The Daily Reporter articles from December 2008

The Daily Reporter archives from December 2008

Regional transit bill loses steam in Wisconsin.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The special legislative committee charged with creating a regional transit authority bill is dead. State Rep. Alvin Ott, chairman of the Legislative Council Special Committee on Regional Transportation Authority, on...

Cost to cruise: Tolls tossed around as road money in Wisconsin becomes scarce.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Editor's note: This is the first in a five-part weekly series about the Interstate 94 north-south construction project. As the state barrels toward a $5.4 billion budget shortfall and seeks new transportation...

Power push is premature, argues Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group.
December 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder As the building industry prepares for a state-fueled run on energy-related construction, the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group argues the work is unnecessary and too expensive right now. The state mandates 10...

Farm groups fight to keep developers off Wisconsin farmland.
December 2, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Towns and farm groups are trying to preserve Wisconsin farmland, but the amount of money farmers can get by selling for redevelopment is often too good to refuse. A farm owner can get $6,000 to $7,000 selling property...

Beloit Town Board seeks balance for fire station job.
December 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Beloit Town Board must choose between taxpayers who say they can't afford a new fire station and firefighters who say they can't afford to spend more time in a deteriorating building. The Town Board was...

Owners reap rewards of Wisconsin's thin market for underground construction work.
December 3, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The lack of underground construction work that's making life difficult for contractors is a gift for public owners who are enjoying below-budget bids. Brown Deer, for example, collected 15 bids Nov. 25 for a...

La Crosse hopes to get road money from Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
December 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder La Crosse might be among the losers in attracting Wisconsin Department of Transportation money as the agency focuses its resources on major highway jobs in the next several years. I don't want to be the one that...

Madison regroups to fix affordable housing; critics wonder if city is overstating crisis.
December 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder As Madison assembles another committee to solve the affordable housing puzzle, area developers are wondering what exactly the city is trying to fix. I've been working on housing issues in Madison for 27 years, said...

American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin tries to kill I-94 widening.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation Inc. on Wednesday filed a civil rights complaint against the Wisconsin Department of Transportation over its planning for the $1.9 billion reconstruction of...

Wisconsin's regional transit authorities find new champion.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder State Sen. Fred Risser won't let a legislative committee charged with creating a regional transit authority bill die without a fight. If (state Rep. Al Ott) doesn't want to continue on and it's a matter of putting...

Superior City Council wants project-labor agreement to target local workers.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Supporters and opponents of a project-labor agreement requirement for Superior projects question the practicality of forcing contractors to give preference to local workers. Superior's City Council on Tuesday...

Green goals alarm Madison builders.
December 5, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder For now, builders will watch and wait as Madison sets sustainability goals for residential construction on the city's northeast side. It's when they become mandates, and the city says, 'We're not going to allow...

Construction industry expects Obama's PLA support.
December 5, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Contractor and labor groups are picking sides in anticipation of President-elect Barack Obama's move to allow project-labor agreements on federal jobs. President George W. Bush forbade government-mandated PLAs for...

Wisconsin municipalities struggle over annexation option.
December 5, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A dispute over the location of a new clinic has ground the project to a halt and extended land arguments between the town of Windsor and the village of DeForest. For the last couple of years, we've been trying to...

Inside JobTrac.
December 5, 2008... Wales/Water System Upgrade Project: Water System Upgrade Project at Ethan Allen School, Wales Phase: Construct a 300,000-gallon cast-in-place concrete potable water storage reservoir. water main, well house, roadway improvements. ...

Wisconsin's construction industry waits for stimulus details.
December 9, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block There's a question no one in Wisconsin's construction industry can answer about President-elect Barack Obama commitment to massive infrastructure spending to pull the country out of recession. "How much is it?"...

Money woes threaten Madison library project.
December 9, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison has two options for a new Central Library, but no choice is a good choice if the city can't afford it. At this point, said Alderman Mike Verveer, the city does not have enough money to do this without...

Portage County re-examines construction request.
December 9, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Portage County's need for a new courthouse and a bigger jail didn't disappear when voters turned down the request, but it left the County Board cautious about asking again. We're going to revisit the needs, said...

Audit by Milwaukee comptroller shows street maintenance worth money.
December 10, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee will need another $6 million per year until 2033 for street maintenance and more for reconstruction in order to get a handle on its backlog of road work, according to an audit released Tuesday by city...

Nuclear power should be option for Wisconsin, says state Rep. Jim Soletski.
December 10, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Nuclear power opponents are up in arms over state Rep. Jim Soletski's prediction the state might repeal its construction ban on the controversial plants. I'm still skeptical that that's the direction we should be...

Wisconsin municipalities set battle lines for boundary war.
December 10, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder West Salem could trigger a development feud if it annexes about 190 acres between the village and Onalaska. We didn't ask for the annexation, said Teresa Schnitzler, West Salem's village administrator. We don't go...

Wisconsin's I-94 contract covers response to highway project emergencies.
December 10, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The Interstate 94 reconstruction requires more than construction investments as the state prepares for the difficulties in responding to highway project emergencies. Responders must be there faster and can't block...

Owner and president of Al Banaszak Inc., Lake Mills, closes excavation company and retires.
December 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan After three years of tough business and no sign of hope in 2009, 65-year-old Al Banaszak is shutting down his excavation company and retiring. You hate to say so, but you know you don't want to dig the hole any...

Milwaukee tunnel job tests engineers.
December 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A narrow, unpleasant, 80-foot tunnel offers the shortest path connecting workers south of Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley to jobs in the valley's industrial park. But to realize the vision of a welcoming Valley Passage...

State of Wisconsin struggles to build road budget.
December 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state can't establish its transportation construction budget until it knows how much federal money is coming, when it will arrive and how to cope once it's gone. The first step for us is going to be determining...

Wisconsin pipeline expansion puts Janesville on alert.
December 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder There's no way ANR Pipeline Co. will please everyone when it builds a 9-mile, $38 million Wisconsin pipeline expansion through Janesville. The Houston company, which is a subsidiary of Alberta-based TransCanada...

Unions target Hyatt Regency Milwaukee project for protest.
December 12, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Milwaukee labor leaders rallying Friday over a contractor using out-of-state workers on an $18 million project shouldn't be surprised local businesses are willing to take the best deal, said a Milwaukee business...

Wind farm firm keeps Wisconsin turbine project spinning.
December 12, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Summit Ridge Energy LLC isn't yet ready to let a Monroe County Circuit Court ruling kill a 60-turbine wind farm proposal for the towns of Ridgeville, Wells and Wilton. At this point we're talking with our...

Wisconsin-based Spancrete workers wait for recall; Company maintains 231 layoffs are temporary.
December 12, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan As the economy forces company closures and permanent job loss, The Spancrete Group Inc.'s layoffs are unusual because the company intends to rehire its workers, said D.J. Blum, program coordinator for Workforce...

Big government strangles businesses.
December 15, 2008... Byline: Raymond Keating Long Island, NY - The current economic mess presents big challenges. Families are tightening budgets. Businesses are reining in costs. But what about government? At the federal level, after years of rapid...

Unions call for prevailing wage overhaul in Wisconsin.
December 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder If the state Legislature wants to streamline the construction industry, lawmakers can start by exorcising the dual thresholds from prevailing wage law, said Terry McGowan, business manager for Operating Engineers Local...

General contractor Gilbane Inc. combines Milwaukee, Chicago offices.
December 15, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block One of the nation's largest general contractors is combining its Milwaukee and Chicago offices to create a "super region" in the Midwest and compete for jobs in the recession economy. Gilbane Inc. will keep its...

La Crosse bids big for parking lot.
December 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A downtown parking lot valued at $698,800 will draw as much as $1 million from the city of La Crosse. To borrow $1 million dollars at this time is something we shouldn't be doing, said Alderwoman Andrea Richmond....

Noise pollution mitigation in works for rebuild of I-94 north-south from Milwaukee to Illinois.
December 15, 2008... Byline: Brendan O'Brien When it comes to freeways, bigger and better often means noisier as capacity increases and roads inch closer to neighboring homes and businesses. The seven-year, $1.9 billion reconstruction of Interstate 94...

Neighbors of Westgate Mall in Madison lack high hopes for Hy-Vee.
December 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Some Madison neighborhood planners dismiss a new Hy-Vee Inc. grocery store as temporary life support for a dying Westgate Mall. There are some people who think it's not a good idea at all, said Denise Lamb, a member...

Kalahari Resorts project in Wisconsin Dells tries to defy dipping economy.
December 16, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Kraemer Brothers LLC discovered a down economy can have an upside when the company built a $20 million indoor theme park for Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells. Top subcontractors -- and the top employees with...

Wrecking ball in play for Union South on University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
December 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Student protesters called off their last-minute charge to block the demolition of Union South on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Chynna Haas, a UW-Madison junior, said many students still oppose the...

Tight market squeezes apprentices: Wisconsin union rules send trainees to front of layoff line.
December 17, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Contractors are laying off apprentices as work dries up, forcing union coordinators to turn to public projects as the most likely sources of worker training. Between 80 and 90 of the Wisconsin Laborers District...

Commuter-rail money out of reach for Dane County.
December 17, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Dane County must prove it can pay for at least a portion of a commuter-rail project before convincing the federal government to chip in. The county does not have that kind of proof, so its Board of Supervisors will...

Stimulus cash prompts Wisconsin's push to streamline approval and bidding processes.
December 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state Building Commission can't skirt procedure to speed up project approval, even if federal stimulus money hangs in the balance. The Building Commission doesn't have the power to change the law, said state...

Clinton Community School District seeks voter change of heart.
December 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Clinton Community School District likes the price of school projects so much it will ask for $9.63 million in February even though voters rejected an identical request last month. The architect and contractor...

Milwaukee contractor gambles company for growth.
December 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Isaac Malone is risking his businesses' future to generate enough work in a bad market to take the company to the next level. Malone, owner of the 3-year-old BestChoice Mechanical LLC, wants to pay $4,400 cash for a...

Milwaukee might vie for gas tax cash: State money would pay for backlog of road projects.
December 19, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee Alderman Jim Bohl wants state gas taxes to pay for the city's backlog of street construction projects. But the push to get the state Legislature to approve the idea likely will revive longstanding arguments...

Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation: Money's not a problem, for now.
December 19, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Wisconsin Department of Transportation claims its revenue systems are stable through 2015, and the agency will research long-term revenue sources for transportation when warranted. That's news to Craig Thompson,...

Brewery building tests Milwaukee city department's patience.
December 19, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A Milwaukee agency wants something done to stop the deterioration of the Gipfel Union Brewery building, but the owner has yet to reveal a clear plan. The building is sitting on blocks in the Park East corridor after...

Statewide scuffle in Wisconsin for federal stimulus money could delay project approvals.
December 19, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A statewide scuffle for federal stimulus money could delay project approvals. State Building Commission members acknowledge as much even as they are preparing for the possibility of marathon meetings in January to...

Wisc. businesses along the north-south portion of Interstate 94 brace for crippled commerce.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Editor's note: This is the fourth in a five-part weekly series about the Interstate 94 north-south construction project. Some businesses along the north-south portion of Interstate 94 are preparing to grow with the...

Racine group builds for better neighborhood.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block A man was murdered less than a block from Jorge Perez's new home the same week he moved his family of eight there. "But it's a beautiful house," he said. That's what Rachel Westergren said she wants to hear...

Air quality in Dane County could break bank for builders.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder If Dane County does not clean up its air, area builders could pay the price when federal and local governments tighten the clamps on construction equipment. We have improving air quality, said Topf Wells, chief of...

Neighbors oppose demolition of former fertilizer plant in Madison.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Neighbors of the former Royster-Clark fertilizer plant in Madison say they are worried the property owner's impatience could hurt redevelopment. (The owner) thinks getting rid of a few buildings will be the...

Alliant abandons large-scale Nelson Dewey replacement in Cassville.
December 23, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Builders are waiting in vain if they expect Alliant Energy to replace its rejected Nelson Dewey Generating Facility with another huge power plant proposal. It's going to be a challenge for everyone to start...

Wisconsin renews push for solar power.
December 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state in 2009 will reach for the sun as a renewable energy focus for new and existing developments despite a growing shadow of skepticism. If (solar) is a viable option, let the private industry investigate it...

State of Wisconsin fights to save WHEDA home loans.
December 24, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The state wants to revive a home-loan program that helps builders and brokers coax buyers into the residential market. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority's program loaned to prospective...

Oconomowoc, Wisc. waits for payback for downtown improvements.
December 24, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The economic downturn could stall the private investment Oconomowoc wants to encourage by pumping money into projects to improve its downtown. The city must spend money in its downtown so landowners know Oconomowoc...

Dane County, Wisc., considers separate air standards.
December 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Construction groups favor stronger federal and state air quality standards, but they will not back Dane County if it tries to tighten the rules on its own. We support the effort from a federal approach, said Pat...

Biomass plant in Ashland faces tough state review.
December 26, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Xcel Energy won't break new ground with a 100 percent biomass power plant proposal if it can't convince the state the project is practical. We have a lot of things to look at, said Eric Callisto, chairman of the...

Dane County roadwork warrants top billing for now.
December 26, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Dane County transportation proponents want the county's request for more than $7 million in federal stimulus money to at least signal a greater commitment to road and bridge projects. It will be great if we see this...

Sinking appraisals drag down home building industry.
December 26, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Home builders will continue to lose projects if the appraised value of houses continues to dip below the cost of construction. Lenders use appraisals to determine how much to give homebuyers for new home construction....

Wisconsin expects minor collision between tourism and interstate rebuild.
December 29, 2008... Byline: Melissa Rigney Baxter Editor's note: This is the fifth in a five-part weekly series about the Interstate 94 north-south construction project. Three counties, 35 miles and more than 150,000 vehicles daily. The Interstate 94...

Economic slump fuels mortgage fraud in Wisconsin.
December 29, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Delavan Attorney Jeffrey Hahn's client needed money, so he met with mortgage broker James Lytle and agreed to fill out paperwork. Lytle, who has been convicted of fraud, forged the paperwork and bought a home in...

Crime cripples redevelopment of Milwaukee's 30th Street industrial corridor.
December 30, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Business owners, planners and neighborhood residents insist Milwaukee must clean up its streets before it redevelops the 30th Street industrial corridor. Crime is a factor as companies decide where to build because...

Wisconsin cities scramble for stimulus projects.
December 30, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Several Wisconsin cities will build their stimulus projects even if the federal government fails to dish out money to pay for construction. Ben Hughes, Racine city administrator, said Racine submitted road and...

Wisconsin state senator slams Milwaukee's contracting preference.
December 31, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan State Sen. Glenn Grothman wants to eliminate Milwaukee's Emerging Business Enterprise program because, he said, it favors contractors with bad attributes. To accomplish that, the West Bend Republican said he will...

Lawsuit costs could force Burlington to accept state-mandated prevailing wages.
December 31, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The cost of a lawsuit might force Burlington to give up its fight and accept state-mandated prevailing wages for the Veterans Terrace project. Suing in circuit court is the only remaining option to challenge the...