Since late 2022, community leaders, business owners, elected officials, staff, and community residents have been meeting at the Morse town hall to talk about what’s working, what’s needed, and what’s possible. With assistance from the UW-Madison’s Division of Extension community and economic development specialists, the group explored many actions they could take to build a more attractive, successful, and sustainable community.
The Town of Morse and the City of Mellen partnered together to develop their first ever community-wide strategic plan for improving their community and economy based on four goals they identified as vital to creating a vibrant future.
Goals for Mellen & Morse
- Improve downtown Mellen through renovations, business development and community investment.
- Increase the number of new and existing rehabbed housing units that addresses gaps in the current community housing needs and balances environmental and sustainable development.
- Community Conversations: Establish mechanisms and processes to enhance the communication throughout the communities.
- Leverage outdoor resources responsibly and support businesses that cater to the motorized and non-motorized outdoor activities; establishing food, taverns, repair/sales and lodging services that can enhance the outdoor experience for visitors and residents.
Community members and regional specialists are now working together in Morse and Mellen to accomplish the objectives and actions defined in each of the four goals, and so far a lot of progress has been made! Here are their accomplishments in the three months of June, July, and August 2024.
Goal 1: Improve downtown Mellen through renovations, business development and community investment.
- Laundromat building was demolished, site cleaned up and seeded in grass. Exposed wall of next building was painted to match existing building.
- Superior Choice CU completed its total remodel.
- Black Granite site demolition was completed. The wall of the adjacent building was patched. The wall is a potential future mural site. Topsoil was brought in, leveled and seeded. Development of the site is being discussed by the City Council.
- Former fitness center (Mary’s Beehive) has new owner who is remodeling upstairs apartments.
- Post Office, Thrift Store and downstairs apartment building has new owner and buildings are being remodeled.
- Brownstone Project is moving ahead.
- Former Express Mart site on the corner of Hwys 77 and 13 was sloped and seeded during highway project.
- Ashland Area Development Corporation will be hosting an informational meeting at the Legion Memorial Library on August 22, 2024 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Potential grant funding for Downtown Businesses.
- Mellen Beautification Committee has done an exceptional job with the placement and maintenance of their flowering plants.
- Tree removal by the school and north of City Hall has been sloped and reseeded.
- Mellen City Council’s Building & Grounds Committee has
Identified buildings that need specific renovations to comply with City Building Codes - All the above listed items have greatly improved the looks
and climate of the downtown area.
Goal 2: Increase the number of new and existing rehabbed housing units that addresses gaps in the current community housing needs and balances environmental and sustainable development.
- A housing committee toured the City to identify specific units that need rehabbing.
- A housing survey has been developed with UW-Extension assistance but not yet distributed.
- Inventoried vacant city lots with sewer & water.
- City owned lots that are available have been identified.
- The Ashland County Housing Authority has promoted home energy efficiency loans through the NW Regional Planning Commission.
- Connected City Building & Grounds members with local realtors to discuss marketing of City owned lots.
- City Council has notified residents of City Zoning Ordinances and Violations.
- Committee has reviewed City Covenants for the Ellias Subdivision.
- Attended Zoom meeting on manufactured homes.
Goal 3: Community Conversations: Establish mechanisms and processes to enhance the communication throughout the communities.
- The US Post Office Lobby has been identified as the ideal place for community notifications/information.
- The Chamber of Commerce had their webpage evaluated by MHS Business Ed. Students. Some of the pages have been edited.
- Chamber has updated their Internet webpage to link all local businesses, Mellen School, and governments agencies that have webpages.
- Plans are being made with the MHS Shop department to make kiosks for area information at Gilman Park, Landry Square, at Copper Falls State Park, Cty Hwy GG Overlook and the entrance to the North Country Trail on Hwy 169 on the Bad River.
- Coordination for events continues to be done between local organizations and the Mellen Weekly Record and the Mellen Chamber of Commerce.
- Plans are being made to contact local residents about developing an electronic alert network to inform emergency incidents.
Goal 4: Leverage outdoor resources responsibly and support businesses that cater to the motorized and non-motorized outdoor activities; establishing food, taverns, repair/sales and lodging services that can enhance the outdoor experience for visitors and residents.
- Town of Morse and City of Mellen maps have been improved. (see attached maps)
- Work has begun in developing a brochure that lists info about all campsites, lodging and amenities within the Mellen School District.
- US Forest Service has been contacted about opening closed National Forest Campgrounds. Plans are being made to contact Wisconsin’s Federal Legislators to support and fund re-opening closed campgrounds.
- Pursue Dark Skies designation for Mellen, Copper Falls State Park, or the region.
We have made progress on this goal and objective toward an international recognition of Copper Falls State Park (CFSP) as a Dark Sky Park. A recent visit to Newport State Park in Door County, designated a dark skies park in 2017, found economic, educational and recreational benefits of the designation to park visitors and the local community. This type of astro-tourism has added value to the larger Newport Community. The Town of Morse Comprehensive Planning Committee has taken the lead on Objective 4.
In no specific order, we took the following steps to draft and submit the initial application on August 16, 2024:
- Contacted the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) to give formal notice of intent to seek a park designation and were then given an IDA point of contact to work with.
- Secured letter of support from CFSP Superintendent Robert Skalitzky.
- Received a resolution of support for our application from the Friends of Copper Falls State Park (Friends).
- Received financial support and resolution from the Town of Morse.
- Solicited support from the Town of Ashland, City of Mellen, Ashland County, and the Bad River Tribe, all of which remain pending.
- Received letters of Support from State Senator Romaine Quinn and State Representative Chanz Green.
- Nomination to designate CFSP a dark sky park made to by IDA member the Geneva Lake Astrophysics & STEAM.
- Nomination supported by University of Wisconsin Astronomy Department letter.
- Mellen and Morse both passed resolutions to declare April 2-8, 2024, International Dark Sky Week.
- CFSP Superintendent conducted an outdoor lighting inventory of the park, and we negotiated a CFSP Light Management Plan.
- Initiated programming, events, and hikes, e.g. new moon walk, full moon walk, bat house building workshop, nocturnal creatures.
- Conducted ongoing night sky quality measurements at CFSP to assure we enjoy and maintain a dark sky.
- Initiated local advocacy based on a Model Light Ordinance (MLO) developed by the Illuminating Engineering Society and the IDA; referred to the Morse Comprehensive Planning Committee for study.
- Ongoing night sky outreach and educational initiatives will include interpretive talks, basic stargazer’s skills, e.g. telescope use, hands-on workshops, developing a stargazing calendar, and indigenous story telling of the skies and nocturnal wildlife.
What Can You Do?
- Step out some night and enjoy our exceptional community resource: our unpolluted, starry skies. Remember how lucky we are; 80% of the world’s population cannot even see the Milky Way or the Northern Lights.
- Support efforts to protect our night sky resource from light pollution.
For more information about each community, please contact
- Town of Morse Chairman Jeff Ehrhardt: 715-681-0184 or ehrhardtjeff@gmail.com
- City of Mellen Mayor Terry Van Buren: 715-651-0664 or vanburenterrance@outlook.com
HAVE A QUESTION?
Lissa Radke serves Ashland County as the Community Development Educator. To learn more about Community Development Programming and the role of Extension in Ashland County, send an email to lissa.radke@wisc.edu or call the Ashland County office at 715-682-7017.
An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements. Discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, creed or religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, pregnancy, veterans’ status, arrest or non-job or program related conviction record or qualified disability is prohibited. In accordance with federal law and its enacting regulations, any person with limited English proficiency (LEP) has the right to request and receive information related to Extension’s educational programming and services in a language other than English. In order to receive assistance with interpretation and/or translation needs, or any other matter related to language access issues, please contact: oaic@extension.wisc.edu
