The Daily Reporter articles from August 2008

The Daily Reporter archives from August 2008

Group hosts vigil by church rubble in Madison.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder St. Raphael's Cathedral in Madison is almost gone, and a group of residents wants to make sure other historic buildings in the city don't disappear. Despite the cathedral's nearly complete demolition, members of...

Gary Martin of Appleton leaves construction legacy.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Those who knew him said Gary Martin was not afraid to die. He told us he needed to get to heaven first to check us all in, said Heather Sprangers, Martin's administrative assistant at August Winter and Sons...

Rock County can keep Cullen from dual role.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder It's an informal opinion, but Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says a county can prohibit a company from being both construction manager and general contractor on the same project. Van Hollen issued the opinion...

Contractors in Wisconsin wait for share of FEMA flood money.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Joel Frank said he's surprised he didn't see an increase in construction work to repair houses swamped by the June floods. Frank, project manager for Service-Master Disaster Restoration, New Berlin, focuses on mold...

Superior struggles with union loyalty.
August 4, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Superior needs credible information on project labor agreements because, city officials say, the groups offering opinions right now are simply pushing their own agendas. City Alderman Ed Anderson said he can't be...

Sun Prairie's growth pains home builders.
August 4, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Sun Prairie's growth spurt in recent years has some arguing for a moratorium to stunt multifamily residential development. We don't want to compromise the value of the community, said Alderman John Murray. We just...

Fitchburg faces long odds with Badger School.
August 4, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Many forces are aligned against Jay Allen's idea that Fitchburg buy the former Badger School, but the city alderman won't give up the fight. The building is in Madison, Fitchburg's mayor doesn't want it, and a...

Turbines push Madison to green ceiling.
August 5, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison promotes itself as a green leader, but the city might draw the line when it comes to placement of wind turbines and solar panels. An ordinance moving through various city committees would bring Madison's...

Neighbors around the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee stand to be heard.
August 5, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Neighborhood groups around the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee want their say about where UWM builds its dorms. The UWM Real Estate Foundation on Monday named the developers that submitted proposals to build dorms...

Coal fire burns steady for Wisconsin's private plants.
August 5, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin's state-owned heating plants are giving up their coal-smoking habits, but that doesn't mean other energy generators soon will follow suit. I think Wisconsin still derives about 70 percent of its...

Lack of open land pinches Allouez.
August 6, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Allouez is suffering through the realization it has no land left to develop even as its neighbors enjoy major growth spurts. We're really scrambling, said Village Administrator Sue Foxworthy. We can't float all...

La Crosse moratorium might stick.
August 6, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A quasi-moratorium on development along La Crosse's Great River Road that was only supposed to last the summer could be extended for another six months. Planning Director Larry Kirch said a proposal is headed to the...

Pabst bid surprises Milwaukee.
August 6, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A combination of bad timing and builders' inexperience with new storm-water control systems resulted in bids more than two times higher than anticipated on Milwaukee's first Pabst Brewery streetscaping contract. The...

Turning back time in Milwaukee.
August 6, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Jerry Lewis saw the buildings and character of Milwaukee's Mitchell Street change as shoppers migrated to shopping malls, and he wants to reverse the trend. The 79-year-old Lewis, former co-owner of Goldmann's...

Corridor project poses puzzling road riddle in Madison.
August 6, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison's East Washington Avenue corridor will get its major overhaul, but the city still doesn't know how to handle all the new traffic that will follow the project. We're on an isthmus, said Alderwoman Brenda...

Nature reserve project in Wisconsin threatens snakes.
August 7, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter The Mequon Nature Preserve supports a city bike trail project that could harm the one thing the organization is designed to protect. The bike trail will connect the Oak Leaf Trail to the south and the...

Colleagues say Bill Tews made mark in Wisconsin's contracting industry.
August 7, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Mike Fabishak characterized his friend Bill Tews as a towering figure. His name was associated with all that is involved in this industry, said Fabishak, chief executive of the Associated General Contractors of...

Roundabout dispute in Wisconsin city heads to ballot.
August 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Prairie du Chien residents are fighting for final say on the construction of three roundabouts and, in the process, are putting a state road project in the city on hold. The city clerk and Common Council in the next...

City of Madison digs in to battle high wires.
August 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison wants a new transmission line buried if it runs through the city even though it will add millions to the project, and it's likely too late to force the change. I think there is concern that it's a foregone...

Green Bay snags WisDOT money blunder.
August 7, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A clerical error at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation sent Green Bay $232,665 more than it requested for the Main Street lift bridge, leaving four municipalities with less than they wanted. But Green Bay's...

We Energies strikes deal with Wisconsin environmental groups.
August 7, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Neither Clean Wisconsin nor We Energies wants to see what would happen if the utility shuts down the Oak Creek power plant's $100 million cooling system and builds a new one. The two parties last week agreed to a $105...

Hilton eyes city space reservation in Madison.
August 8, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison is talking to Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. about selling the Madison Municipal Building as part of a Capitol Hilton hotel expansion. If the city sells the building, Madison will be looking for downtown...

State aid grounds airport projects in Wisconsin.
August 8, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan It would be easier for the Door County Cherryland Airport to build its new terminal if the state would offer more than $500,000. But Wisconsin limits the money it gives for building construction at airports, and that...

GM troubles stall Janesville's growth.
August 8, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder As he watches the local General Motors Corp. plant stumbling toward closure, Gale Price said the rest of the city must fight to keep developers interested in the area. With the GM situation right now, Janesville's...

De Pere pier project finds solid footing in riverbed.
August 8, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter De Pere wants to build a 600-foot pier on the existing footings of the old Claude Allouez Bridge in the Fox River, figuring the city breaks even with the project and loses without it. We anticipate the...

Bid for Lion Bridges in Lake Park roars past Milwaukee County estimates.
August 8, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The low bid to repair one of two Lake Park Lion Bridges came in $341,000 beyond what Milwaukee County budgeted to repair both structures. The county last year budgeted $983,000 to fix both bridges after engineers...

Kenosha closes the curtain on historic theater.
August 11, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Kenosha is tearing down one of its historic movie houses over the objections of the building's owners. Kathryn Hanneman and John Gee, owners of the Roosevelt Theatre since 2000, pleaded with city officials to spare...

State of Wisconsin slams job estimates.
August 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Legislators on the state Building Commission are intensifying their calls for a change in project delivery methods as public construction costs soar. Recently, it seems like every project we're asked to support and...

Rare Wisconsin bridge nears dead end.
August 11, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter As historians fight to save a dilapidated pedestrian bridge in Port Washington, some city leaders argue the 83-year-old structure isn't worth the money. Port Washington budgeted $200,000 for the project, which...

New Covenant Housing Corp. checks out Milwaukee library.
August 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan New Covenant Housing Corp. Inc. will lose the $60,000 it spent on redevelopment plans for Milwaukee's Finney Library if the nonprofit fails a third time to buy the property. The Milwaukee developer will feel the pain...

Racine's flood response comes under fire.
August 11, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block While government agencies and nonprofits took the day off, Jim Rubel worked on the Fourth of July. Rubel, a master plumber, installed 27 hot-water heaters over three days in Racine homes flooded by heavy rains June...

Highway money hunt creates headache in Wisconsin.
August 12, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Kenosha will make private developers pay for local road improvements around Interstate 94 and Highway 50, but the state must shoulder construction on the area's interchange and frontage roads. Kenosha and the...

Nuclear option could get breathing room in Wisconsin.
August 12, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder While momentum in the state Legislature seems to be swinging back toward nuclear power, Wisconsin utilities say a change in nuclear regulation won't change their plans. If the moratorium were repealed tomorrow, said...

At rest with nature: St. Martin of Tours cemetery in Franklin works on three-phase expansion.
August 12, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan At least for now, the dead will not disrupt life for those creatures living in a wetland near St. Martin of Tours cemetery in Franklin. The cemetery is running out of space, and it is working on a three-phase...

Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance throws support to Cassville power plant.
August 12, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder After months of opposition from environmental groups around the state, Wisconsin Power & Light Co.'s proposed expansion to the Nelson Dewey Generating Facility in Cassville received some high-profile support. The...

Stoughton Road jobs in Madison hit fast lane.
August 13, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison is at least a car's length ahead of state traffic planners for the development of the Stoughton Road corridor near the Beltline Highway. It's very congested right now, said Michael Hoelker, the Wisconsin...

Labor law spurs unrest in Milwaukee.
August 13, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee's proposed hiring requirements for contractors are raising concerns the city could create temporary jobs at the expense of long-term careers. The construction industry wants to build careers for Milwaukee's...

Port Washinton water tower project forces city spending.
August 13, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Port Washington held off on a water-main extension for 20 years while city officials waited for development to drive the project. The development never happened, and now the city has to do the $1 million...

Spaceport in Sheboygan stalled while waiting for liftoff.
August 13, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder State Sen. Joe Leibham wants to start the countdown to construction of a spaceport in Sheboygan, but price and politics are keeping the project grounded. I'm not 100 percent sure yet what this all would mean in...

Dubai looks to cool off its red-hot property market.
August 14, 2008... Byline: Stefania Bianchi Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Cracks are starting to show in Dubai's well-crafted and glitzy property-marketing machine. Flipping properties has reached such a feverish pace, driving up prices, that Dubai's...

Bike lanes in Wisconsin earn equal billing.
August 14, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Vehicles, sidewalks and medians are stuck in a battle for right-of-way as the state and cities push for new bike lanes with road projects. On the 76th Street reconstruction project in Milwaukee, for example, the...

Lake Michigan water levels force dock rehab at Port Washington.
August 14, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Port Washington built its marina when Lake Michigan waters were at historic highs. Twenty-six years later, waters have hit historic lows, and the city's stationary docks are dangerous. The docks, which once sat...

Milwaukee pushes for local builders.
August 14, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee wants a local contractor to build the new Job Corps Center, but the federal agents bidding the project don't care about the builder's address. The Department of Labor published, in the Federal Register,...

Preservationists fight for 109-year-old tower in Oregon.
August 14, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Joan Gefke points to village officials when explaining why Oregon's 109-year-old water tower is not yet restored. I hate to say it, because I know the village has full plates, said Gefke, a member of the village's...

GM's troubles threaten Janesville's growth.
August 14, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder General Motors Corp. might close its Janesville operations, and that's weighing heavily on the city as it signs off on a $32 million wastewater-treatment plant upgrade. If that (GM) plant closes, 1,500 people could...

West Bend school buildings crumble as programs saved.
August 15, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter The West Bend Joint School District chose long ago to preserve its programs at the expense of its buildings, and it's now struggling to convince voters to save the structures. The district in November will take...

Trail cash rides on WisDOT ruling.
August 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state holds the key to federal cash to complete the Badger State Trail, but no one is making any promises. Priorities were discussed at the committee level, said Rod Clark in the Wisconsin Department of...

State of Wisconsin swings for wind rules.
August 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state Legislature will try again to establish statewide wind farm standards, but the one-size-fits-all approach faces the same opposition. Since the last legislative session ended with a failed attempt to...

Market crushes developers in Milwaukee.
August 15, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Affordable-housing projects in Milwaukee are suffering as the national market for tax credits bottoms out. Developers that receive the credits must sell them on the investment market to raise money for their projects,...

Mysterious corrosion eats Duluth-Superior steel.
August 15, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan As contractors repair corrosion to Cenex Harvest States' dock walls, a team is trying to discover what's causing the rot in the Duluth-Superior Harbor. Corrosion happens everywhere, said Chad Scott, principal at AMI...

Earwigs irritate Fond du Lac well users.
August 18, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Fond du Lac County health officials first blamed early summer flooding for bacterial contamination in private wells. That was before well drillers found the earwigs. State code didn't require vermin-proof...

University of Wisconsin-Madison's chiller project could yield cash.
August 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan, Paul Snyder and Krista Ledbetter As the University of Wisconsin System expands, many want new air-conditioning systems to keep things cool during warm-weather months. And cool could translate to cash. Three of...

Water sale's chain reaction drains New Berlin's utility reserves.
August 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan New Berlin will set off a string of borrowing when it taps its water utility's cash reserve to pay Milwaukee $1.5 million in a water sale agreement. If that drains the water utility's reserve money, a portion of...

Wisconsin school district boasts new bus building.
August 19, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Tom Wohlleber is afraid of what effect the term state-of-the-art might have on voters. We don't want taxpayers to have the assumption that we're doing things for the sole purpose of having the latest and greatest...

City of Madison selects State Street art.
August 19, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison selected a group of artists to create the water feature for the Frances Plaza on State Street, but no one can guarantee the estimated $230,000 piece of artwork always will be admired. Look, football...

Sheboygan County Memorial Airport project set for flight.
August 19, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Plans for an aircraft manufacturing facility at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport promises big things for the county -- if everything pans out. Morgan Aircraft LLC, Oostburg, proposed a plan to build a new...

Wisconsin company's expansion keeps in tune with owner's passion.
August 19, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Carma Laboratories Inc., producer of Carmex, is planning to expand its Franklin warehouse. And that expansion comes not only for a song, but with one, too. A song played on a pipe organ, to be precise. Briohn Building...

Farm proposal blows in wind in Columbia County.
August 20, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder In recent years, residents across the state balked at proposals to build wind farms where they live. In Columbia County that's not the case -- yet. The landowners I've talked to are pretty much in favor of it, said...

Playing nice pays off for Marquette contractors.
August 20, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan With the Marquette Interchange project wrapping up, the three contractors that joined to form Marquette Constructors LLC are putting their partnership on hiatus and are again competing for projects. Edward Kraemer &...

Fire leaves business in Madison seeking new home.
August 20, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder After a fire left its headquarters devastated, Madison-based Community Coordinated Child Care now is faced with a big decision about its future home. Whether it'll be building new or moving to a new location, we...

Road rehab in Pewaukee on back burner.
August 20, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Pewaukee is delaying some street construction projects because it doesn't have enough money to pay for them. In the early 1980s, Pewaukee passed a law capping the amount the city can assess property owners for...

St. Norbert College in De Pere looks for every last drop to be donated.
August 20, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter St. Norbert College has big development plans, but without adequate donations, the college could take a financial hit. If we don't make cost (with donations), the college needs to arrange bridge financing, and...

Biofuels top list of alternative energy in Wisconsin.
August 21, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder State Sen. Pat Kreitlow knows there's going to be hype about alternative energy in the upcoming legislative session, and bio-fuels are going to be one of the talking points. Our job is to sift through the criticisms...

City of Stoughton abuzz over artist colony.
August 21, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder While the interest is there when it comes to redeveloping an old downtown warehouse into an artist colony, the city of Stoughton and Minneapolis-based Artspace Projects Inc. have to determine if the money is there, too....

Audit reveals Barron County ate highway project overages.
August 21, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan For what some speculate was as long as 25 years, the Barron County Highway Department swallowed cost overruns on projects rather than billing municipalities. The department heads' motives are unknown, since the...

Winnebago County investigates case of missing square foot.
August 21, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Winnebago County wrapped up a $23 million nursing home project earlier this year, but a question lingers: What happened to one square foot of space? If I could answer that question, all of my troubles would be...

Milwaukee Area Technical College meets wind challenge.
August 22, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The first wind turbine gear Milwaukee Area Technical College purchased got scorched in a California brush fire and it took months to find a replacement. The equipment, a used Vestas Wind Systems 90 kilowatt turbine,...

Tit for tat a thing of the past on county road jobs.
August 22, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The decision to enforce bidding rules on road projects receiving federal money is likely to make it more difficult for county highway departments to cooperate with one another and get contracts. One example is...

La Crosse School Board seeks spending consensus.
August 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder With less than a month until the deadline to file questions for a November referendum, the Board of Education for the School District of La Crosse has yet to reach consensus on what to do. (Without a referendum)...

Projects struggle to meet demand in Wisconsin.
August 22, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The housing foreclosure crisis is creating a larger need for low-income housing. As more people need rental support or a roof over their heads, it is becoming increasingly difficult for service providers to get bank...

La Crosse's historical house fix on hold.
August 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder La Crosse's historic Hixon House Museum could remain in a state of disrepair for another four months following a drunk driving accident last weekend. Recreating a damaged portion of the wrought iron Victorian-era...

Affirmative action not fair, Wisconsn state representative says.
August 25, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan and Paul Snyder They're opinions vary, but when it comes to doing away with affirmative action in contracting, there is one thing both sides agree on: The debate will divide the state. State Rep. Glenn Grothman,...

Wanted: Architect for Madison's Allied Drive redevelopment project.
August 25, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Madison office of Eppstein Uhen Architects is no longer part of the city's Allied Drive redevelopment project. Madison's Community Development Authority will select a new firm in the coming weeks to finish the...

Milwaukee to re-bid rain garden after no one qualifies.
August 25, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee has to re-bid its latest street project that features special storm-water collection systems because there was an error in the only bid that was within budget. Only two companies tried to win the contract to...

Volunteers raise money for Myrick Hixon EcoPark in La Crosse.
August 26, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Officials want to raise $2.3 million in the next nine months to complete construction of the Myrick Hixon EcoPark in La Crosse. The problem? It took more than two years to generate an initial $2.7 million for...

Milwaukee County Labor Council promotes unionizing hotel.
August 26, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee County Labor Council wants projects receiving public money to guarantee post-construction jobs go to union members. The labor council joined with union UNITE HERE on Saturday to picket the Park East...

Wisconsin city goes in circles with road petition.
August 26, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder If a referendum leads to roundabouts becoming a no-go for Prairie du Chien's Marquette Road, it could push the road improvement project back several years. City Administrator Jim Gitz said it could impair our...

Grafton hotel slated for rehab.
August 26, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Milwaukee developer Rob Ruvin says he has grand plans for a dilapidated downtown Grafton building, but at least one city official is skeptical. Ruvin, under the auspices of Grafton Hotel Development LLC, owned...

City of Milwaukee seeks builder for MLK site.
August 27, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Anyone looking to build in an urban area should be prepared to deal with the remnants of old buildings that contractors swept under the sod long ago. It was, and still is, common practice to leave behind old stone or...

Sidewalk fix in Janesville cracks wallets.
August 27, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Janesville Public Works Department's attempts to be proactive with a citywide sidewalk program are not off to a good start. We didn't do a good job communicating with residents, said Mike Payne, the city's...

La Crosse project hopes to draw get-out-of-jail-on-budget card.
August 27, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder La Crosse County officials don't want anyone surprised when bids for the county jail expansion project are opened at the end of September, so they're giving County Board members fair warning. It would be foolish to...

Private sector in Milwaukee pays for public housing.
August 27, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The lack of federal money is causing the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee to increasingly rely on the private market for its projects. And that reliance translates to a loss of control. The public...

Contractor focused on flood relief for Wisconsin businesses.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Despite the widespread damage caused by this summer's floods, fewer businesses than expected have applied for federal aid. But Bill Fuchs, president of Total Team Construction LLC, is on a mission to change that. ...

Milwaukee coalition sets transit goal.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A Milwaukee group says the construction of an interchange to serve Oconomowoc's Pabst Farms shouldn't move forward unless public transit improvements are part of the plan. American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin...