Below are the requests that have been submitted to the House Appropriations Committee so far. Members are required to certify that neither they nor their immediate family have a financial interest in the requests made.
Sponsor: County of Grant, WI
Project: Grant County Proposed Phase III Upgrade to the Public Safety Communications System
Location: 111 S Jefferson St. PO Box 529 Lancaster, WI 54813
Requested Amount: $15,665,069
Explanation: The Grant County Proposed Phase III upgrade to the Public Safety Communications System plan would install a county-wide broadband fiber optic loop to provide an alternative to the proposed county-wide microwave system. The project aims to: 1) support and operation of the Grant County Public Safety Radio System 2) Provide high speed communications for the municipalities which include 5 cities, 14 villages, and 33 towns in addition to 11 school districts throughout Grant County 3) Provide reliable communications for broadband, allowing for industry, businesses and internet service providers to expand broadband high-speed internet capabilities throughout Grant County which will improve the economy and serve areas that do not have any internet connection options.
The Grant County proposed Phase III upgrade to the Public Safety Communications System will not only provide the benefit of increasing and improving public safety by providing a reliable, more effective emergency communication system, but will also offer connectivity and economic development opportunities by leveraging the initial investment to the fiber optic loop.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: Village of La Farge, WI
Project: La Farge Electrical Substation Renovations
Location: 105 W Main St. La Farge, WI 54639
Amount: $1,930,000
Explanation: The existing substation and powerhouse in La Farge, WI are located within the Kickapoo River floodplain. Twice within the last 12 years, floods have damaged the metal-clad switchgear and the standby generator. During both flood events, the Village experienced lengthy power outages and costly repairs, including the most recent power outage caused by the 2018 floods that lasted 51 hours. Having a reliable electric supply is essential to the success of existing businesses and for attracting new economic development. The proposed project is to relocate the existing electrical substation, metal-clad switchgear, and generator to another location in the Village out of the floodplain.
The investment to relocate the electrical substation and generator powerhouse will assist with economic recovery by providing reliable, stable and uninterrupted electrical power to businesses that may be impacted by future natural disasters and will provide the needed power in times of crisis. This will keep the lights on, the wells running and sump pumps going. In addition, the project will provide reliable electrical power and distribution for businesses by targeting the central business district with new power lines and uninterrupted power. Reliable power is the backbone to the economy and a source for sustaining life in the community. The project will also provide power to future building expansion and vacant building sites in the downtown business district and throughout the community.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: City of Eau Claire, WI
Project: Forest Street Levee
Location: Eau Claire, WI
Amount: $7,290,000
Explanation: The east bank of the Chippewa River, from Madison Street north to the City of Eau Claire’s Maintenance Facility has an existing flood levee that was hastily constructed decades ago. The project would reconstruct the levee, which currently does not meet design and elevation standards to fully protect the neighborhood lying East of it from a 100-year flood. The area that would be protected by a reconstructed Forest Street Levee includes community gardens, open green space, recreational trails, and a neighborhood full of affordable housing and is in an LMI Census Tract.
A feasibility and cost estimate were finalized in early 2021. No additional design or NEPA processes have begun. No real estate acquisition is required. If selected for Federal Funding it is anticipated design and NEPA processes would begin in 2021 and likely conclude by late 2022 or 2023 for a construction bid. The project would address an area of the City that currently lies within the 100-year flood plain eliminating flooding potential and protect a low-moderate income neighborhood.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: Portage County Sheriff’s Office
Project: Body Worn and In- Car Cameras for Patrol
Location: 1500 Strongs Ave, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Amount: $615,592.20
Explanation: Funding would provide body worn cameras to the Portage County police force and upgrade in-car cameras. The project is directly tied to ongoing discussions at the state level and the need for body cameras and in-car cameras for those operating in the world of public safety.
The Sheriff’s Office identified the need for the project as part of Portage County’s 2021-2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Currently, officers are not equipped with body-worn cameras and this project would require them to replace the existing in-car camera system as well.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: City of River Falls, WI
Project: West Central Wisconsin Biosolids Facility Commission
Location: Ellsworth, WI
Amount: $2,000,000
Explanation: The West Central Wisconsin Biosolids Facility wastewater recycling facility serves 21 communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Large portions of the facility are nearing the end of their useful life in which infrastructure improvements are needed to handle increased by-product shipments. These would include improvements to address end-product handling issues related to storage and improve product marketability, upgrade infrastructure in need of repairs.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: City of Elroy, WI
Project: City of Elroy Electrical Substation Renovation
Location: Elroy, WI
Amount: $700,000
Explanation: The project would flood proof of the City of Elroy’s electrical substation that serves the entire community to prevent flood waters from entering the facility. Project would include installation of a floodwall, gates, storm water pumping system, and related site improvements. Project also includes utility related improvements and all related site restoration.
The electrical substation provides primary service to the entire City of Elroy. During the most recent flooding event in 2018, the facility was inundated with floodwaters causing damage and hazards to the area. City workers and volunteers filled sandbags to place around the substation and pumps were utilized to keep flood water from reaching critical equipment. This project would allow the city to keep power supplied to the entire community during future flood events. The substation services a community of which approximately 57% is considered low to moderate income, as well as several manufacturing and business customers.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: Village of Ontario, WI
Project: Village of Ontario Flood Resiliency
Location: Ontario, WI
Amount: $1,686,417
Explanation: The Village of Ontario is located at the southern boundary of the Upper Kickapoo Watershed in Vernon County and has experienced 21 of the highest 22 floods on record since 2000. It also holds the highest record crest in the entire Kickapoo Valley from the back-to-back events that occurred in 2018. The August 2018 flood elevation was four feet above the 100-year flood elevation and had the following impacts on the community: The project would provide relocation sites for businesses and residential structures to not only replace those lost to flooding, but to create long-term economic stability.
As flood events continue to grow, compound and wreak havoc on these communities, they continue to lose viable businesses, residents, and tax base. Their long-term economic stability continues to erode and they risk losing the viability of this valley as a part of the cultural and economic fabric of the state. Assisting the Village of Ontario with flood recovery in a manner that is sustainable is a good use of taxpayer funds because it helps to maintain the economic stability of a region that is important as a destination within the state and maintain the small-scale, rural fabric of the state’s small communities.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: Mid-State Technical College
Project: Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Technology and Apprenticeship Center
Location: 1001 Centerpoint Drive Stevens Point, WI 54481
Amount: $9,572,437
Explanation: Mid-State Technical College will use funds to construct and equip a 53,000 square foot training facility in Stevens Point, WI for machinists, fabricators and welders, electricians, mechanical designers, civil engineers, and automation/controls engineering technicians through short-term certificates, technical diplomas, and associate degree programs. In addition, the center will be a training location for the following Wisconsin State licensed apprenticeship programs: Machinist, Ironworker, Electricians, Electrical and Instrumentation, and Metering Technician. Mid-State Technical College will also use funds to outfit the facility with the required manufacturing, instrumentation, and technology equipment to train the workforce in the central Wisconsin area, meeting the training needs and workforce requirements for our business partners to grow and expand, increasing the economic viability of the rural communities surrounding the Center.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
Sponsor: City of Platteville, WI
Project: City of Platteville Fire Station
Location: 75 N Bonson Street Platteville, WI 53818
Amount: $8,000,000
Explanation: The current Platteville Fire Station was constructed in 1963 with additions and alterations in 1985, 1994, and 2015. Due to space constraints in the apparatus bay, the department is required to house several vehicles in the already limited parking area. The facility as it stands today does not meet current code requirements and ADA guidelines. Funding would be used to build a new facility
Currently the 5-year projection shows the City of Platteville investing over $5 million dollars towards the creation of a new fire station. Unfortunately, this figure scratches the surface of providing what is necessary for an updated facility. The City of Platteville has created a policy to maintain fiscal responsibility for our taxpayers. This is accomplished by not borrowing more general obligation debt than what has been paid off in principle from the prior year. If the City of Platteville is to borrow over $5 million dollars towards the construction of a new fire facility this would be statistically at the minimum a 400% increase over normal borrowing practices and require other city projects to be delayed potentially multiple years.
Click here for Financial Disclosure.
For more information about the Community Project Funding process and requirements for requests, please find our office guide here.
