Marathon City Heritage Park Project

Transformational Placemaking In the Summer of 2013, Marathon City 2020 held several community friendly events called “Summer Fest” the events were well attended and enjoyed by all, yet we struggled to find a place to call home for the event and the excitement fizzled. In the summer of 2017, Marathon City 2020 transformed the Heritage Center parking lot into an exciting pop-up park and hosted a night of music and family friendly entertainment. The vision became clear that this should be a permanent park. Marathon City Heritage Park, A Green Space in a Historic Place With community support, Marathon City 2020 Ltd. plans to transform a worn-out parking lot and abandoned bank drive-thru into an environmentally friendly and inviting greenspace. This “pocket park” will feature a covered stage, raised planting beds with built-in seating, a transitional area for additional seating or entertainment, bike racks and more. Downtown Revitalization We are seeking funding to build a permanent pocket park and adjacent building façade renovation project located in a high traffic, highly visible portion of the Village of Marathon's downtown area. Our revitalization effort is intended to serve as a multifunctional place for education, relaxation, entertainment, and cultural attractions. Because we enjoy a small-city downtown, all of these activities are within a compact area that is easily walkable. Adding a true park venue to this mix will provide visitors with another reason to enjoy our downtown and view it as an important place within their overall sphere of activity. If people are encouraged to spend money in our downtown, it will help to make our local economy stronger and attract more people new to the area. In addition to developing a pocket park, we seek to correct issues with the Heritage Center's front cornice and install a new visually appealing sign that replaces a vinyl banner. This will provide proper identification for the center and better reflect the historical character of our community's downtown Main Street. This renovation project is phase one of a larger effort to link downtown businesses via a pedestrian walkway through an adjoining alley.

The Power of Community The design concept was revealed at the Power of Community Campaign kick-off on October 26, 2017. We have obtained labor and material quotes from vendors and contractors and obtained 3D drawings to share our vision. Our fundraising campaign will consist of in-person contacts, mailers, social media messaging, website posts, handouts and posters and will continue throughout 2017 and early 2018. We will also be working with several volunteer organizations to support the fundraising and awareness campaign in our community. Our goal is to secure necessary funds and begin construction in spring 2018, with anticipated completion by late summer. We hope to have a grand opening by Labor Day weekend 2018 when Marathon hosts our annual Fun Days community-wide event. Contributions to Marathon City 2020 Ltd. (TIN: 47-5638829) are tax deductible as charitable nonprofit contributions under code section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations can be made to the Marathon City 2020 and mailed to: Marathon City 2020 Ltd. PO Box 423 Marathon, WI 54448 To donate online, please visit our YouCaring page at www.youcaring.com/marathoncity2020ltd-1015875