Business View Civil Municipal June 2023

139 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 WISCONSIN RAPIDS , WI We have our own construction crews, and our own engineering departments who design the roads. And whenever we do a paving project, we always consider recreational trails in that planning. In fact, most of our projects include a recreational trail. At a minimum, we make sure that things are bike-accessible and pedestrian- friendly. We’ve been built for walkability for years.” Wisconsin Rapids currently offers over 20 miles of separate trails, along the river and through the parks, perfect for family strolls, dog walks, or your daily run. “We’ve actually just submitted a request to become a bicycle-friendly community through the League of American Bicyclists,” offers Kearns. “Hopefully we’ll receive that status to give us something we can mark as a ‘quality of life’ community asset. We’re also wrapping up Phase 2 of our way-finding signage project—that’s a $200,000 project to create some really cool signs on those walking paths within and around the downtown, either to bring people into the downtown, or disseminate them out to different spots like our industrial parks, the YMCA, and other civic features.” In terms of broadband service, Wisconsin Rapids has another unique attribute which is its century- old, locally-owned phone company, Solarus. “They used to be known as the Wood County Telephone Company,” Blaser explains. “Thanks to them, we have a strong internet backbone built out into most of our rural areas. We’re very confident in the internet speed available.” As a vital component of the city’s plan for downtown upgrades, the municipality recently created a historic preservation commission to capitalize on the historic resources that lie within the area, taking advantage of the state’s