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US
- August 26, 2002 |
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Red
Cliff Aquaculture facility design OK |
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On track for June 2004
opening
Stan Milam - The
Daily Press |
MADISON — The $3 million
aquaculture demonstration facility planned for a 40-acre
site owned by the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior
Chippewa Indians is on track for completion in June 2004
after action this week by the State Building Commission.
The commission approved a design report for the facility and
gave final construction authority at its meeting on
Thursday. Funding for the project is through the Native
American Gambling Fund contingent on a land use agreement
with the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents and
the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
"This facility is an important economic development
initiative for northern Wisconsin that will promote the
development of the aquaculture industry in Wisconsin and
help diversify northern Wisconsin's economy," said Sen. Bob
Jauch, D-Poplar. Jauch was instrumental in gaining
legislative support and funding for the project.
The facility will be constructed on a 40-acre site at the
northernmost tip of Bayfield County. The center will include
an 8,600-square foot aquaculture hatchery building housing
research and demonstration laboratories, raceways and
rearing tanks. Another 7,500-square foot building will
support offices, a resource center, classrooms and meeting
rooms. A third building of 1,500 square feet will be used as
a storage facility housing a well, water storage tank and
equipment storage.
The grounds will include rearing ponds, raceways, a
wastewater settling pond, experimental wetlands, three
wells, roads and parking space. The project has been paid
out to support future expansion.
Bids for site work are expected to be let next month with
bids for construction to be let in March next year.
Construction is expected to begin in June next year.
Before bids can be let, the long-term land use agreement
must be approved. Jauch said he expects the agreement to be
approved in time for the work to begin as scheduled.
"The demonstration facility will provide valuable research
on emerging technologies in the aquaculture industry and
spur substantial investment in this rapidly expanding
business," Jauch said. "Commercial fish production for
consumption is rapidly growing as the world's supply of wild
fish stock continues to decline.
"The demonstration facility will give northern Wisconsin the
tools to become a major contributor to the commercial fish
production business and help create badly needed jobs in the
north."
The project was first proposed by the Ashland Area
Development Corporation with assistance from Bright
Consulting in 1996. The project was initially approved in
the 1999-01 state budget.
The 2001-03 state budget contains $600,000 in operating
funds for the facility supported by the Native American
Gaming Fund.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior will administer the
facility. That UWE involvement gained support for the
project from Sen. Fred Riser, D-Madison. Risser is the
Senate president and a veteran member of the Building
Commission. He worked with Jauch on the center.
"I'm pleased that the project has been approved and it's
moving forward," Risser said. "I'm very interested in
educational opportunities for the UW System and this project
promises to be one of those opportunities for UW-Superior
and northern Wisconsin." |
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