MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced today that the Wisconsin State Building Commission met to approve approximately $185 million in construction projects across the state.
“Closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools and getting our kids closer to home and the support systems they rely on has been our prerogative since Day One, and I’m thrilled to see our administration and members of this Commission take another important step in getting this done and done right,” said Gov. Evers. “In addition, today, members also improved various projects to support operations at our state agencies and university system, and I’m glad to see support for these projects move forward.”
Earlier this year, Gov. Evers unveiled a sweeping DOC budget plan, proposing some of the most significant facility and capital changes in DOC history. The governor’s plan is the most cost-effective for taxpayers, the most efficient for alleviating the capacity challenges facing Wisconsin’s correctional institutions, and it is the safest option by improving public safety. To date, no alternative plan has been suggested or materialized that is safer, faster, and cheaper than the proposal introduced by the governor earlier this year.
The governor’s comprehensive corrections reform plan includes a complex “domino series” of projects at several DOC facilities that, coupled with necessary reforms to help stabilize the state’s skyrocketing prison population, are designed to ultimately close Green Bay Correctional Institution, revamp Waupun Correctional Institution into a state-of-the-art “vocational village,” and close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools and advance 2017 Wisconsin Act 185 to utilize a regional approach to youth populations at smaller facilities, among other key projects.
While Republican lawmakers rejected the governor’s comprehensive corrections plan and removed the plan from consideration during the Legislature’s deliberation of the governor’s proposed budget, the final 2025-27 state budget approved by the governor included $15 million to begin planning efforts and some initial work on several DOC capital projects, funding which the Commission released in October. Following the release of the $15 million, the Evers Administration is continuing to engage members of the Legislature to build support for enacting both facility and policy changes necessary toward realizing the full plan.
The governor’s comprehensive plan aims to address DOC’s aging facilities with outdated designs that hinder rehabilitation and create safety issues, while reducing short and long-term costs to taxpayers and addressing the state’s growing prison population. The governor’s “domino” series of facility changes and improvements, which will be implemented through a series of ‘realignment’ projects, include completing construction on the planned Dane County Type 1 facility in late 2028, with plans to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools in early 2029, and making key upgrades that allow DOC to convert Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools into a 500-bed, medium-security adult facility, among other efforts. More on Gov. Evers’ comprehensive correctional facilities plan is available here.
Highlights of the projects the Commission approved today include:
- Construction of Wisconsin’s second Type 1 Juvenile Correctional Facility in Fitchburg. The new facility will assist in the conversion of the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma to adult facilities by providing a smaller, more central youth facility in Dane County. Research shows that smaller, regional juvenile facilities provide significant benefits, including keeping youth closer to their families, increasing access to mentors and volunteers, and offering more effective programming in a treatment-based environment. The Commission previously approved the preliminary design and authorized construction of the Milwaukee Type 1 facility in August 2023. That project is currently under construction and planned for completion in late 2026.
- Construction of Phase IV of the Department of Military Affairs’(DMA) Milwaukee Readiness Center, featuring improvements to the Administration Wing and Drill Hall, as well as the addition of a new artifact display highlighting the facility’s military history.
- Roof and plaza deck waterproofing repairs at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Green Bay’s Instructional Services Building, part of the 2025–27 Minor Facilities Renewal Program, which addresses maintenance needs across UW campuses statewide.
- Approval of 21 maintenance and repair projects across 13 counties and multiple agencies, including DOC, DMA, the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Wisconsin Historical Society, State Fair Park, and the UW System. These projects address critical infrastructure needs and safeguard public assets throughout Wisconsin.
The Commission is chaired by Gov. Evers and made up of the following members:
- State Senator Brad Pfaff;
- State Senator Mary Felzkowski;
- State Senator André Jacque;
- State Representative Jill Billings;
- State Representative Rob Swearingen;
- State Representative Robert Wittke; and
- Citizen Member Barb Worcester.
An online version of this release is available here.
