The Daily Reporter articles from March 2008

The Daily Reporter archives from March 2008

Justice center sticker shocks Monroe County.
March 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Monroe County Supervisor Jim Rice said the County Board failed its constituency when it pulled the trigger on a new justice center. Monroe County Sheriff Dennis Pedersen said if the board failed, it's the board's...

Wisconsin insurance agency builds tallest flagpole in the country.
March 3, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan ACUITY Insurance is building for the second time the tallest flagpole in the country at its Sheboygan headquarters. A new 338-footer is necessary because changing the light bulb atop the first one was a dangerous...

Wisconsin sounties fight to protect bridge money.
March 3, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan County highway commissioners say that if Wisconsin makes federal projects eligible for bridge project money, state government should share the pain. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is drafting standards...

River cleanup at Port of Milwaukee won't float without federal deal.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan If the Environmental Protection Agency doesn't pay the Army Corps of Engineers' share of a project at the Port of Milwaukee, the Kinnickinnic River cleanup probably won't happen. The two federal agencies are...

Intersection fix in Madison could break corner store.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Karen Eigenberger wants Madison to fix the intersection of Mineral Point and Junction roads, but not if it means killing her business. "It's bad right now," said the co-owner and manager of Steve's Liquor and More,...

Residents to pay either way for Miller Park in Milwaukee.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Proposed legislation requiring an end to the Miller Park sales tax by Dec. 31, 2014, will not save southeastern Wisconsin residents a single cent. The tax money needed to pay off the stadium's construction debt will...

Tech schools in line for $10 million in Wisconsin.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block It's Racine's Catch 22. People in the city can't find jobs, and employers can't find workers. The vicious cycle has led to 10 percent unemployment in the city, with some neighborhoods reaching as high as one in...

Minimalist Hilldale Mall project in Madison narrows scope.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Joseph Freed & Associates again scaled back its plan for the Hilldale Mall redevelopment in Madison, but this might be as small as the city's willing to go. The Palatine, Ill.-based developer originally proposed two...

Case building caught in Janesville crossfire.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A failure to communicate could mean demolition for one of Janesville's oldest buildings. The city spent the last year trying to contact Madison-based North American Group of Companies Inc. and its principal Nadeem...

Milwaukee Industrial Trade Center seeks $32 million from Milwaukee in Tower suit.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A $32 million claim the owner of Tower Automotive filed against Milwaukee is partially intended to spur movement on city plans to buy the property. With the city trying to buy the site, it's difficult for Milwaukee...

Milwaukee revisits minority business imbalance.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's race-based contracting program couldn't withstand a court challenge. That, according to MMSD spokesman Bill Graffin, is the opinion of the district's attorneys. The...

Draft for Madison's Central Park needs rewrites.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison's Central Park Task Force sent back a proposed design for the park this week after details leaked out to the public. A subcommittee of the city's Central Park Design and Implementation Task Force came up...

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee looks outside Milwaukee.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Southeastern Wisconsin universities collaborating on research projects say that working in nearby buildings isn't essential to strong partnerships, but it certainly doesn't hurt. A small Milwaukee citizen's group...

Opposition chills wind farm bill in Wisconsin Legislature.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wind farm legislation sailing through the Legislature lost its breeze this week. A Senate committee delayed action on the bipartisan bill that would establish state wind farm guidelines for counties and towns after...

West Allis turns loss into tax base.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The tax benefits of developments spurred by West Allis' first tax incremental financing district can be measured by pennies on the dollar. But those pennies are turning around an industrial city hollowed out by the...

Senate bill supports affordable housing in Milwaukee.
March 10, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The city of Milwaukee could collect $9 million in the next 10 years for affordable housing project under a bill the Senate unanimously approved on Tuesday. Milwaukee Alderman Michael Murphy said in a press release...

New concrete plant slated near Wausau.
March 10, 2008... Byline: Dustin Block Masonry contractors in central Wisconsin will have a new supplier to choose from later this year. Cemstone Products Co. out of Mendota Heights, Minn., is opening a new ready mix concrete plant in Rothschild, just...

Gilbane streamlines Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee.
March 10, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan After three years of work at General Mitchell International Airport, Christopher Schmidt's projects will ensure the ticket lines are shorter and the bathrooms are cleaner. On top of that, the Gilbane Building Co....

Beloit rejects public housing plan.
March 10, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The city of Beloit has to rethink how it's going to handle public housing improvements. While it thought it had found not only a great project, but a guide for future public housing development in a proposed plan...

Green building finds fertile ground in Waukesha.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Green-building goals will grow into requirements written into national, state and local building codes, said R.G. Keller, Waukesha plan commissioner. But baby steps come first, and those headed toward green-building...

Milwaukee County wants affordable-housing competition.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Facing the prospect of competing for Milwaukee County money that Tri-Corp. Housing Inc. automatically received for the past 10 years, Executive Director Michael Brever said he welcomes the challenge. Since 1992,...

Stiff breeze blows against wind farm bill in Wisconsin.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state Senate this week could take up a bill establishing statewide guidelines for wind farms, but it'll take a strong gust to get it to the governor's desk by Friday. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities...

Sheboygan stuck with marina debt.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Sheboygan Common Council wants to close the book on its Harbor Centre Marina debt, marking the first time in more than a decade the city freed itself of payments on the project. And when city leaders convene on...

Wisconsin developer sees savings in lower property value.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Developer Learsi Wisconsin is arguing its property on West State Street in Wauwatosa was worth half as much in 2007 than it was worth in 2006. Robert Lenski, Wauwatosa's deputy city assessor, noted that a new...

Contractor group threatens to sue the city of Milwaukee.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association is threatening to sue Milwaukee if the city increases its emerging business enterprise contracting set-asides. Linda Burke, deputy city attorney, said the city's race-...

Wisconsin city to pay $50K for second opinion regarding intersection roundabout.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A consultant already told Neenah it doesn't need a roundabout at the intersection of Green Bay Road and Winneconne Avenue. The city wants a second opinion, and it's willing to pay another $50,000 to get it. ...

Wisconsin's heat and frost bill passes Senate but yet to get governor's signature.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Heat and frost insulators and contractors are nearing a nine-month reprieve from tighter licensing requirements and regulations for thermal system insulation. That's because a bill to regulate who can install...

La Crosse developer scraps hotel plan.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Paul Borsheim this week trashed his plans for a Hilton Garden Inn in downtown La Crosse. The president of La Crosse-based Northside Development LLC wanted to build a 128-room, 90,000-square-foot hotel on the site of...

Preservationists call on Milwaukee bluff.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The Wahl Avenue bluff in Milwaukee's Lake Park would be in worse shape without its neighboring developments. For that matter, the bluff would be in better shape if nature hadn't taken its course. Milwaukee County...

Inspectors can't find the money in bridge work in Wisconsin.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Phil Fish can't find a way to cut a profit inspecting Wisconsin bridges. His company, Fish & Associates Inc., Middleton, takes public contracts for special inspections on bridges that may be in trouble, and it does...

News Briefs.
March 13, 2008... Fall proves deadly for Six Flags worker Gurnee, IL (AP) -- A worker trying to dismantle a ride at the Six Flags Great America amusement park north of Chicago died after falling more than 40 feet. Officials said 46-year-old Thomas Lee...

New law in Wisconsin gives police tools to fight scrap metal thieves.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin's scrap yards will need an ID with that scrap metal from now on. Gov. Jim Doyle on Tuesday signed a bill to cut down on scrap metal thefts by requiring that dealers at scrap yards try harder to document...

Highway in Brown County's fate rides on federal money.
March 17, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Brown County spent a decade planning a four-lane highway to stretch through southern De Pere and across the Fox River. But the county, which started the highway planning in 1996, needs federal money for the project....

Bond battle in Madison boils over.
March 17, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Alderman Zach Brandon worries that developers are taking advantage of Madison. "There were a number of us on the (City Council) concerned about how (tax incremental financing) money was being reactive to...

Madison's not yet ready to give it up.
March 17, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Construction of a Madison Public Market might depend on how easy it is for a development group to change a "may" to a "will." The Madison-based nonprofit groups Blue Planet Partners and Common Wealth Development...

Royster structure stays rooted in Madison.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder For now, the city of Madison is stuck with the Royster-Clark property. The large, vacant building on the city's east side last week was left at the altar by its latest potential developer, and Madison can only hope...

Madison might build up its demolition rules.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder A little clarification of Madison's demolition rules is OK, but too much regulation could scare away developers, said Carole Schaeffer. "It seems like there are a lot of things (in Madison) that are stopping...

TV stations pay heavily for broadcast change.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The federal government created a once-in-a-lifetime boom for specialty contractors when it required television stations to broadcast digitally. Unfortunately for those stations, the boom coincides with spiking prices...

Cumberland manufacturer revs up for biodiesel foray.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Ardisam Inc. is expanding its ice auger and gear-box manufacturing business into biodiesel because it costs less for materials and because the government is offering it an incentive. The price of materials to build...

PCBs put Green Bay park plan in peril.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Green Bay isn't recoiling from developing a park on a PCB-contaminated island. But the city doesn't want to pay for it either. "If (Renard Isle) is going to be developed as a park, let it be developed by the...

Milwaukee County sewer settlement nets clean water returns.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Gene Andrzejak couldn't get the money or resources to map out Milwaukee County's park sewers before a court settlement required it. The mechanical services manager for Milwaukee County Parks asked for it, but the...

Milwaukee's concrete supplier seeks firm contract.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Schmitz Ready Mix Inc. decided against renewing its annual concrete contract with Milwaukee because the company figured it could get a better deal by re-bidding the job. The Milwaukee-based supplier submitted the low...

Retirees at Village Oakwood Retirement Community in Madison stand to gain from land swap.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder If they can iron out the details, Madison's University Research Park and CUNA Mutual Group will trade land. The property owners are finalizing negotiations on a swap that will give the research park 20 acres of...

Opponents of smart growth plan in La Crosse County say it came too soon with too many restrictions.
March 25, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Now that La Crosse County has a smart growth plan, some County Board members argue it came too soon and with too many restrictions. "I'm worried that some towns could miss out on development opportunities now," said...

Dodge County highway boss fights for full-time team.
March 25, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Brian Field said he needs 82 full-time employees so Dodge County can remove snow in the winter. But the Dodge County highway commissioner also must find work for those employees in the summer, which is why his crews,...

Clark County makes grab at wandering farm group.
March 25, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin Farm Technology Days Inc. doesn't really want a permanent home, but Clark County might press the issue. The county is close to spending $84,500 to buy 31.28 acres off Highway 29 near the city of Owen from...

Verona borders leave developers on hold.
March 26, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Verona officials do not want to keep shrugging off large developments. "We've got three big retail proposals we're looking at right now," said City Administrator Shawn Murphy. "But they're just piling up on our...

Pabst Farms puts nearby Oconomowoc businesses on notice.
March 26, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Oconomowoc is building up its downtown to compete with nearby Pabst Farms for shoppers. The goal is to deliver a main street with bricks in the sidewalks and home-grown specialty shops that will stand apart from Pabst...

Racine weighs temptation of big-bang projects.
March 26, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan It's hard to say which helps Racine more: taking two decades to redevelop 54 houses or building 140 hotel rooms and 144 condos in a year. Racine Mayor Gary Becker mulled the question Tuesday while considering...

Power plant pays off for Port Washington.
March 27, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Security is a concern as We Energies prepares to give nearly 100 acres around its power plant to Port Washington. For 75 years, the utility's beaches to the south of its plant were off-limits, but that will change in...

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse project pushes donors' limits.
March 27, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse needs $6 million by the end of November to build a new academic building. It also needs more money to pay for its new stadium. "We are very concerned about one project...

Road money avoids state budget detour in Wisconsin.
March 27, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder While Senate Democrats and Assembly Republicans butt heads over repairing the state budget, both sides agree road construction should be left alone. Neither the Assembly nor Senate versions of the budget repair bill...

Milwaukee Public Schools puts more properties on the market.
March 28, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan As Milwaukee Public Schools sheds students and reorganizes, it will put more and more properties on the market. The School District is unloading a combined 30 acres among five properties, and it's studying busing...

Milwaukee's Zilber rolls dice on industrial project.
March 28, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan It's a gamble, but Zilber Ltd. is betting it can find a tenant for a 200,000-square-foot industrial building in the works. Many industrial companies want their space built before they even start talking about a lease,...

Rock County fairground idea fades as speculation rises.
March 28, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Rock County needs a new fairground, but county leaders can't decide how much they'll give up to get it. "The fairground we have is too small and in the wrong place for one week out of the year," said Richard Ott,...

Wisconsin Supreme Court rules against home contractor.
March 31, 2008... Byline: Daily Reporter Staff A state Supreme Court decision Friday allowed stiffer penalties against a home renovation contractor in violation of Wisconsin's Home Improvement Practices Act. The decision settled an appeal that...

Spring Green-based American Players Theater acts on project despite lack of money.
March 31, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The American Players Theatre in Spring Green still needs $1.3 million to afford a new 200-seat indoor venue, but construction will start next month anyway. "We do have a timeline of when we'd like to be able to use...

American Transmission Co. stays put in Pewaukee.
March 31, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A mainframe running power lines in parts of four states needs a lot of security and its own utility lines. That's why American Transmission Co. is staying in Pewaukee. The privately owned utility set up an operations...

Inside Jobtrack.
March 31, 2008... Lancaster/Renovations to Health Center Project: Obstetrics and physical therapy addition and model for Grant Regional Health Center, Lancaster Overall Cost Estimate: $2 million to $2.6 million Bids due: April 8 on one complete...