John E. Alexander South Wood County YMCA Inc. 

CDE: Cinnaire and Mid-City Community CDE
Developer: John E. Alexander South Wood County YMCA, Inc.
Owner: Southwood County YMCA 
Location: Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

The John E. Alexander South Wood County YMCA Inc. addresses the challenges and needs facing the community of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., and represents a collaboration between the South Wood County YMCA, the Boys & Girls Club of the Wisconsin Rapids Area and Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. 

The development is the rehabilitation of the Rapids Mall, a vacant downtown mall that operated in the community for 40 years. Upon completion, the collaborative development will result in being the rural community’s largest provider of youth development services, provide an integrated community health model for individuals and families, as well as provide programs for veterans and their children. In addition, Cinnaire is investing in a 40-apartment senior housing development across the mall parking lot, which will provide direct access for seniors to the new YMCA facility. 

Without NMTC allocations from CDEs Cinnaire and Mid-City Community CDE, the development would have been forced to delay construction or reduce its size. 

This development has “[a] deep local impact and will greatly improve the futures of the children,” said Rob Wasserman, QLICI Awards judge and senior vice president of U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation. 

Return to 2019 QLICIs of the Year Award Recipients