Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

186 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 property and will convert the classroom portion of the school into 33 apartments and then build seven three-bedroom homes on the site. “And the cool part is that the city will be able to retain ownership of the cafeteria and the gym that were part of that school; they’ll get renovated and will be available for community use, such as an adult basketball league; pickleball, which is growing in popularity here; or youth organizations like the scouts. In addition, part of the grant funding we receive will allow us to construct an ADA playground and a new concrete skatepark, as well as some other outdoor recreation amenities on that same site. The ADA playground will be the first of its kind in Rusk County. So, we’re looking forward to that project breaking ground.” A small city sees growth ahead Looking forward, while Ladysmith’s population has declined somewhat over the last few decades, Christianson believes that the community is primed for new growth. “We’ve got a lot of natural beauty here,” he opines. “You can drive five minutes in any direction from town and be in the middle of the country. But we’ve still got enough amenities to make it a nice livable place. You can’t have everything that you have in the big city, but I think we’ve put in a good effort and seen a lot of good results.” It’s no wonder, that Ladysmith, Wisconsin is known as the “City of Pride, Progress, and Promise” PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) ladysmithidc@gmail.com The Ladysmith Community Industrial Development Corporation was formed in 1958 for purposes of community betterment in the Ladysmith area.  The corporation has primarily focused its efforts in commercial and industrial real estate development. For over 65 years, the LCIDC has worked as a catalyst for growth in the Ladysmith area. We invite you to come and grow with us. n Rusk Area Chamber of Commerce https://liveruskcounty.com The Rusk Area Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote the Rusk Area as a great place to eat, play, shop, and live so that our business community and citizens can thrive! Whether you are looking to visit for the day, take a vacation, move to the area, or start a business in one of our communities like Ladysmith, Bruce, Conrath, Glen Flora, Hawkins, Sheldon, Tony, or Weyerhaeuser we have something for everyone. Visit liveruskcounty.com for more information.