Lemay Forestry Center project approved by Wisconsin State Building Commission

MADISON – Governor Tony Evers this week announced that the Wisconsin State Building Commission approved a total of $81.5 million in projects across the state, including one in Tomahawk.

A release from Evers’ office said the Commission voted to approve the release of Building Trust Funds to prepare the preliminary design for the new Fire Response Equipment Facility and Fire Equipment Fabrication Storage Facility at the Lemay Forestry Center for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), located at 518 W. Somo Ave. in Tomahawk.

“These two new facilities will help preserve new and existing vehicles and equipment, as well as provide a centralized wildland fire response station for programs in the area,” the release stated.

The Commission also approved projects in the Town of Greenbush and at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, was well as 22 facility maintenance and repair projects across various state agencies, including the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, DNR, the Wisconsin Historical Society and the UW System.

Projects at several UW campuses were also given the thumbs up, while funding for other UW projects were delayed.

“Whether preserving our state’s historic sites or investing in the latest equipment for our emergency responders, it is crucial that we invest in projects across our state that will not only modernize facilities to meet the needs of the 21st century but advance our state agencies, universities, and technical colleges and grow both our local and state economies,” Evers stated. “Every project approved today is critical to our communities. But our UW System is one of our state’s greatest assets in competing for, retaining and retaining talented workers to build a workforce for the future, and it’s a shame that support for UW continues to face partisan obstruction. I am deeply disappointed that Republican lawmakers are once again pulling the rug out from under UW in the eleventh hour and putting politics ahead of doing what’s best for our kids, our workforce and economy and our state. We have to make sure our UW System remains the gem of our state and has the means and resources they need to compete – our students, workforce and employers and the future of our communities and state depend upon it. We will, again, bring these projects to the State Building Commission in the New Year, and I urge Republican lawmakers to approve them.”

The Building Commission is chaired by Evers and made up of one citizen member and several members of the State Legislature, including State Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) and State Representative Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander).