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36 | I NSIGH T • A p r i l 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m I N S I G H T O N E C O N O M I C DEVELOPMENT B y S e a n P. J o h n s o n T here is a definite thaw in Manitowoc County and it has nothing to do with ice on the lake. is latest trend has very little to do with the unpredictable Wisconsin weather. No, this warming applies to the regional economy, which is seeing several years' worth of initiatives finally coming to fruition as new projects take off and old scars begin to fade. With unemployment falling to 5.3 percent for the county at the end of 2014 — nearly back to the prerecession levels of 2008 — a barely contained optimism is about to burst. "I think the general consensus is we are heading toward a bit of a A powerful surge New opportunities and renewed optimism propel Manitowoc County Wisconsin AG Center – An artist's rendering of the Wisconsin Agriculture Education Center proposed along Interstate 43 in Manitowoc County. The $10 million to $12 million center has been projected to attract up to 500,000 visitors a year. renaissance on the lakeshore," says Peter Wills, interim executive director for Progress Lakeshore. "We've had several projects culminate in success this past year. It just seems like we are really peaking." at sense of optimism is helped by the removal of significant symbols of past economic challenges. Old Mirro complex rejuvenated In the last year, Niagara Worldwide began the process of salvaging and dismantling the 900,000-square-foot Mirro complex in downtown. An emerging market for historical products and repurposed wood — particularly the millions of board feet of old growth hemlock and maple in the plant — has helped renew that project. As that central complex has begun the healing process, plans for other buildings le behind when Mirro closed its doors are also moving closer to fruition. With housing and historic preservation tax credits falling into place, developers should soon be moving forward with plans to convert the former Mirro Plant No. 3 into a residential housing complex, says Nicolas Sparacio, community development director for the city of Manitowoc. It's another visible sign the city is moving ahead and shedding the economic negatives from its past, he says. "I think it's been hard for the community to see these buildings for so long when nothing was happening," Sparacio says. "is is a positive, adaptive reuse of the building and the community will no longer have the scar of that building sitting vacant and unused." So far, Wisconsin development firm Impact Seven has received both affordable housing and historic C O U R T E S Y O F W A E C