Tomah celebrates Wisconsin Main Street Day | Local

Twelve communities across the state celebrated Wisconsin Main Street Day with a visit from state officials to highlight the importance of downtown business districts in Wisconsin’s economy.

Locations were chosen from members of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Wisconsin Main Street Program and Connect Communities Program — which assist communities and organizations dedicated to revitalization efforts.

Ninety-five communities in the state are part of the programs — 34 Main Street and 61 Connect Communities.

Tomah is a member of Connect Communities.

Tricia Braun, deputy secretary and chief operating officer of WECD, said Tomah was chosen for its hard work and commitment to improvement.

“It’s also a commitment to the state,” she said. “We appreciate that.”

Tomah celebrated the day at the site of the former Tee Pee Supper Club, where redevelopment plans were unveiled for the site.

Tina Thompson, executive director of the Tomah Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, said the building project will be the catalyst for change in the city’s downtown.

“All eyes have been on this project,” she said. “I think once people see this project taking off, it’s going to spur more investment throughout the entire downtown corridor. Everybody is going to want to be here, and everyone’s going to want to be part of this energy. It’s going to be infectious, I know that.”

Steve Peterson, Monroe County Economic Development coordinator, agreed.

“It’s going to be a trickle-down effect,” he said. “This beautiful building will get built, then other people are going to want to renovate their building, do some rehab work. I think you’re going to see that domino effect throughout the whole downtown area, where that whole pride level takes it up a notch because you want to be as cool as what this building is going to be.”

It’s an important project that has to be done, said Kim Voigt of 3rd Gen LLC.

“The Tee Pee has always been a staple in downtown Tomah ... and when we lost it, we really lost a huge part of Tomah,” she said. “We want to bring something, that something, back to downtown Tomah. All five of us were born and raised here, three of us still live and work here, so this is important to us; we want to see Tomah grow and we think this will help. We’re hoping with the success of this project other projects will follow.”

The project is in the final design stage, Voigt said, with the hope to start the footings in October with completion in the fall of 2018.

The new building will have two floors of commercial space, third floor apartments with amenities including a fitness center and community center and underground parking.

However the most important part of the project is the restaurant and banquet facility, Voigt said, which Mike Murray will be in charge of.

“We just think he will do absolutely wonderful with that; he’s the only person we ever thought of when it came to that,” Voigt said. “We feel like the success of him with the restaurant and banquet facility will drive the success of the building. We know he’ll be successful with all of his charity work, his community work, and he’s already booking stuff and we haven’t even placed a shovel in the ground yet.”

Tomah city administrator Roger Gorius is thankful to the Gerke family for taking on the project.

“When they took this over, I think we all were kind of stunned that it happened, and I remember asking Chad why and he said, ‘It just seemed like the right thing to do. I’ve been in Tomah my entire life and was watching it kind of fall down and said, somebody had to do something, so we’re going to step up and do it,’” he said. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this. My office is right across the street, so I’ve watched this building over the last five years kind of crumble around itself and then I watched it come down. I’ve seen the plans on what’s going to go up, and I think you’re going to be absolutely amazed.”

The city’s future is bright, Gorius said.

“I think we’re going to be doing some amazing things for you over the next few years; I can’t wait to see it,” he said. “I think this building is just the start of many, many, many good things, and it will be a keystone in the downtown area.”

State Senator Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, agrees.

“As we all know it was once owned by Ed Thompson, who loved this community and loved his friends and family and wanted a place for people to be comfortable and to have a good time, which is why every Thanksgiving he gave a free meal to people who came through his door,” he said. “So today we start a new chapter within this space, and we hope to fill it with Ed’s spirit and love of community.”

Downtowns are the lifeblood of communities, Testin said.

“Downtowns aren’t just downtowns, they’re a destination of where we go to work, go to worship, where we go get a good meal with friends,” he said. “We look forward to working with each and every one of you as we continue to make sure our downtown thrives and prospers here in Tomah.”