The Daily Reporter articles from February 2009

The Daily Reporter archives from February 2009

Health care construction boom ends in Wisconsin.
February 2, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Wisconsin's health care construction boom is over. Two-thirds of the respondents to a recent Wisconsin Hospital Association survey reported cutting back on planned construction in the coming year, according to WHA...

Wisconsin construction industry waits for economic answers.
February 2, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder At age 22, Mike Koehler has the skepticism of a seasoned construction worker. He said he's unsure if federal stimulus money will put him back to work. There's no guarantee on the box, he said. I know there are...

Manitowoc bonding debate heads to court.
February 2, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Arlene Knauer is suing Manitowoc because, she claims, city leaders borrowed money for construction projects before her 2008 referendum gave them permission. They took the people's money before they voted, she said....

Project dispute threatens Bowers' bidding chances on Appleton city projects.
February 2, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Appleton won't let Carl Bowers & Sons Construction Co. Inc. bid on city projects until the two sides settle a dispute over a 2008 sewer and water-main job. There is a construction project that they bid on last year...

Madison developer pushes two-headed project.
February 2, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison might need only one round of voting to kill two projects proposed by The Alexander Co. The Madison developer is proposing a five-story downtown apartment building on Langdon Street. It wants to use money...

Hospital projects in Wisconsin reel from recession.
February 3, 2009... Byline: Brendan O'Brien Few question hospitals will be in demand for the foreseeable future. Few question evolving technology and an aging population mean hospitals require regular updates and expansions. There is, however, a question...

Madison highway planning inches forward.
February 3, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder A lack of money and an abundance of political debate hamper the northern expansion of Madison's Beltline Highway even as planners close in on an official project route. The governor's raided the state's...

Dane County group seeks regional transit authority consensus.
February 3, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Before they support a regional transit authority, rural Dane County communities want proof it will do more than pay for commuter rail. For anyone to ask any community to gussy up money to subsidize a service, with...

Milwaukee alderman seeks solar water standards.
February 3, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee Alderman Tony Zielinski wants to require solar water-heating systems on new homes in the city, but homebuilders say a mandate is going too far. Solar systems collect heat from the sun through rooftop panels...

Explosion at We Energies Oak Creek power plant injures four workers.
February 4, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Four scaffolding workers were critically injured in an explosion at the We Energies Oak Creek power plant Tuesday. The explosion occurred at 10:50 a.m. after a fire ignited in a rotary dust collector in the power...

Seniors seek retirement in style.
February 4, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block This isn't your great-grandma's nursing home. Inviting corridors and warm apartments have replaced sterile hallways connecting 10-foot-by-10-foot rooms furnished with beds and TVs. A beauty salon, activity rooms...

Subcontractors in Wisconsin ready to battle for their bonds.
February 4, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Subcontractors are fighting to save project insurance that a growing number of municipalities regard as a cost ripe for cutting. Municipalities are considering dropping requirements that general contractors buy bonds...

Cardinal Stritch University project in Wisconsin meets environmental worries.
February 4, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Those calling for Cardinal Stritch University to completely preserve 86.5 acres of its campus project must first realize they have to give up something to get something in return, said St. Francis Mayor Al Richards. ...

Wisconsin lawmaker fights the odds for northwest rail.
February 4, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder State Sen. Pat Kreitlow is flexing his legislative muscles to get a high-speed rail connection between Madison and Eau Claire on the state's project list. This has been something that's been talked about in the area...

Wisconsin business groups oppose emission standards draft.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Tighter Wisconsin standards for greenhouse gas emissions could hurt the construction industry as much as they help the environment. Building new power plants and upgrading plants would create new opportunities for...

Inside Job Trac.
February 5, 2009... Cleveland/Technical College Driving Skills Course Project: Driving Skills Course for Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland Bids due: Feb. 19 Owner: Lakeshore Technical College Financial Services Division, Cleveland Bids to:...

Education coalition wants more money for Wisconsin's public schools.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Herb Katt's construction company will not get much business from a plan to pump millions of dollars into Wisconsin's public schools, but he backs the program nonetheless. Katt, owner of Katt Construction Corp.,...

Insurance becomes balancing act: Changes in coverage can help firms retain staff.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Jessica Stephen Karen Eaton said she thinks a lot about profit and sustainability ever since bad credit, bad debt and bad decisions slammed the door last year on the economy. Eaton, who runs the family owned Eaton's Asphalt...

Green Bay businesses oppose roundabouts.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder A nearly two-mile stretch of Green Bay's Military Avenue is becoming the battleground for a roundabout war. I'm not opposed categorically to roundabouts, said Green Bay Alderman Guy Zima. They have their place. But...

Madison alderman claims council too picky.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder The economic recession and related slowdown in construction is sparking a debate between Madison leaders about how strict they should be with developers. We should always have standards that are important, since...

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources closes in on statewide radium compliance.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The Waukesha Water Utility is the final loose end in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources nine-year effort to get water systems to comply with federal radium limits. The Waukesha utility, which is facing a...

Milwaukee not ready for sick-leave law.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan There is no way Milwaukee will have the administrative framework in place by Tuesday to guide businesses trying to comply with the city's new sick-leave law. Unless Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge Thomas Cooper...

Milwaukee County judge delays sick-leave law.
February 9, 2009... Byline: Daily Reporter Staff Report A Milwaukee County judge Friday delayed the start of Milwaukee's enforcement of a sick-leave law until the court rules on a lawsuit challenging the legality of the ordinance. This is not a very...

City of Superior weathers Wisconsin's economic storms.
February 9, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Murphy Oil USA Inc.'s $6 billion refinery expansion is slipping through Superior's fingers. On top of that, the city's port-based economy, which annually moves about 22 million metric tons of coal, is bracing for...

PLA order sparks lawsuit talk among contractor groups.
February 10, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Contractor groups are considering lawsuits challenging President Barack Obama's executive order allowing project-labor agreements on jobs using federal money. It's not likely those groups will sue before the federal...

Dane County, its cities collaborate on intersection.
February 10, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Dane County is willing to open its wallet for road projects in a move that could improve the relationship between the county and its municipalities. County Executive Kathleen Falk last week announced more than $13...

Green-building groups vie for residential market shares.
February 11, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The National Association of Home Builders is touting its new residential green-building certification as more flexible than the other programs on the market. The revised certification the NAHB rolled out this month is...

Stimulus signs scare Wisconsn builders.
February 11, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Some Wisconsin builders are losing hope in what a federal stimulus package could mean for the state's construction industry. A month ago, it looked like there would be a lot more money that would get to construction...

Skepticism follows transmission line proposal: Minneapolis group argues project will serve coal.
February 11, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Building new transmission lines in the name of wind power is the latest attempt to strengthen coal's grip on the country's electricity generation, said a critic of plans to build new power lines throughout the Midwest....

Propane tank blazes at Marquette University Law School construction site.
February 11, 2009... Byline: Jack Zemlicka A propane tank reportedly caught fire on the site of the new Marquette University Law School about 4 p.m. this afternoon. Brigid O'Brien Miller, director of communications for Marquette University confirmed that...

Madison, Wisc. neighborhood's needs trump long-term planning.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison planners admit they are rolling the dice by forsaking the city's comprehensive plan in favor of saving Westgate Mall with a stand-alone, big-box store. There's no hard promise for what will happen on the...

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle commits to state road projects.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin plans to immediately commit $300 million in federal stimulus spending to state road projects as soon as the federal cash arrives. Joined by state Senate and Assembly majority leadership, Gov. Jim Doyle on...

Wisconsin architects want more money for green projects.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder If the federal government wants to use tax credits to encourage green construction, it needs to offer more than $1.80 per square foot, say several Wisconsin architects. Those architects are pushing for a tax credit...

Attorneys still coping with closing of Racine-based James Cape & Sons Co.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan James Cape & Sons Co. shut down four years ago, but bill collectors, attorneys and the city of Milwaukee are still dealing with the fallout. For Milwaukee, the city will eat $77,982 if it accepts a settlement in a...

Library project delays vex Fitchburg mayor.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder After five years of listening to maybe, Fitchburg's mayor wants a yes or no, even if it means the city kills a proposed library project. This is not reinventing the wheel, said Mayor Tom Clauder. My biggest fear is...

Madison searches for north side solution: Redevelopment could spark area's resurrection.
February 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison's north side is bleeding millions in potential consumer spending, and the city wants to plug the hole with a multiyear redevelopment plan. There are a number of opportune sites for redevelopment in the next...

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College drops bid bonds for projects.
February 16, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is facing legal and practical questions over its decision to loosen bonding requirements to help small contractors. SWTC is accepting bids for $26.2 million worth of projects...

Milwaukee-based Bentley Co. mulls construction shutdown.
February 16, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The Bentley Co. could stop general contracting work this year. The Milwaukee-based company employed 125 construction workers during its 2008 peak, but has whittled that down to between five and eight workers, said...

Scaffold workers sue Wisconsin-based We Energies.
February 16, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The seven scaffold workers injured in an explosion at the We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant sued the utility Friday. The explosion occurred Feb. 3 in a coal-dust collector where workers were installing scaffolding for...

Wisconsin business group pledges I-94 ramp battle.
February 17, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Business groups are still fighting for another offramp from Interstate 94 to 27th Street even though transportation and elected officials say it's too late to change the project. The Wisconsin Department of...

Verona developer adjusts strategy to appease city leaders.
February 17, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder David Reinke changed the development strategy for his 200-acre Verona plot to appease city leaders, but they still want assurance he will stick to the new plan. We're pleased he took that direction, said Bruce...

Public Service Commission of Wisconsin transmission project still sparks questions.
February 17, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Dane County citizens groups and government officials keep questioning a major transmission line project as the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin nears a final ruling on the proposal. We still want to get our...

Concrete injures laborer working on Milwaukee sewer project.
February 17, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block A laborer working on a Milwaukee sewer project was injured Monday when concrete being lifted out of a hole fell on him. Paul Brzezinski, an employee with Con-Cor Co. Inc., was treated at Froedtert Memorial Hospital...

Debate in Cudahy heats up over demolition of Sportsites' Iceport.
February 18, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Sportsites LLC is ready for a fight if Cudahy forces the company to pay for the demolition of its Iceport's steel skeleton and cement foundation. Cudahy on Monday opened bids to demolish the rusting structure of what...

Madison guidelines frustrate developer.
February 18, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Erik Minton keeps finding his mixed-use project on the wrong side of Madison's Bassett neighborhood guidelines. Four years ago the city rejected Minton's nine-story, mixed-use proposal for the 400 block of West...

Milwaukee road jobs could miss stimulus.
February 18, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The local road projects Milwaukee could award to contractors the quickest probably will not qualify for federal stimulus money. The city has $10 million in local street projects, $15 million in alley repaving and $5...

Highway 41 project could give Wisconsin roadway interstate designation.
February 18, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block The Fox Valley's main thoroughfare may be in line for a promotion. Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials are set to unveil plans for a seven-year, $988 million project to rebuild Highway 41 from Oshkosh...

Wisconsin Governor Doyle's budget proposal supports transportation.
February 18, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Gov. Jim Doyle on Tuesday warned that Wisconsin is facing its largest budget cuts, but he also promised a boost for the state's transportation system. With Tuesday's passage of the American Recovery and...

Transit authorities gain momentum throughout Wisconsin.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder State support for regional transit authorities does not mean they immediately will pop up throughout Wisconsin. You've got to be really careful, said Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna. Timing is important with this issue,...

Developers in Wisconsin shopping in barren tax-credit market.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan and Dustin Block Competition and a lousy economy could stall Wisconsin's low-income and senior-housing projects before they get started, according to analysts. Developers applied for $66 million in 2009 tax credits...

Middleton bid delay irritates builders.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Several general contractors are fuming after Middleton and its architect made late changes to plans and bid documents and postponed opening bids for a new law enforcement building. We're pretty disgusted, said Kevin...

Milwaukee native Harold Mueller dies at age 82.(Obituary)
February 20, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Harold Mueller was a man who worked hard to stay on high ground in the world of underground contracting. Mueller, 82, a Milwaukee native who made a national name for himself in the underground business, died Monday in...

Recession roughs up referendums: Building, expanding schools on hold in Wisconsin.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Tom Heegeman's home building company is struggling to sell houses during the recession. But he still backed Appleton's failed $15.9 million school referendum that would have raised property taxes to lower class sizes...

Appleton hopes for a hit with upgraded facility for Milwaukee Brewers minor-league team.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block If you build it they will come. If you don't build it, they will go. The Beloit community learned that in 2004 when the Milwaukee Brewers minor league team left the city for a new stadium in West Virginia. It's...

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle lowers stakes for minority certification.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Some minority contractors say a state plan to help them get more money to grow could end up stunting them. Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed budget includes a change to the Wisconsin minority contractor program that is meant...

New home for Delafield Public Library's 60,000 books.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan It won't be easy for Delafield to find a downtown building to rent in 2010. But if it doesn't, the library can't remain open while contractors renovate city buildings. The Delafield Public Library is in a...

Sludge storage could smell sweet: Developer proposes Darien lagoon to feed fields.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block For Steve Walter, the best way to mitigate storm-water runoff is to build a 5-million-gallon wastewater lagoon on his property in Walworth County. In it, he would collect non-metallic waste from septic systems,...

Wisconsin lawmakers: Stimulus spending must stay on track.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin's transportation system stands to benefit from federal stimulus money and the governor's budget, and lawmakers want to make sure the state holds true to its commitment. There's always a danger any time...

Manitowoc mayor moves to private sector: Energy gig is natural fit, he says.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Manitowoc Mayor Kevin Crawford helped save 170 jobs in his city by luring an energy-efficient lighting manufacturer to an abandoned plant. It turns out one of those jobs was for himself. Crawford is set to become...

State of Wisconsin stands behind prevailing wage requirement for municipal work.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan and Paul Snyder The state on Friday supported the Construction Business Group's argument that developers must pay prevailing wages when building public streets and sewers. The CBG in August sent the Department of...

Contractors seek flexibility in hiring from city of Milwaukee.
February 24, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Contractor associations say builders can't comply with a Milwaukee proposal that would require unemployed and disadvantaged city residents work on city projects. But the proposal's author, Alderman Ashanti Hamilton,...

Wind farm bill would establish statewide guidelines for development in Wisconsin.
February 24, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder State Sen. Jeff Plale says he is weeks away from introducing a new bill establishing statewide guidelines for wind farm development. But meshing existing municipal ordinances into one that would govern the state has...

Wage ruling could hurt development in Wisconsin.
February 24, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan and Paul Snyder Builders and municipalities predict development will suffer if the state requires developers to pay prevailing wages when constructing infrastructure to serve their private projects. Construction costs...

Contractors seek flexibility in hiring.
February 24, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Contractor associations say builders can't comply with a Milwaukee proposal that would require unemployed and disadvantaged city residents work on city projects. But the proposal's author, Alderman Ashanti Hamilton,...

Federal stimulus could fix Wisconsin's deficit rather than build infrastructure.
February 25, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin expects roughly $3.7 billion in federal stimulus money, and lawmakers in the Capitol are already sparring about whether construction projects will get a big enough cut. This was supposed to be one-time...

Citizens group sues Wisconsin village, saying annexation illegal.
February 25, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The Highway J Citizens Group on Friday sued the village of Richfield for annexing a business park because the group is worried the move will lead to more development. Richfield annexed the Helsan Business Park in...

Wisconsin Republicans rally against wage provisions in budget.
February 25, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Opponents are pessimistic they'll be able to remove a state budget provision that would require prevailing wages for any project that receives $2,000 or more in state money. The current threshold is $248,000. ...

Madison inches toward sustainable neighborhood.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder As Madison closes in on its goal of developing a sustainable neighborhood, builders and landowners want to make sure the city does not become too aggressive in its quest. We have to make sure we stay competitive...

Wisconsin's engineering firms, big and small, feel hit of economy.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Somewhere between many and most of Wisconsin's engineering firms have been forced to lay off workers due to the slumping economy. Kevin Hagen, vice president of Graef, Milwaukee, and director of the American Council...

Failed pipe is culprit in sewer collapse underneath Milwaukee street.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan The city of Milwaukee may never know why a five-year-old sewer pipe collapsed underneath Locust Street. It's uncommon for combined sewer pipes to collapse. The two most recent cases involved 100-year-old brick sewers...

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh strives for sustainability.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Dustin Block Plans for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's new academic building are falling short of energy-efficiency goals and the project is likely to exceed its proposed budget. But, for now, officials said the...

Resort tax could foot bill for Wisconsin convention centers.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder and Dustin Block Tom Diehl worked hard to create a sales tax that helps communities like Wisconsin Dells bolster their tourism industry. And the president of famed ski show Tommy Bartlett Inc. doesn't want to see...

Milwaukee mayor seeks state cash for local roads.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee officials this week amplified their call for the state to spend more money on local roads and less on highway expansion projects. But pushing for the redirection of state money away from state and interstate...

Slow growth in works on Lake Mendota's north side.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Local leaders like the idea a developer has for more than 700 acres between Middleton and Westport, but worry about the strain the growth could mean for their communities. We're still very early in negotiations,...

La Crosse-based Badger Corrugating struggles to keep doors open.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Paul Snyder Despite media reports to the contrary, the president of La Crosse-based Badger Corrugating Co. said Thursday the company has no intention of closing its doors or laying off additional staff. We've been here for 106...