Second part of UW-La Crosse’s $187 million science center gets approval

The second half of a large science building project in La Crosse is high on the to-do list for the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

At a meeting last week, the regents included five projects for the UW-La Crosse campus in its $2.5 billion capital budget.

The UW-L requests add up to nearly 10 percent of that budget.

The biggest is a $187-million plan to build the second portion of the Prairie Springs Science Center. The project would include the demolition of the Cowley Science Hall, built 60 years ago.

UW-L also received approval for a parking ramp near the Center for the Arts, a new chiller plant and renovations at three other buildings — Graff Main Hall, Mitchell Hall and the Wing Building.

The ramp project would cost $34 million. It could include new offices for campus police. The arts building is nearly 50 years old but only has a surface parking lot along Vine Street instead of a ramp.

The ramp project would cost $34 million, and it could include new offices for campus police. The arts building is nearly 50 years old, but only has a surface parking lot along Vine Street instead of a ramp.