State Building Commission releases funding for corrections system projects, reforms

MADISON – The Wisconsin State Building Commission this week approved the release of funding that will be allocated to construction projects and reforms within the state’s corrections system, and Lincoln Hills and Cooper Lake Schools in Irma is among the facilities to be impacted.

According to a release from Governor Tony Evers’ office, the $15 million released by the Commission will go toward a plan from the governor that includes a “domino series” of projects. Among them is the closing Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake and the conversion of the youth detention center into a 500-bed, medium-security facility for adults.

The plan also calls for utilizing a “regional approach to youth populations at smaller facilities.”

According to the release, construction on a planned Type 1 facility in Dane County is expected to be completed in late 2028, and Lincoln Hills/Copper is anticipated to close in early 2029.

Under the plan, Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) will be closed, Waupun Correctional Institution will be converted into a state-of-the-art “vocational village” and reforms to “help stabilize the state’s skyrocketing prison population” will be implemented.

Several other DOC facilities will be repurposed or expanded under the plan.

The release said the Commission’s “swift” release of the funds will “help ensure projects continue on time and prevent any project delays that could drive up project costs, especially as it relates to keeping projects on schedule in order to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools.”

“The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) and DOC have already begun the process of selecting an architect-engineer of record for the DOC realignment projects,” the release stated. “The release of these funds will allow DOA to execute a timely contract for the development of these preliminary plans.” 

“We’ve worked hard to come up with a common-sense plan to modernize and reform our state’s correctional facilities that will save taxpayers in the long run while keeping our communities safe, and I’m excited our plan has earned bipartisan support,” Evers said. “I’m glad that we’ll be able to move forward with resources from our bipartisan state budget to begin work on critical projects so we can work toward closing GBCI and Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools. It’s been a long time coming, and, as we move forward, it’ll continue to be important that the Legislature supports our efforts along the way if we want to prevent further delays and keep this plan moving on time and on schedule.”

Commission member State Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) in a release said she is “cautiously optimistic” following the Commission’s release of the funds, noting that Evers agreed to work with the State Legislature and “all relevant stakeholders in future discussions regarding the realignment of the DOC.”

Felzkowski said Evers agreeing to take part in “bipartisan, ongoing conversations” is “a step in the right direction.”

“I hope the Governor keeps his word, and I look forward to having productive conversations to move Wisconsin’s corrections system in the right direction,” Felzkowski stated.