— Sen. Howard Marklein says his bill to provide grants to communities that lose UW campuses would offer counties a potential economic development opportunity by helping them repurpose old facilities.
The Spring Green Republican during yesterday’s Economic Development and Technical Colleges Committee meeting warned campuses in Washington and Fond du Lac “may not be the last two-year campuses that may be facing this situation.”
SB 518 came after the closure of UW-Platteville Richland. The Universities of Wisconsin has since decided to end in-person instruction at UW-Oshkosh Fond du Lac and UW-Milwaukee Washington County.
In all, the bill would provide $12 million for the grants, with half earmarked for those three communities. The rest would be available if any other campuses are closed.
“When the UW walks in and drops the keys on the desk and says ‘We’re out of here,’ the obligation for maintaining those buildings continues,” Marklein said. “And … there’s probably some very worthwhile opportunities for those counties that, you know, it’s going to take some upfront money to get us there.”
Sen. Lena Taylor said she hoped for “the same kind of thought process” toward facilities in her district, including a Department of Natural Resources building near her district that she said is “sitting in limbo.”
“I hear you … I just don’t know if just doing it for Richmond or, like, demanding that it’s done for Richmond before it can be done for anywhere else is [an] equitable or fair process,” the Milwaukee Dem said.
The original version of the bill includes a requirement that Richland County receive a $2 million grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. for costs associated with the redevelopment of buildings or other sites on the campus.
Marklein then introduced an amendment to require $2 million grants each to Fond du Lac and Washington counties after the system announced plans to shut down two-year campuses there as well.
Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann told the committee “both demographically and fiscally, these two-year campuses are really unsustainable.”
See more at WisPolitics: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/wed-pm-update-uw-spokesperson-says-deal-with-vos-on-pay-raises-engineering-building-not-imminent/
— Dairyland Power Cooperative has been selected by the regional energy grid organization to develop a new transmission line project in Wisconsin.
The La Crosse-based co-op this week announced it was chosen by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator to develop, own and operate a 345 kilovolt line called the Alma-Blair Transmission Project.
The line would run from the Mississippi River near Alma to the existing Tremval substation near Blair, according to the release.
Dairyland Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ben Porath noted the co-op already owns and operates a 69 kV project and a 161 kV transmission projects in its four-state footprint.
“Although Dairyland has co-owned 345 kV projects, this is a milestone as it will be Dairyland’s first opportunity to both own and operate a 345 kV transmission line as our cooperative readies for the energy transition,” Porath said in a statement.
See more project details: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/dairyland-power-cooperative-selected-by-miso-to-develop-345-kv-transmission-project/
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has announced $2.5 million in planning and development grant funding for five new rail routes in the state.
Each is getting $500,000 in new grant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, through a U.S. Department of Transportation railroad program. The five routes were each identified priorities for passenger rail expansion, according to the Madison Dem’s release.
Funding will go toward rail corridor development efforts, including creating estimates for scope, schedule and costs for preparing a service development plan, the release shows.
Lines receiving funding include: Milwaukee to Green Bay; Milwaukee to Chicago, Milwaukee to Madison to Eau Claire, Eau Claire to Twin Cities, and Chicago via La Crosse to St. Paul.
See more details: https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/baldwin-announces-big-step-towards-expanding-rail-in-wisconsin
— Gov. Tony Evers has signed into law a bill that he says will bolster sustainable farming in the state.
According to the guv’s office, 2023 Wisconsin Act 42 reduces the required duration of a farmland preservation agreement between DATCP and the landowner from 15 to 10 years. And it increases the amount of tax credits that can be claimed per acre while creating a new category of farmland eligible for the program.
The state agency’s farmland preservation program includes various land designations that are meant to implement different types of land use restrictions to encourage agricultural investment, according to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report.
In a statement, Evers says the changes to the program will “ensure we can continue to adapt to meet the needs of Wisconsin’s farmers while continuing to prioritize efforts that help ensure the long-term viability of our state’s farming operations and conservation efforts that are essential to continuing to put food on tables across the world.”
See the release:
See the bill text: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WIGOV/2023/12/06/file_attachments/2707576/ab133.pdf
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson and Attorney General Josh Kaul say the $740 million in opioid settlement funds are helping combat the opioid crisis, but warned it won’t be enough.
Meanwhile, Sheboygan County DA Joel Urmanski says he plans to appeal a Dane County judge’s ruling that an 1849 Wisconsin law doesn’t ban consensual abortions.
And Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin have announced plans for a new clinic in Shorewood.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# Evers signs overhaul of Wisconsin alcohol industry
# Paraprofessionals could get lifetime Wisconsin teaching licenses under GOP proposal
# Top Wisconsin Senate Republican says a deal is near for university pay raises. UW officials disagree
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin Ag Forum to tackle rural livability
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1059&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Building Blocks: UW-River Falls looks forward to science and technology innovation center
# ECONOMY
– Alex Gee says Black Madison is tired of fixing injustices itself
# EDUCATION
– Longtime leader of UMOS to step into emeritus role
# ENVIRONMENT
– Wisconsin NRCS helps celebrate 10 years of locally led watershed conservation
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1056&yr=2023
# HEALTH CARE
– Wisconsin prisons quietly ended suspension of copays for COVID-19 symptoms
# LEGAL
– Abortion up to 20 weeks is legal, Dane County judge rules
# MANUFACTURING
– Middleton firm that could ‘change the engine game’ gains investment from Rockwell
# NONPROFIT
– Kids Fund grants support Madison-area neighborhood centers
# POLITICS
– Republican DA vows to appeal Dane County ruling on Wisconsin abortion law
– Appeal vowed over finding Wisconsin’s 1849 law doesn’t ban abortion
# REAL ESTATE
– Nearly 800 homes and apartments pitched for Kenosha County golf club site
– Massive amount of large, old industrial space to hit the market in metro Milwaukee area
# RETAIL
– National diamond retailer opens first Wisconsin location, in Wauwatosa
– Proposed development would bring housing, grocery store to Harambee neighborhood
# TOURISM
– How soon could American Family Field host concerts in the winter?
# TRANSPORTATION
– County-spanning north-south bus rapid transit line to start service in 2028
# UTILITIES
– Evers signs bill to award damages to roadbuilders when utilities need to be relocated
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Washington County: Awarded grant from WI Dept. of Veterans Affairs
