WAUPUN — The City of Waupun will be hosting the next City Council Meeting Monday, August 8th, due to the partisan primary election being held statewide Tuesday, August 9th. One of the primary matters of discussion will likely be the continued use of the End of the Trail in city marketing.
The current debate is primarily centered around new wayfinding signs that would replace the old blue signs put up about twenty years ago which include a large silhouette of the End of the Trail. In contrast to the blue signs, the new wayfinding signs sport the generic crop logo which currently represents the City as part of the 2017 rebranding initiative.
When Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop ran for mayor, one of his primary positions was to return city branding to Waupun’s heritage as the “City of Sculpture,” primarily focusing on the End of the Trail statue. He announced his official initiative in May by distributing City flags across town and unveiling a new Mayoral Emblem, a silhouette of the End of the Trail, surrounded by “City of Sculpture—Waupun, Wisconsin.”
The new wayfinding signs were approved by the City Council and purchased for approximately $5,000 in early 2020, but only arrived in late 2021. Upon the arrival of the wayfinding signs, then-Alderman Bishop asked the wayfinding signs to be placed on hold for the Council to decide what to do with them and whether they needed to be altered before being up.
Mayor Bishop eventually came to the decision to purchase decals to cover up the generic crop logo on the wayfinding signs with a silhouette of the End of the Trail. In June he announced that he would pay for the decals out of his own pocket, knowing that the City did not have the budget to purchase alterations which amounted to about $2,000. He also announced he would accept donations from members of the community to offset costs.
The decision of what to do with the signs was originally planned to be made at the Board of Public Works Meeting on June 14th, but after hearing from members of the public decided to turn the responsibility over to the City Council to vote on in July.
Several members of the public spoke at the July 12th meeting to give their thoughts on the use of the End of the Trail Statue in city branding, both for and against. President of the Historical Society Zac Dickhut stated that the End of the Trail “does nothing for business in the community.” Secretary of the Historical Society Tracie Nichols argued that the city’s name of ‘Waupun’ is “the very definition of systemic racism” and that the statue’s use in branding would be in “extremely poor taste.” Also attending was a member of the Ho-Chunk Tribe from Pewaukee Valerie Kempen, who believed the End of the Trail was “tearing the town apart.” Local resident Jason Whitford also spoke, expressing his support for Mayor Bishop’s initiative.
Alderman Pete Kazmarski expressed concerns over being sued for using the End of the Trail, stating that the City could not afford any sort of lawsuit. The City Council let the matter rest at the meeting, refusing to make a motion either way. Due to the lack of motion, the debate will continue until a final decision is officially made.
A potential compromise brought up at the July 12th meeting was to use different statues on each of the signs. But purchasing decals of several designs would triple the cost, making the alterations more than the original purchase of the signs.
Following the news of the meeting, city officials were contacted by members of the community who wished to express their concerns and ask their representatives to support the initiative.
The meeting is currently scheduled to take place in the Council Chambers at City Hall, August 8th at 6:00pm. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting to express their thoughts to the City Council.
