State Building Commission unanimously approves $110M in projects across Wisconsin

Members of the State Building Commission approved millions of dollars’ worth of projects Wednesday, covering everything from routine maintenance around the state to new lighting at a historic theater.

The unanimous and bipartisan votes for $110 million in construction, maintenance and demolitions took place during an otherwise slow time in state government, nearly a month after a much more dramatic process resulted in the passage of Wisconsin’s multibillion-dollar biennial budget.

The list of projects included facilities repairs at government buildings, tearing down buildings on Universities of Wisconsin campuses, and upgrades to a prison and a state park.

Among the projects approved were:

• $13.3 million to demolish buildings deemed obsolete at the campuses of UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville and UW-Parkside
• $7.5 million to upgrade the electrical system at a library on the campus of UW-Stout
• $4 million to improve Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility at Fox Lake Correctional Institution
• Transferring 79.9 acres of land from the Department of Health Services into the Department of Military Affairs for a future National Guard Readiness Center
• Accepting an in-kind donation of a rigging and lighting system, valued at $1 million, for the Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo.

In a statement Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers called the projects “critically important.”

“I’m grateful to the Commission for approving these projects and seeing the value in continuing to invest in the past, present, and future of Wisconsin,” he said. “I look forward to seeing firsthand the impact these critical investments will have on communities and folks across our state.”

The State Building Commission is chaired by Evers and composed of split evenly between four Republicans and four Democrats. While that has led to deadlocked votes on more contentious agendas, Wednesday’s list of projects passed without dissent.