TAKING SHAPE. The new Children’s Museum of Eau Claire under construction on North Barstow Street in downtown Eau Claire.

It’s pretty easy to feel the energy of progress in Eau Claire these days. As multiple projects continue to go up downtown and elsewhere, and as the snow has (finally) melted away and sprigs of green have started to appear after yet another COVID winter, things feel… optimistic. The library project has taken its form, the transit center work continues, and multiple apartment and mixed-use buildings are now reaching for the sky. Even the County Materials Complex on Menomonie Street has now officially broken ground. But in particular, lately it’s been fun to watch each day as the new Children’s Museum of Eau Claire takes shape. With its uniquely cut concrete exterior and huge round windows, and now with the massive tree-shaped beams and support structure erected inside (which as of this writing is still totally viewable from the outside), it truly seems like the place, in its high-profile location next to the entrance of Phoenix Park, is going to be a beloved landmark for downtown Eau Claire, whether you have kids or not! But as I watch, I admit I’m thankful I’ll still have kids small enough to enjoy what it will become when it opens at the end of this year. In fact, I’m thankful for all of this city’s growing amenities – things they’ll enjoy as they themselves grow in this place. But mostly, I’m hopeful – that the community’s current energy is sustainable into the future, and that we all keep reaching for what could come next.