First Street Alleyway Beautification Project

My name is Jody Purtell, and as a member of the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Watertown Class of 2025, I'm incredibly proud to share our class project.

This project began with a simple idea: to create a ripple of hope in our downtown, which has been feeling the effects of the recent bridge closure. We also recognized that the major reconstruction in 2028 is fast approaching. We knew we needed to be proactive by creating back-door accessibility and welcoming spaces.

A Dream Brought to Life

We chose this project for so many reasons. The city had already approved a budget to reconstruct and repave this alleyway in the spring of 2025, so we are thankful to the City of Watertown for their collaboration. The location is also perfect—highly visible from the Bentzin Family Town Square and the Watertown Public Library.

The mural itself encourages people to "Discover Downtown," with the geese representing the river that flows through Main Street.

This dream would not have been possible without Joe Lawniczak, the Downtown Design Specialist with Wisconsin Main Street. He gave our class a visual plan that helped us get the project voted on, marketed, and funded. Together, the 18 of us raised a total of $20,000.

An Unwavering "Yes"

The Class of 2025 wants to extend a huge thank you to the many individuals who made this project a reality.

• Thank you, Jeff Johnson, for allowing your building to be the backdrop for the mural, dumpster cover, lighting, and security cameras.

• Thank you, Leah Borkenhagen, for donating your time and talent to create the beautiful mural.

• Thank you, Paul Miller, for also letting us use your building for the Watertown Metal lettering.

And finally, to David Paape. This project would not be what it is today without you. You always said "yes" and "how can I help?" You donated all the electrical needs for this project, acted as our contractor to hang everything up, and even arranged planters to make this space shine.

To the Chamber, thank you for your support. And to my fellow members of the Class of 2025, thank you for saying "yes" to this project and for helping with every detail to make it a reality.

The next time you are in Watertown I encourage you to walk around and see everything we were able to do to create this beautiful alleyway in the heart of our downtown. It's a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together.