Governor’s budget, including UWL science building, is stalled again by Building Commission

For the third time, the Wisconsin Building Commission has put a large construction project at UW-La Crosse on hold with a 4-4 tie vote. 

The second half of the Prairie Springs science center is part of the governor’s $2 billion capital budget, which has been halted by Republican members of the commission all three times since Tony Evers became governor. 

“They did this in 2019 to 2021, they did it in our 2021 budget, and now they’re doing it this year,” says La Crosse Democrat Jill Billings, who serves on the building commission and voted yes on the budget.  “And it’s disappointing, but not surprising.”

Billings says delays to the $182 million Prairie Springs project force the La Crosse campus to keep spending money to maintain the outdated Cowley Science Hall, built in the 60’s.

“Every year that we have to keep reinvesting in that building is a strain on the campus,” she says. “Every year we put off building Prairie Springs Phase Two, it becomes more expensive, a lot more expensive.” The first Prairie Springs building opened in 2018.

Billings hopes people will speak in favor of the building plans at budget hearings scheduled around the state, including hearings at Wisconsin Dells and Eau Claire.