A building which sat empty in downtown Medford for the past forty years is getting a much needed face lift. In 1980, a fire burned inside the Brucker Building on Main Street Medford, which was then left to the elements ever since.
Doug Gasek, a native resident of Medford recently moved back two years ago, hoping to make his mark on his hometown.
“I just wanted to be a part of the legacy in Medford and I think downtown’s great. So, for me, this was a perfect place,” said Gasek.
Earlier this year, Gasek along with the City of Medford were awarded $86,900 dollars to develop the deteriorating property. Gasek hopes the building will be a shining example of what individuals can do in small towns like Medford.
“We were able to work with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for their community development initiative grant program for this building which really focuses on injecting money into projects to help revitalize downtowns,” said Gasek.
Missy Hughes from WEDC agrees that the building is worth reinvestment for the city of 4,200.
“What’s really important for the whole Wisconsin economy is to have strong communities,” said Hughes. She continued, “by providing these resources we are able to help a city solve a problem and move a project forward that will end up really revitalizing their whole main street.”
[Adapted from: Medford developer works to revitalize downtown property July 27, 2022 WJFW]