ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Looks matter to the Village of Ashwaubenon, so officials are taking steps to improve one of the main entry points into the village.
Work is underway on the beautification of a 5.5-acre plot of land on the corner of Lombardi Avenue at Argonne Street. More than a decade after the Cabela’s store opened in Ashwaubenon, the corner it sits on is getting a makeover.
“The Village has talked about taking care of that corner because it’s one of the entry points into Ashwaubenon for a number of years now. And with the [NFL] Draft coming up, we thought this was the best time to do it,” said Rex Mehlberg, director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
Full of invasive plants, like Phragmites and buckthorn, along with dead trees that fell victim to the emerald ash borer — the village is cleaning up the corner. It started by removing the Phragmites and dead trees last month.
An outside company not only cut back the invasive species, but it sprayed the area twice already, to try and keep them from coming back.
Too soggy right now, village officials say work to remove the buckthorn will happen this winter.
“That will take a different piece of equipment, that’s heavier. Because the piece of equipment is heavier, we’re going to be using that in the winter time when the ground is frozen, so it really won’t effect the wetland area at all,” said Mehlberg.
Because the area is wetland, the village needed permission from the DNR to do the clean up work. Restoration of the nearly 5.5 acres, so far, has also included the planting of about 40 native trees. Flowers and shrubs will come too, as the full project is expected to take five years to complete.
Melhberg said, “You can actually see Cabela’s now, from the roadway as you’re driving by. And the whole purpose of it is to make that corner look a little bit better when you’re coming into the village and into the Titletown corridor.”
It’s work people in the area have noticed.
“I’m not down here all the time, but I came around the corner and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, it looks nice,” said Kate Harvey from Oconto County.
Village officials say the beauty in the area will continue to be enhanced as the new growth matures.
The beautification project is being funding by Tax Increment Financing — or TIF — dollars that have come from other developments along that corridor.
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