Grant buoys harbor plaza plan

Plans for the Heart of the Harbor project, which will convert the asphalt cul-de-sac at the east end of East Main Street in downtown Port Washington into a landscaped plaza complete with a sculptural fire feature, have languished for the past year.

But that’s changed. Port Washington Main Street Inc., which is spearheading the project, recently made a flurry of announcements about the project, including the fact it has received a $40,000 Wisconsin Coastal Management grant and is now more than halfway to its $270,000 goal. 

It also announced that Milwaukee area  artist Jesse Meyer will design the 12-foot-tall fire feature, which will be part of the first phase of the project. Groundbreaking is tentatively slated for March, with completion expected by mid-summer.

“We’re really excited to get things back up and running,” Port Main Street President Nate Scherper said. 

While the Covid-19 pandemic set the project back about a year as Main Street focused on the needs of local businesses, it also emphasized importance of the plaza as people have flocked outdoors in search of safe activities, Scherper said. 

“It was clear how much people were trying to reach for outdoor activities,” he said. “We thought about how it would be so cool to have a place  like this where people can sit, have lunch — a gathering place outdoors.”

And, he said, it will also help draw people to downtown businesses that have been struggling.

Meyer’s bronze sculpture will be the centerpiece of the plaza, with metal tendrils intertwining as they reach from the base skyward, a gas flame inside them. The gas fire feature could be activated by anyone via a switch, running for a set amount of time that organizers have said would likely be 10 or 15 minutes.

Meyer, who studied at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, was one of 10 artists who submitted designs for the Heart of the Harbor. He is the co-founder of Flux Design and has done projects for GE Medical, Discovery World and Kohl’s.

Meyer’s design reflects both flames and the movement of waves on the lake, Scherper said.

The sculpture will be more of a fire feature than a fire pit, providing a light and ambience more than warmth, Judy Cotter, chairman of the Main Street Design Committee, said.

But, she added, it will also help create the four-season attraction for the downtown.

The plaza will also include metal sunshades, benches, bike racks, picnic tables and landscaping.

The bike racks, Cotter noted, will be designed and built by Port Washington High School students.

In addition to the fire feature, Cotter said, the first phase of the project includes installing pavers and a seat wall. 

The second phase, which organizers hope will be completed concurrent with the first, will include many of the furniture items, Cotter said, and the third phase will include installation of a sunscreen over portions of the plaza.

So far, Port Main Street has raised about $146,000 to pay for the project, about $10,000 of that in the past two weeks, Scherper said, adding the group expects to receive another $5,000 to $10,000 in the next couple weeks.

“We’re getting closer and closer to what we need for the first phase,” he said, noting that right now Main Street is about $30,000 away from that amount.

Main Street is looking at holding monthly events in the wake of a successful Christmas ornament campaign, Scherper said, both to raise money and awareness for the project.

Among the ideas is a dog walk fundraiser in February, Cotter said.

Main Street is also seeking sponsorships for various aspects of the design. Cotter said two of the three benches are already spoken for, as are the bike racks.

“This is going to change the whole look of Main Street,” Cotter said. “It’ll be a great place for people to sit, enjoy the lake and have lunch.”