Tuesdays with the Mayor: A weekly update with Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza
By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer
STEVENS POINT – Mayor Mike Wiza sat down with Gazette staff to give an update on Stevens Point developments. Wiza touched on the city working with Mid-State to apply for a WEDC grant and an upcoming session with the Business 51 Project team.
City works with Mid-State on grant application
The city is working with Mid-State Technical College to apply for the WEDC Idle Sites Redevelopment Grant (ISRG). The grant would help develop the future Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Technology, and Apprenticeship Center slated for construction at the Stevens Point Industrial Park.
WEDC grants are only awarded to municipalities, meaning that Mid-State cannot apply for the funds directly. The ISRG grant usually awards up to $500,000 to redevelop locations that have been “idle, abandoned, or underutilized” for at least five years, but due to COVID-19 resource allocations, the grant will only award $250,000 this year.
A resolution authorizing the city to apply for the grant was approved on Sept. 14. Mid-State officials hope to see work begin on the new education center in 2021.
Wiza said that he is excited to see the new facilities come to Stevens Point.
“This helps the city by redeveloping a site that was vacant, a gravel weed lot, and turning it into something that’s going to be hugely successful,” Wiza explained.
Business 51 Project Team seeks public input
The Business 51 Project Team is working with the public to gather input on the Business 51 roadway redevelopment. Three virtual Q & A sessions are scheduled for Sept. 29 and Oct. 1. An additional open survey will also be available online starting Sept. 29 through Oct. 16, to gauge the public’s view of how the coming changes should look.
“Business 51, at some point, needs to be reconstructed. What we are looking for now is input,” Wiza said.
According to Wiza, the project first saw a design plan around 2012, which was met with heavy community criticism. The plan was then “placed on the back burner.”
The Q & A livestreams are focused on collecting community input and answering questions about the project.
Further information on Business 51, including traffic volume, usage, and more, will be made available sometime after Sept. 29 on the city’s website.
Construction on the roadway will not begin until at least 2023.