Climate, Connections, and Community in Stevens Point

On Thursday, September 26, community members and advocates in Stevens Point had several opportunities to participate in activities celebrating climate resilience and transport equity in an event called “Climate, Connections, and Community.” 1000 Friends of Wisconsin hosted the event with the support of AARP Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, and the UWSP Office of Sustainability.

We owe many thanks to the following people for their collaboration: Adam Kuhn (Associate Planner/Zoning Administrator for the City of Stevens Point), Anna Menominee (UWSP Office of Sustainability), Trevor Roark (owner and pilot of curbwise LLC and local transport equity advocate), and Becky Roberts (Land Use Specialist with the UW-Madison Division of Extension at the Center for Land Use Education). Trevor in particular spent dozens of hours helping plan, organize, and recruit. 

Painted crosswalk in front of Point Brewery.

The day started off with an art installation in front of Point Brewery on Water St. The Brewery is a popular place, especially since opening a public taproom earlier this year. However, at this time there is no protected crossing from the gravel parking lot across the street to the building. With permission from the City of Stevens Point, Trevor Roark and Erik Pfantz painted an artistic, though temporary, crosswalk using paint made from a mixture of cornstarch, water, and nontoxic food dye. 

Erik paints over a line in the street.

Nearly two dozen people met at the Schmeeckle Reserve Parkway Shelter for lunch and a conversation about our hopes and dreams for a climate resilient future in Wisconsin.

People eat lunch at the Schmeeckle Reserve Parkway Shelter

Katelynn Samuelsen and Caity Carmody (who hails from Stevens Point!) from the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy led the discussion, which will help inform the state’s first Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, due in late 2025.

Katelynn Samuelsen (left) and Caity Carmody (right) from the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy lead engagement at lunchtime in the Parkway Shelter.

Following lunch, we conducted a walk audit from the Parkway Shelter to the intersection of Division St. and 6th Ave. The City is planning improvements to Division St., including updating this intersection to be more pedestrian-friendly.

Adam Kuhn (left of center) from the City of Stevens Point explains plans for new pedestrian infrastructure.

Currently, the only indication of a crosswalk is a single sign, but there are no painted lines on the street, rapid flashing beacons, or other signals to slow or stop traffic; in fact, during the Stevens Point Transportation Academy, walk audit participants labeled this intersection a “spiritual crosswalk.”

We contemplate the spiritual crosswalk at Division and 6th.

Additionally, pedestrians can cut through a parking lot to get from Isadore to Division, but the route is not wheelchair-friendly. 

Late in the afternoon, Trevor led a group bike ride from the newly painted crosswalk at Point Brewery to the UWSP campus, where Transportation Academy alumni and community advocates gathered for an informal meet-and-greet in the Chemistry-Biology Building. 

Small group gathers in the atrium of a new science building.

The day ended with a screening of The Street Project, a documentary by the award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Boyd (who has family ties in Stevens Point!) about the global citizen-led fight to make our streets safer. Many thanks to Rachel Davis, Coordinator for the Native American Center at UWSP, for the land acknowledgement before the film. Rachel is an enrolled Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri tribal member and Licensed Professional Counselor in training/Substance Abuse Counselor. She also offered a land acknowledgement before lunch.

Rachel Davis offers a land acknowledgement in the DUC theater.

The screening was followed by a rich and lively Q&A with local panelists Trevor Roark, Anna Menominee, and Dr. Ish Odogba, who is a professor of Geography at UWSP. Many thanks to the UWSP Office of Sustainability, especially Dave Barbier, for sponsoring the film screening.

Panelists from L to R: Anna Menominee, Trevor Roark, Ish Odogba (speaking)

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