Onalaska council to consider request by La Crosse mayor for LAX Center funding

Could a project that benefits a region see investment region wide?

That’s a question La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat is exploring as he has reached out to the City of Onalaska to see if it would be willing to help in the cost to expand the La Crosse Center.

The Onalaska City Council will consider that request at its meeting Tuesday night.

Kabat says, in doing research, they found that there is precedence behind the plan.

“A few years ago, when UW-La Crosse did the Veterans Stadium project, they received funding from both the City of Onalaska and La Crosse County to go along with La Crosse funds,” Kabat said.

Kabat added that there was no specific amount requested.

The La Crosse Center Board has reached out to La Crosse County with a similar inquiry.

Kabat says there’s no doubt that the project benefits the entire area.

“It’s a combination of the larger events that people from all over the area enjoy,” Kabat said, “and then there’s also the weddings, meetings or family reunions. We see quite a few of those folks from the larger region.”

Kabat says they are still operating under the assumption of a $42 million budget.

It’s unclear if the council will actually take action Tuesday night.