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North Central Wisconsin
Regional Planning Commission
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Serving Adams, Forest, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln,
Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Vilas, and Wood Counties since 1973
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Please Take the Broadband Speed Test
NCWRPC Completes Entrepreneurship Assessment
Bike & Ped Funding Available
Great Pines Waterway
New! - USDA Rural America Placemaking Toolkit
Last Call - Road Rating 2023
EMSI Analyst Reports
NCWRPC Commissioners
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Please Take the Broadband Speed Test |
The information collected is important to develop a system that ensures everyone has access to quality internet service. The speed test data will be shared with internet providers and local governments. Knowing where there is good internet and where there is not good internet service will help the various entities identify future projects. Currently, internet speeds that fall below the FCC standards are eligible for federal and state grants.
We invite you to test your internet speeds by taking this test and contribute to the broadband speed test map. Just click on the button below. Try it from home and work, the more tests the better. Feel free to pass this message along to others.
If you have any questions about the Broadband Speed Test, contact Andy Faust at afaust@ncwrpc.org or by calling 715-849-5510, Extension 305.
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NCWRPC Completes Entrepreneurship Assessment |
NCWRPC recently completed the North Central Wisconsin Regional Entrepreneurship Assessment which examines how well our Region is supporting entrepreneurs. The assessment contains a regional profile of the Region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem including business establishment trends, an overview of the five drivers of entrepreneurship and how they impact entrepreneurship throughout the Region, a summary of a survey sent out to local business owners throughout the Region, and recommendations intended to enhance the Region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The objectives of this report are to provide a better understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the North Central Wisconsin Region, and to develop actionable recommendations based on the findings of the assessment. These recommendations will help guide the Region’s efforts towards fostering long-term economic and entrepreneurial development initiatives.
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NCWRPC also recently launched the North Central Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Portal. The Entrepreneurship Portal identifies available funding opportunities for businesses; resources such as trainings, tools, and workshops & events to help support business development; organizations that support entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the region; and available spaces such as co-working spaces and business incubators throughout North Central Wisconsin. |
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If you have any questions about the Entrepreneurship Assessment or the Entrepreneurship Portal, please contact Eric Sonnleitner at 715-849-5510 extension 306 or esonnleitner@ncwrpc.org. |
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Bike & Ped Funding Available |
The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is a grant program that was authorized in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (commonly abbreviated as BIL) with increased funding availability. With certain exceptions, projects that met eligibility criteria for the Safe Routes to School Program, Transportation Enhancements, and/or the Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Program are eligible TAP projects.
All TAP projects require sponsors to pay 20% of approved project costs. Federal TAP funds are capped at the time of the project. A TAP project may not be substituted for another project. TAP projects must commence within four years of the award date.
Application materials for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) are now available on the WisDOT website. Grants are available for both planning and infrastructure projects to be scheduled during the 2024-2028 time period. The deadline for application is October 27, 2023.
If you have questions or need assistance in applying, the NCWRPC may be able to help. Contact Darryl Landeau at dlandeau@ncwrpc.org or 715-849-5510 ext. 308.
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Great Pinery Heritage Waterway |
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The Great Pinery Heritage Waterway recently held a grand opening event for the opening of their navigable water trail at Riverside Park in Wausau. Situated on the Wisconsin River and its tributaries, the trail spans several counties and is 108 miles long. The Great Pinery Heritage Waterway winds through scenic forests, urban landscapes and historic sites, inviting paddlers to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the Great Pinery, learn about the native inhabitants and European settlers who once navigated these waters, and enjoy local attractions, food and happenings.
NCWRPC recently helped the Great Pinery Heritage Waterway map the trail and develop signage for the trail. More information about the Great Pinery Heritage Waterway can be found here.
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Last Call - Road Rating 2023 |
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It is time once again for local governments in Wisconsin to submit surface condition ratings for all local roads under their jurisdiction. State statute 86.302(2) requires that the ratings be submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation every two years.
In 2021, the NCWRPC submitted the mandated condition ratings for 44 communities, including 2 counties, 2 cities, 4 villages and 36 towns. In total, over 2,300 miles of road were driven by Commission Staff. The next round of submissions will be due to WisDOT by December 15, 2023.
Commission Staff will be providing a variety of services to local units of government within the Region to meet their needs for pavement rating and submitting to WisDOT. Recognizing the impact of COVID-19 on local budgets, the NCWRPC will continue to offer most of these services free-of-charge to member communities. If you think your community would like to utilize the services of the NCWRPC to help you with this pavement rating mandate, please contact Eric Sonnleitner at 715-849-5510 extension 306 or esonnleitner@ncwrpc.org. |
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New! - USDA Rural America Placemaking Toolkit |
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The Rural America Placemaking Toolkit is a resource guide to showcase a variety of placemaking activities, projects, and success stories across rural America. USDA Rural Development partnered with the University of Kentucky's Community & Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) to develop this website as a way to highlight the importance of placemaking in rural communities, as well as provide comprehensive resource that will be regularly updated to feature new projects, activities and successes from rural America.
Placemaking is a comprehensive, intentional, wrap-around approach to community development by exploring what it means for a community to have an identity. Just as a child develops a personality as they grow, places develop a personality as well. Placemaking is a way for community residents to pinpoint what that sense of place is and how to incorporate it in their roads, storefronts, and community activities to celebrate individual cultures within a community as well as a shared identity.
Having a site that is dedicated to activities, projects, and successes that have already happened in rural communities will give you the inspiration to select a project (or sequence of projects) that you know is relevant to a town like yours.
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The NCWRPC continues its partnership with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to provide economic development analysis data throughout the Region. A comprehensive economic modeling program, called Analyst, developed by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) is a tool that provides industry/ occupation data, impact assessments, and economic base analysis information.
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Adams County
Rocky Gilner
Rick Pease
Jami Gebert
Juneau County
Jerry Niles
Kenneth Winters
Betty Manson
Lincoln County
Loretta Baughan
Gene Simon
Hans Breitenmoser
Oneida County
Ted Cushing
Harland Lee
Steven Schreier
Vilas County
Robert Hanson
Jay Verhulst
Appointment Pending
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Forest County
Cindy Gretzinger
Paul Millan
William Chaney
Langlade County
Reinhardt Balcerzak
Angela Close
Ronald Nye
Marathon County
Craig McEwen
David Oberbeck
Appointment Pending
Portage County
Allen Haga Jr.
John Pavelski
Larry Raikowski
Wood County
Jason Grueneberg
Douglas Machon
Dave LaFontaine
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North Central Wisconsin
Regional Planning Commission
210 McClellan Street, Suite 210
Wausau, WI 54403
715-849-5510
Fax: 715-849-5110
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