Tony Evers seeks $3.8 billion for building projects, nearly half for UW campuses
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Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wants to spend about $3.8 billion on building upgrades across Wisconsin, nearly half of which would be spent on University of Wisconsin System campuses.
About $1.8 billion would go to the UW System for brick-and-mortar building projects. Other big-ticket items include $41 million for fiberoptic upgrades to the state Capitol to improve cellular service, an additional $60 million for the new Wisconsin History Museum to offset rising construction costs and $190 million for juvenile corrections facilities that would eventually lead to closing the state's long-troubled Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons.
Unlike Evers' previous budget requests that relied heavily on borrowing to pay for the projects, the governor this time around suggested paying for about half of the work with cash from the state's more than $7 billion budget surplus.
"Our historic surplus means we have historic opportunity and responsibility — to invest in key projects that have long been neglected while still staying well within our means, keeping borrowing low, and saving taxpayers money in the long run, and that's exactly what our Capital Budget does," Evers said in a statement.
In all, Evers is proposing projects in 28 of the state's 72 counties.
Evers' plan will first head to the state building commission on March 23 for consideration. The Republican-controlled Legislature would also need to sign off. In the past budget, lawmakers cut Evers' $2.4 billion proposal down to $1.5 billion.
Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, who co-chairs the budget-writing committee, signaled a similar approach in this session.
“The Governor’s Capital Budget recommendation is more of the same as we saw in his budget recommendation — massive spending and unrealistic growth," he said in a statement. "The Legislature’s Capital Budget will make important investments in our state’s infrastructure and ensure we’re in a strong position for the future.”
Other Republican leaders declined to comment, did not respond or offered noncommittal statements.
What UW projects does Gov. Evers want funded?
The proposed spending for UW System would go toward reconfiguring spaces for new programs, adding new technology to classrooms and labs, and chipping away at a deferred maintenance backlog that exceeds $5 billion.
The cost of not keeping up with aging facilities was on display last budget session when a slab of concrete fell from the third floor of a UW-Madison building on a Sunday afternoon in April 2021. No one was injured but officials said it could have been much worse. The building isn't slated for demolition until 2035.
Among the proposed campus projects :
$347 million for the UW-Madison College of Engineering to replace one of its older, outdated buildings with a new facility. Hundreds of qualified students are turned away by the college each year due to space constraints, sending some of them to other Big Ten universities that have larger engineering class sizes. The new building would also open up more space for faculty, which will help with recruitment, retention and securing big research grants.
$285 million for UW-Madison to demolish and replace the Camp Randall Sports Center with a new indoor practice field. The current facility is outdated and undersized, negatively affecting recruitment.
$231 million for UW-Eau Claire to demolish the science building and build a new facility housing several programs, including biology and computer science.
$182 million for UW-La Crosse to complete a two-phase science building project and demolish a science building constructed in 1963.
Not included in Evers' capital plan: $181 million for UW-Milwaukee to renovate portions of its Northwest Quadrant so its College of Health Sciences could be housed in one building instead of five. UWM has been waiting years to renovate more of the old Columbia St. Mary's Hospital complex and said the project will increase student capacity by 15%. Applications already outnumber capacity for a number of the college's programs, including biomedical sciences, immunohematology and physical therapy.
"We appreciate that the governor recognizes the importance of investing in the infrastructure of our universities," UW System President Jay Rothman said. "Our students expect modern classrooms that help drive success and research innovation."
New plan for juvenile facilities
The long-troubled Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls are located on a joint campus 3½ hours north of Milwaukee. The prison houses young people with the highest needs who have committed serious crimes or are repeat offenders.
State lawmakers promised to close Lincoln Hills more than four years ago, in response to dangerous conditions that persisted for years at the prison and made it an unsafe environment for both staff and the young people incarcerated there. The state has paid more than $25 million in settlements and legal fees.
State and local officials have sought to move the young people held there to facilities closer to their communities and support networks.
In Milwaukee, the Common Council and Mayor Cavalier Johnson in January approved a new state-run, 32-bed youth prison on the city’s northwest side. The facility is to be built at 7930 West Clinton Ave. on the site of a 6.7-acre former vehicle emissions inspection center.
The state Department of Corrections projects the new facility would be completed by 2026. DOC Secretary Kevin Carr previously told a council committee the department would need time for a transition period to staff up the location and start to move youth from Lincoln Hills.
A state law previously allocated $4 million for project planning, development and more while another state law approved $42 million for the new facility.
Evers’ proposal would increase the budget by $32.6 million, for a revised total estimated cost of $78.4 million. The price tag nearly doubled because of inflation and labor cost increases, according to the DOC.
A second state-run facility would be built for $83 million and located between Fitchburg and Oregon in Dane County. DOC is exploring a third facility, likely located somewhere in northeastern Wisconsin.
Evers also wants $25 million to expand The Grow Academy, an Oregon-based residential program that is an alternative to incarceration. The money would add 10 beds to the six-bed facility.
Soccer stadium, parks upgrades
Other proposed projects include $225 million for health services facilities and $84 million for improvements at a variety of Wisconsin National Guard facilities.
Evers asked for $48 million to upgrade parks and other areas under control of the Department of Natural Resources.
The Milwaukee Iron District would see $9.3 million in state money for a soccer stadium and Marquette University's School of Dentistry would benefit from nearly $11 million in upgrades.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers wants $3.8 billion capital projects
