Forward Janesville - TheReport - Third Quarter 2020

6 • W W W . F O R W A R D J A N E S V I L L E . C O M Dan Cunningham • Vice President of Government Affairs and Education • danc@forwardjanesville.com To put it mildly, the fi rst half of 2020 was challenging. Our world is slowly creeping back to normal after months of shutdown,but virus fl areups have led to renewed restrictions in many areas. Other communities have been hit hard by the double whammy of the pandemic and unrest resulting from years of appalling, unjust actions against African Americans. Many communities are struggling. When things fully return to “normal,” wewill look back on the various crises of 2020 not only in terms of howmany lives were lost, but in terms of damage to communities. Community damage will be measured not only by the number of businesses closed and jobs lost, but by the loss of vibrancy. Vibrancy, de fi ned as “the state of being full of energy and life,” is a brass ring for any community, and it is something we actively court inJanesville.The ARISE Plan,a bold vision for downtownJanesville, has injected vibrancy into our downtown. If you have been downtown this summer, you have noticed how much things are changing: the Blain Gilbertson Family Heritage Bridge is nearly complete,work on the east bank of the Rock River is well underway, and the Town and Country quarter block was recently tore down. Couple this work with the already completed improvements on the west bank of the river, and soon Janesville will have an asset that will punctuate the great strides we have made in the last decade. But we can’t stop now; wemust work to protect the vibrancy we have created.That is why we have put somuch thought and effort into the continuation of Music at the Marv, Downtown Janesville, Inc., and the City of Janesville’s weekly summer concert series.As a member of the event planning team, I can tell you that cancelling the event would have been the easy answer.Planning a large-scale event amid a global pandemic is no picnic; there is a rabbit hole around every corner. (Editorial comment: there is a reason why nearly every fair, festival, and concert has been cancelled this summer.) But we thought it was so important for the community’s collective psyche (mojo?) to get creative and fi nd a way forward.We created a plan to have the event in a way that protects performers, spectators, and volunteers—all while allowing the community to kick back and have a little fun. Visit downtownjanesville.com to learn more…or to reserve your “pod” for an upcomingMusic at theMarv performance. We are applying this creative spirit to other challenges we are facing. While the outlook for many Janesville businesses brightened once the Safer at Home order ended, our business community faces a challenging path back to prosperity. To help in our recovery, Forward Janesville has partnered with the Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Janesville on a “Support Local” initiative,a $30,000-plus multimedia marketing campaign to encourage citizens to shop and support Janesville businesses...safely. Avibrant community needs a strong and diverse base of businesses, andwe have that here.It’s time to circle thewagons and support our great Janesville businesses. During our state’s shutdown, the Wisconsin RestaurantAssociation estimated that asmany as 50%of Wisconsin restaurants could close permanently as a result of the pandemic. But Janesville does not have to lose half of our restaurants or other businesses. It may happen in other places, but it does not have to happen here. It is up to all of us to decide how Janesville emerges from the pandemic,andwemust focus on the opportunity to come out of this as strong as ever.We can do so by being brave, smart, and creative. Our continued vibrancy demands it. Community damage will be measured not only by the number of businesses closed and jobs lost, but by the loss of vibrancy. Circling theWagons…and ProtectingOur Vibrancy