Sen. Baldwin visits Manitowoc’s lakefront

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited Manitowoc on Saturday, Oct. 10, as part of her efforts to revitalize the state’s waterfronts.

Baldwin, D-Madison, toured the area with local officials and discussed her proposed legislation — the Waterfront Community Revitalization and Resiliency Act — which aims to help communities along the Great Lakes, rivers and inland lakes attract water-dependent industries and investments that leverage water sustainably.

“Obviously (the bill) has a lot of relevance to Manitowoc,” Baldwin said. “Many of Wisconsin’s waterfront communities were developed well over a century ago focusing on water-dependent industries of the time. And what we’ve found is in the decades since, many of those industries have gone away.

“We’ve also seen different sets of challenges with regard to water levels and storms and floods ... and the infrastructure of waterfront communities needs to be addressed. (Cities are) challenged with needing to be relevant to 21st century water-dependent industries as well as resilient for the weather hazards of this time.”

The bill was introduced in August. Baldwin has also visited waterfront projects in Green Bay, Wausau, Superior, La Crosse, Prairie du Chien, Racine and Milwaukee looking to gain support.

Baldwin said the bill, which is still in the early stages, is specifically designed to help communities create a comprehensive plan for redevelopment as well as increase public access for recreation and tourism.

“Uses like fishing and kayaking and canoeing,” she said. “And to do so in a way that is resilient to the weather and climate challenges we face today. Whether we are folks who enjoy recreating on the Great Lakes ... or enjoy going fishing from time to time, or where we’re a business employing people in water-dependent enterprises, I think all of this reminds us how important it is to protect these incredible resources that define us as Wisconsinites.”