SUPERIOR — Preservation-minded people packed into the back room at Thirsty Pagan Brewing Thursday, April 7, to throw support behind projects that ranged from restoring the water fountain at Hammond Park to preserving the remaining facade of the Bayside Warehouse, which was destroyed by fire in January.
At stake was $3.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars that the city of Superior has earmarked for historic rehabilitation.
Mayor Jim Paine gave a brief description of proposals the city is currently eyeing — five large projects with the capacity to change the city and 12 smaller ones — then gave each attendee three stickers to vote with.
“You’re going to love more than three projects,” Paine said, urging them to spend time lobbying for their favorites before voting.
Additional projects were introduced by those who attended the event. Mary Houk, state historian for the Wisconsin Daughters of the American Revolution, sought support for placing a state historic marker and some benches where the city’s first log cabin was built along 31st Avenue East. The log hut was erected in 1853 and served as the starting point for cutting the Old Military Road to the St. Croix River. The nonprofit placed a plaque at the site in 1927, but Houk said a larger state marker would catch the eye of passers-by and raise awareness.
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Repairs and roof work for the city’s Old Firehouse and Police Museum in the city’s East End was already listed as one of the possible projects. Retired firefighter David Johnson lobbied to expand the project by adding a third bay back onto the building. The new section would sport a historic facade but be modern inside and include an elevator for accessibility.
JoAnn Jardine was there to raise awareness of the old M&C Gas building on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus. The former gas station at 702 Belknap St. across from A&W Restaurant is currently the home of Enterprise Rental. Jardine, whose father Edward Cismoski was the C in the title, said the building holds a wealth of memories for former employees and those who frequented it. She urged members of the public to keep their eye on it.
Paul Freer remembered purchasing gas for 23.9 cents a gallon from that M&C station. The Superior man said he was torn about which projects to vote for, as he has a close connection to many of them. Freer’s nephew owns the Carnegie library on Hammond Avenue; his father Lloyd was one of the city leaders who brought the SS Meteor to Superior; he even played in the Hammond Park fountain pool as a young child.
Two of the youngest attendees were Jacob Olson, 8, and his brother Zac, 15. They looked over the projects carefully before voting.
Jacob’s three stickers went to rebuilding the historic arch at the intersection of Tower Avenue and Broadway Street, restoring the Princess Theatre and putting dollars into the Old Firehouse and Police Museum.
“My mom is a firefighter,” he said, and his grandfather worked there.
The picture of the Princess Theatre (formerly Frankie’s Tavern) prompted him to cast a vote there.
“I think it would just be fun for people. It looks all worn down. I really want to make it brighter,” Jacob said.
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His older brother also voted for restoring the theater and bringing back the arch, but opted to put his third vote toward the Carnegie library.
An hour and a half into the voting, the Princess Theatre project appeared to be a front runner. Other large projects had more than a dozen votes each, with most of the smaller ticket items amassing roughly half the number of votes as the larger projects.
Members of the public can still make their vote count. The city has launched an online survey to gauge how these historic projects will be prioritized. A link to the survey can be found on the City of Superior Department of Planning and Development Facebook page.
