May 2022 — In response to severe flood events, the Village of La Valle, Wisconsin has been awarded federal funding to assist in flood mitigation and recovery. As part of the planning process, a group of local residents formed the La Valle Revitalization Committee. The purpose of the committee is to provide leadership and community representation.
Three Lakes lost two of its downtown landmarks when fire destroyed the Three Lakes Diner and the Oneida Village Inn. Dedicated and passionate community members organized to move the community forward, taking the name Forward Three Lakes. They worked with Oneida County Community Development Educator, Myles Alexander, and Land Use & Community Development Specialist, Todd Johnson. Together they engaged the Three Lakes community in a holistic and intense public participatory community design process called Design Wisconsin – a program that connects communities with planning and design professionals to draw out a shared vision of the community’s future. This program is offered by the Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort.
The Village has hired MSA Professional Services, Inc. to assist with the planning effort. The effort includes: modeling existing conditions, reviewing engineering solutions to address flooding, exploring redevelopment of flood prone sites, and exploring relocating downtown businesses.
Results from the existing conditions modeling and engineering study suggest that levees, upper watershed storage, and other engineering solutions may not be feasible. The community should consider relocating downtown businesses along the Baraboo River and redevelop those sites prone to flooding as open space.
MSA asked the Community Vitality & Placemaking research team to design and facilitate a community survey and design charrette to develop planning and design alternatives for both the redevelopment of flood prone sites in the downtown and the relocation of downtown businesses. The purpose of this report is to document the process and outputs of the community design charrette that occurred on March 8 and 9, 2022.
Unlocking the Potential: Exploring Rural Recruitment & Welcoming Strategies
2023 Wisconsin Rural Economic Summit
What Makes For A Resilient Community?
WIndicators Volume 5, Number 5: Understanding and Mobilizing the Potential of Entrepreneurs of Color in Wisconsin 
