MADISON – In a release issued this morning, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is directing over 36 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for five building projects across the state.
“These five projects will have a long-term impact on our state’s economy and on economic development in these communities from Green Bay to Janesville,” said Evers. “From creating a premier cultural tourism destination to welcome visitors from across our state and country to providing educational and entertainment opportunities for students and visitors folks of all ages, these projects were clearly missed opportunities during the Capital Budget process, and the economic impact of these investments will pay dividends for our future economic success.”
One of those projects is the anticipated downtown Milwaukee pro soccer stadium, part of the ongoing “Iron District” project northeast of the Marquette Interchange. The project had previously been earmarked for 9.3 million dollars in funding as part of the 2023-25 Capital Budget. But those funds were rejected by members of the State Legislature.
The Legislature has also previously attempted to dictate how the governor spends ARPA funds; Assembly Bill 564 would require the administration submit to the Legislature’s Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee copies of every report, including status updates, that the executive branch submits to the federal government on how it spends federal coronavirus relief funds. That bill had failed to pass on to the governor’s desk as of March of 2022.
“We want to thank Gov. Tony Evers and his administration for believing in our vision and this project,” said Jim Kacmarcik, Chairman and CEO of Kacmarcik Enterprises, which owns the rights to the future Milwaukee USL Championship franchise and is partnering with Bear Real Estate Group on the development of Iron District Milwaukee. “Milwaukee and Wisconsin are hungry for professional soccer, which is evident by the more than 200,000 votes that were cast for our name the team competition.
The Iron District project has seen a lot of change since it was first announced in 2022. A 3,500 capacity concert venue was downsized into an event space attached to the on-site hotel.
“We have shrunk down the size of the event space with the idea that we want that flexibility to be able to serve hotel guests if there is a conference, or have shows whether it is comedy, music or other types of entertainment,” Bear CEO S.R. Mills said to the Milwaukee Business Journal back in May. “We think a great multi-purpose facility will best suit the needs of the entire district.”
So far, the only portion of the project to see tangible construction progress is a 99-unit apartment complex to be named “Michigan Street Commons” at Michigan and 8th Streets.
The other building projects in the package include five million dollars for the Bronzeville Center for the Arts, on the site of the former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources building in Milwaukee, along with an expansion to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, 15 million for the Janesville Sports and Convention Center, and 330,000 for upgrades to a theater in Door County.
