first impression
By Jessie Tuttle
Union staff writer
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
"Secret shoppers" from Sauk Prairie had a fairly positive first impression of Fort Atkinson when they visited the city recently.
The visitors were part of a "First?Impression" community assessment and improvement program that reviewed Fort Atkinson community's efforts.
On Sept. 7, a diverse team of representatives from Sauk Prairie were sent to Fort Atkinson for an unannounced visit. In exchange, Fort Atkinson sent a team to Sauk Prairie to do the same. Both teams followed a comprehensive outline, and the responses were compiled into reports on which each community may reflect.
Steve Grabow, professor and community development educator of the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Jefferson, presented the results of the survey Tuesday to a Hoard Historical Museum gathering of mainly Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce members and city and school representatives.
"The program is basically citizens from one community taking a look at another community and doing their best effort to honestly reflect on what they see that is particularly strong and maybe some things that could be worked on," Grabow said.
Initiated in 1991, First Impressions has been used by hundreds of communities in the United States and Canada. It offers a way to determine what visitors think of a community by sending volunteers as "secret shoppers" for the day to discover what they can about a community similar to their own. The final report provides an outsider's perspective of a community as it might be perceived by a prospective business, potential resident or tourist.
As part of the program's orientation, 19 principles of community placemaking that represent key characteristics of quality places were used as working guidelines to help create ideal communities. Fort Atkinson excelled in five of the main principles, which included:
• City-centered redevelopment and infill based on Fort Atkinson's redevelopment of the riverfront.
• Pedestrian- and bike-friendly environments with the city's network of bike trails throughout the community.
• Environmental resources and parks preserved and consciously integrated into the fabric of the community with its focus and development along the Rock River.
• Well-designed public buildings and public spaces enlivened by work of art and sculpture with the city's attention to the details that make a community memorable.
• Many choices and many things to do with a sociable setting, referring to specific areas such as the farmer's market, restaurants featuring outdoor seating and small pocket parks located throughout the downtown area.
"Research shows that very few communities reach a high level on all of the principles, so for Fort Atkinson to have five featured is very strong," Grabow said.
While the city received mostly praise, the team thought the community could use more of a strong local character. It said Fort Atkinson is known for its variety of small specialty shops, but with the loss of at least one destination store, it felt the community is struggling to find itself.
The areas of the city on which the review focused included the community entrances; downtown and business areas; government, education and healthcare services; and recreation and tourism. The team also assessed the community prior to its visit based on finding information about the community ahead of time and personal prior expectations.
The team found telephone contacts and websites helpful when it came to providing information about the community, and members believed the information they found about Fort Atkinson accurately reflected its strong sense of community and history, according to the report.
After taking a five-minute drive through Fort Atkinson, the Sauk Prairie team noted several points of its first impression. The reactions were almost entirely positive and included the following thoughts:
• The downtown area seemed to be alive and active with plenty of opportunities for outdoor seating. There were few empty storefronts and a good mix of business and retail.
• There were many artistic touches throughout the community, including various sculptures and murals.
• Most of the very old, historic buildings downtown have been attractively renovated.
• The bike lane and wind turbine were signs that the community was becoming more "green."
• In general, the residential properties were well-cared-for and clean.
• There appeared to be a significant commitment to parks and greenspace, which were "attractive" assets.
• The community had a consistent signage throughout the city, including bridge banners, brochures and park signs having a cohesive logo.
• The business district was spread throughout the community, which was viewed as a positive.
When entering the community from State Highway 26, the team liked the unique welcome sign that connects with the community's history and thought Poyer's Farm Market looked interesting. However, they stated that the Kmart Plaza looked rundown and detracted from the community appeal.
Approaching the city from U.S. Highway 12, the team appreciated the multiple strip malls and the "attractive" signage and lightpoles, but thought the welcome sign was easy to miss.
The general appearance of the downtown area, including buildings, displays and signage, also was reviewed during the visit. The team said the downtown seemed to be thriving, although it did not live up to their expectations. The visitors reported that they felt downtown was not as appealing with the loss of I Love Funky's.
However, the individuals stated that most of the buildings were in good repair and several were restored to their historic charm, and they thought the city did a great job of utilizing the Rock River. The team also appreciated the amount of street trees and flowers, and they found the directional and bike route signage were very effective.
They also stated that much of the downtown area appeared to be unique shops with a gift item focus and had very attractive window displays.
In reviewing public amenities, the team did not find drinking fountains, public transportation or public restrooms downtown, but they did find public restrooms in public buildings. Members also praised the small pocket parks or sitting areas with planters throughout the downtown area.
Customer service in the downtown and business areas received positive feedback from the team members, as they reported experiencing very helpful and friendly service in stores, restaurants and public facilities. People were more than happy to answer their questions and make them feel welcome in a manner that demonstrated their pride for the community, they said.
Some positive things they highlighted in their review of the downtown area included the murals and sculptures showcasing local artists and the small eateries. They also felt the Rock River Canoe facility was a unique regional attraction.
However, the team was not sure if it had located the industrial area, stating that it felt it was not well-defined.
"I know we know where everything is, but I think we need to think like a visitor in order to clear up some confusion," chamber Executive Vice President Dianne Hrobsky said during Tuesday's presentation.
The next point of focus was on government, education and healthcare services in the community, which included visits to the municipal building, schools and the hospital.
The visitors noted the staff at the municipal building were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, and they were impressed they were able to meet with the city manager when they stopped in for a visit. However, they did not think the front entrance of the building matched the look and feel of the community.
Regarding schools, it was stated that there appeared to be a good mix of educational facilities, and they were impressed with the large, new high school.
The team also felt the hospital was very impressive, and they appreciated the network of healthcare services that were all conveniently located near the hospital.
While reviewing the parks, trails and athletic facilities, the group was impressed with the number and variety of parks in the community and the Glacial River Trail that connected them. It was evident the community values its natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities, they said.
However, the team felt the Loeb/Lorman Iron and Metal steel pile near the baseball field detracted from the beauty of Ralph Park.
During their visit to the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce office, the Sauk Prairie team said, the director was extremely enthusiastic about the community and told them about a number of community events. They said she was helpful, knowledgeable, professional and portrayed a very positive image of the community. They also thought the chamber was an attractive building in a highly visible location with good parking, and they stated the digital signage was a good asset.
Again, the team emphasized their liking for the Fort Atkinson logo, which they found on park signs, city trucks and tourism brochures.
"A number of the good things about the community that were mentioned were projects supported by the (Fort Atkinson) Community Foundation, including the bike trail, many of the sculptures, the logo design, and more," Fort Atkinson Community Foundation program administrator Helen Rose said Tuesday. "I think we need to feel proud that we have such a generous community that has supported our community foundation so well for so many years."
After reviewing the report, it was found there might have been some misunderstandings about the community. One obvious one in the report was in regard to the visitors' suggestion to relocate the library near a school, as it seemed to be in an industrial area. They were referring to the Dwight Foster Public Library's temporary location in the former Digi-Star building; it was noted Tuesday that the visitors must have missed the library's actual location as it is under construction.
Another possible point of confusion was a statement that the middle school seemed small. Some chamber members assumed they probably were looking at one of the elementary schools, not the middle school, because the middle school is located in the large, former high school building.
The next possible misunderstanding was questioned when the team reported they could not find the grade school. It was questioned which school they could not find, as Fort Atkinson has four elementary schools. Some attendees Tuesday thought it was a continued mix-up since they might have been observing an elementary school rather than the middle school like they thought.
In its overall wrap-up, the Sauk Prairie group listed the top five positive things observed in the community, which included the Rock River as an asset, the bike trail through the community, the consistent and cohesive community branding, the quantity and variety of public art, and the space to gather and walk downtown.
Two potential opportunities available to the community that were suggested in the report were to improve the view near the baseball field in Ralph Park and to redevelop an anchor business, such as I Love Funky's, that will draw people to Fort Atkinson.
"When we have more ideas on how to improve, I think we should work together and get it done," Hrobsky said. "I?hope everyone takes what they have learned today and thinks about it, because who knows what could come out of it."
The Sauk Prairie representatives did state that they themselves will be looking for opportunities to develop a consistent community brand, borrowing the idea they observed in Fort Atkinson. They also said the thing they will remember most about the community six months from now will be Fort Atkinson's connection with the Rock River.
"This was quite a celebration of all the concerted efforts of the years by so many people to make this a fine community," Grabow said. "They all agreed Fort Atkinson seemed like a great place to live and was a place they would like to visit again."
"Overall, this has been an uplifting report, and I?feel good about it," Hrobsky said.
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