State Building Commission Releases Funding Gov. Evers Requested to Revamp Corrections Facilities

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced the Wisconsin State Building Commission approved approximately $743 million for construction projects and released approximately $110 million secured through the bipartisan 2025-27 state budget for planning and design for important projects statewide, including $95 million for dozens of projects across multiple state agencies. The Commission also released $15 million Gov. Evers recently requested to begin work across several Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities toward implementing the governor’s comprehensive correctional facilities plan announced earlier this year, a key step toward ultimately working toward the goal of closing Green Bay Correctional Institution and getting kids out of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools safely and responsibly.

“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,” said Gov. Evers. “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,” said Gov. Evers.

“I am also glad the Commission agreed to support several critical building projects at our UW campuses and state facilities across our state that were approved as part of our bipartisan state budget this summer. There’s important work happening in communities across our state and these investments will ensure we can continue to provide the safe, efficient, and effective services the people of Wisconsin expect and deserve,” Gov. Evers concluded.

For years, Wisconsin’s corrections system has put a strain on resources across the state, from local law enforcement to courts to annual corrections costs to taxpayers, coupled with consistent lack of meaningful investment in evidence-based, data-driven programs proven to reduce recidivism, which help improve public safety and keep kids, families, and communities safe. While other options, such as constructing a brand-new correctional facility, will cost taxpayers an estimated approximately $1 billion and take the better part of a decade to complete, Gov. Evers’ comprehensive corrections plan focuses on rehabilitating and modernizing existing facilities, reducing both short- and long-term costs to Wisconsin taxpayers, and realizing the benefits of taxpayer-funded investments much sooner.

Earlier this year, Gov. Evers unveiled a sweeping DOC budget plan, proposing some of the most significant facility and capital changes in DOC history. The governor’s plan is the most cost-effective for taxpayers, the most efficient for alleviating the capacity challenges facing Wisconsin’s correctional institutions, and it is the safest option by improving public safety. To date, no alternative plan has been suggested or materialized that is safer, faster, and cheaper than the proposal introduced by the governor earlier this year.

The governor’s comprehensive corrections reform plan includes a complex “domino series” of projects at several DOC facilities that, coupled with necessary reforms to help stabilize the state’s skyrocketing prison population, are designed to ultimately close Green Bay Correctional Institution, revamp Waupun Correctional Institution into a state-of-the-art “vocational village,” and close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools and advance 2017 Wisconsin Act 185 to utilize a regional approach to youth populations at smaller facilities, among other key projects. While Republican lawmakers rejected the governor’s comprehensive corrections plan and removed the plan from consideration during the Legislature’s deliberation of the governor’s proposed budget, the final 2025-27 state budget approved by the governor included $15 million to begin planning efforts and some initial work on several DOC capital projects.

The release of this $15 million investment by the Commission today will fund preliminary plans and a design report for key components of the governor’s comprehensive corrections plan to begin work toward moving forward with the plan, including a series of capital projects across six DOC facilities:

• Waupun Correctional Institution;
• Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools to be converted into a medium-security adult facility, Lincoln Correctional Institution;
• Stanley Correctional Institution;
• Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center; and
• John C. Burke Correctional Center.

The governor’s comprehensive plan aims to address DOC’s aging facilities with outdated designs that hinder rehabilitation and create safety issues, while reducing short and long-term costs to taxpayers and addressing the state’s growing prison population. The governor’s “domino” series of facility changes and improvements, which will be implemented through a series of ‘realignment’ projects, include:

• Completing construction on the planned Dane County Type 1 facility in late 2028, with plans to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools in early 2029;
• Making key upgrades that allow DOC to convert Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools into a 500-bed, medium-security adult facility;
• Closing Green Bay Correctional Institution and converting Stanley Correctional Institution to a 1,500 maximum-security institution with the ability to “flex” as a medium-custody institution;
  • Converting the facility would allow DOC to absorb all persons in our care at Waupun and Green Bay Correctional classified as maximum-security.
• Converting John Burke Correctional Center to a female institution, adding 300 women’s beds to DOC’s system at no cost; and
• Expanding Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center to increase bed space by 200 minimum-security beds, adding much-needed minimum-security beds to the system, and accounting for some of the displaced workforce at Green Bay Correctional Institution.

The State Building Commission’s swift release of the $15 million secured in the 2025-27 state budget 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 of these funds will allow DOA to execute a timely contract for the development of these preliminary plans.

In addition to the $15 million approved today to begin planning for several corrections projects, the Commission also approved:

• Design funding for high-priority projects, including the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s new National Atmospheric Deposition Water Laboratory, as well as the Crandon Fire Response Ranger Station replacement.
• Construction of Phase II of the Prairie Springs Science Center at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-La Crosse, which will complete a major addition featuring 13 modern laboratories and specialized research and academic spaces. The project also includes the demolition of Cowley Hall, a 1960s-era facility that is outdated and no longer viable for modern science education.
• Consolidation of UW-Milwaukee’s Health Sciences programs into a single, connected complex, reducing duplication and strengthening student experiences through shared access to the James and Yvonne Ziemer Clinical Simulation Center and Student Health Center.
• Renovation and expansion of Sentry Hall at UW-Stevens Point, creating a new home for the School of Business and Economics and addressing outdated and disconnected classroom spaces.
• Renovation and expansion of the Recreation Complex at UW-Stout, converting a decommissioned pool into a new multi-purpose gymnasium and upgraded training areas, aligning the facility with peer institutions and enhancing recruitment and retention.
• Renovation of the Food Service Building at the Central Wisconsin Center, ensuring reliable daily meal service for more than 200 patients and staff.
• Repair of the Stewart Tunnel on the Badger State Trail, one of the DNR’s most popular recreation destinations, restoring safe access for biking, hiking, and snowmobiling.
• Construction of the Vocational Building Elevated Walkway at Fox Lake Correctional Institution, improving safety and secure movement for staff and persons in care.
• Improvements at multiple UW campuses through the 2025–27 Minor Facilities Renewal Program, including roof, exterior envelope, and acoustic upgrades at UW-Madison, UW-Parkside, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Whitewater.
• Approval of 23 maintenance and repair projects statewide, spanning 13 counties and multiple agencies, including DOC, the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, State Fair Park, and the UW System. These projects address critical infrastructure needs and protect public assets across Wisconsin.

The Building Commission is chaired by Governor Evers and made up of the following members:

• State Sen. Brad Pfaff;
• State Senator Mary Felzkowski;
• State Senator André Jacque;
• State Representative Jill Billings;
• State Representative Rob Swearingen;
• State Representative Robert Wittke; and
• Citizen Member Barb Worcester.

The State Building Commission meetings are livestreamed on WisconsinEye and can be found here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.