Funding for second Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake replacement facility approved by State Building Commission

MADISON – With Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma slated to close within the next several years, the Wisconsin State Building Commission last month approved the release of funding that is expected to aid in that process.

The Commission, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, approved approximately $185 million in construction projects across the state.

The Commission is chaired by Governor Tony Evers and is made up of one citizen member and six state legislators, including State Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) and State Representative Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander).

According to a release from Evers’ office, a portion of the funding will be allocated to the construction of Wisconsin’s second Type 1 Juvenile Correctional Facility in Fitchburg, just south of Madison. The release said the new facility, which is expected to be complete in late 2028, will provide a smaller, more central youth facility in Dane County.

In Aug. 2023, the Commission gave its stamp of approval to the preliminary design and construction of the state’s first Type 1 juvenile facility in Milwaukee. That project is expected to be completed later this year.

“Research shows that smaller, regional juvenile facilities provide significant benefits, including keeping youth closer to their families, increasing access to mentors and volunteers and offering more effective programming in a treatment-based environment,” the release stated.

Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake is anticipated to close in early 2029. The facility will be converted into a 500-bed, medium-security facility for adults.

The Commission also approved construction, maintenance and repair projects across more than a dozen counties and multiple state agencies.

The Commission’s latest approval of the funding comes several months after it released $15 million for corrections system projects and reforms.

The Oct. 2025 funding allocation was earmarked for a plan from Evers that calls for a “domino series” of projects, including the closing and repurposing of Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake, the closing of the Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI), the conversion of Waupun Correctional Institution into a state-of-the-art “vocational village” and the implementation of reforms to “help stabilize the state’s skyrocketing prison population.”

The governor’s plan also calls for utilizing a regional approach to youth populations at smaller facilities.

“Closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools and getting our kids closer to home and the support systems they rely on has been our prerogative since Day One, and I’m thrilled to see our administration and members of this Commission take another important step in getting this done and done right,” Evers said. “In addition, today, members also improved various projects to support operations at our state agencies and university system, and I’m glad to see support for these projects move forward.”