Volume 2 - Issue 21 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 5.21.09 to 5.28.09

Madison - May 22, 2009 - The area west of University Ridge Golf Course between Woods Road and Shady Oak Lane contains some of the most spectacular glacial terrain in Dane County. When the giant ice sheet melted there more than 10,000 years ago, it left behind a ridge of terminal moraine, kettle holes and Richardson's cave -- a hidden geological gem seldom visited by the public. Now, the city of Madison is attempting to map out future development for the Shady Wood neighborhood...

Ken Notes: This is amazing property. My guess is that it will all be annexed into the city soon. This would be a great public private partnership opportunity for comprehensive planned development but the land is held by those who know its value in the private market.

Madison - May 26, 2009 - Madison has been named one of the top 10 Best Cities of 2009 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. The financial publication and website put Madison at No. 7 in a list gauging a city's job growth potential, the quality of the positions and the ability to hang onto those jobs when the economy softens. Kiplinger's said "with a jobless rate three percentage points below the national average, Madison's ready-made economy feeds off of its two largest assets, the University of Wisconsin and the state capital. But these two institutions only account for 20 percent of Madison's jobs, the rest come from its strong mix of tech and biotech firms."...

WASHINGTON - 5/27/2009 - More than 90 percent of economists predict the recession will end this year, although the recovery is likely to be bumpy. That assessment came from leading forecasters in a survey by the National Association for Business Economics released Wednesday. It is generally in line with the outlook from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues...

Ken Notes: Of course most never saw the recession coming in the first place. With the huge number of unemployed or under employed - getting back on track will require new jobs from the private sector or a mass exodus from the boomers into retirement. Both very tough challenges.

Madison - May 26, 2009 - The Vilas Zoo has a new electric-powered van, called a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, through a donation from Madison Gas & Electric. The NEV is used primarily to transport animals around the zoo for conservation education programs but also is used to move equipment and supplies around the grounds. The NEV is shorter and narrower than a conventional van. It can run all day on an overnight charge at speeds up to 25 mph....

Ken Notes: Thank You MGE! If you are keeping a wish list, how about a hydrogen fuel cell bus for State Street. Zero emissions, world wide attention, create the fuel using your natural gas, tourist attraction, UW partnership. A similar bus is getting world wide buzz this week. HERE.

Wisconsin - May 21, 2009 - Seven building projects have been recognized for excellence in architectural design by the 2009 Design Awards program of AIA Wisconsin, the state society of The American Institute of Architects (AIA). This year's award-winning architecture reflects a diverse mix of projects, including a sushi restaurant, a condo development welcome center, private residences, a hospital, a transportation center and a national headquarters building....

Ken Notes: Congrats! Wish the projects were on the website as in years past. Let me know if this happens.

National - 5/26/2009 - Home prices fell at the fastest annual rate ever in the first quarter, but the pace of month-to-month declines continues to slow, a closely watched housing index showed Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller National Home Price index reported home prices tumbled by 19.1 percent in the first quarter, the most in its 21-year history...

Ken Notes: The numbers are much better in Dane County and there are plans on the boards to start building homes again this fall.

Madison Area - May 26, 2009 - Construction contracts in April in the Madison metro area were well off a year ago, although up slightly from March, according to from McGraw-Hill Construction. Residential construction contracts in the three county metro area of Dane, Columbia and Iowa Counties totaled $15.9 million in April compared to $15.1 million in March, while non-residential contracts totaled $34.6 million in April compared to $21.1 million in March. Overall, April construction is down 75 percent from April of 2008...

Fitchburg - 5/27/2009 - More than six months after voters approved a referendum approving construction of a library and two resolutions approving construction (with a few caveats), the Common Council approved construction of a new library - really. The council's approval came following a joint meeting with the Library Board on May 13...

Wisconsin - May 25, 2009 - The full-scale unveiling of a new online jobs tool for highly skilled UW-Madison alumni is set for August, after a successful test launch with about a dozen area firms finished up this month, organizers said. "We got very good feedback," said Mary DeNiro, vice president of marketing and communications for the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The Badger Career Network Alerts program will use targeted e-mails to connect graduates in mid-career and executive-level jobs anywhere in the nation with Wisconsin companies seeking new management, scientific and professional talent in biotechnology, health-care and information technology...

Ken Notes: This is a great idea. Now we need great companies to bring our grads back. I still think we should create a tuition loan program outlined HERE.

Wisconsin - May 24, 2009 - Construction companies would have to pay the prevailing wage on projects partially funded with public dollars under a plan the Legislature's budget-writing committee approved Saturday. Supporters say the move will result in more higher-paid laborers who can boost the economy through more spending and tax revenue. Opponents contend the proposal means builders will charge local governments more for building projects...

Dane County - MAY 27, 2009 - Facing funding cuts from the state and lower-than-expected revenues, Dane County's budget committee Tuesday night froze half of the $50 million in capital borrowing approved for this year. The committee nixed funding for 25 slated projects, reducing this year's borrowing by about $25 million. The debt service on those projects would be $3.2 million in next year's operating budget. We want to set ourselves up for being in as good of a position as possible going into next year, said committee chairman Sup. Brett Hulsey, of Madison...

Ken Notes: These were in fact deferrals for the most part. There are still some very strange priorities in the budget with very little attention given to roads and jobs.

WISCONSIN - This is a comprehensive data base of all business professionals in development, planning, government, commercial real estate, architecture, construction, and service providers to business. Any professional may enter his or her own business card for free. FutureWisconsin is Wisconsin's own social networking data base to promote new business in the state...

Ken Notes: Network with professionals doing business in the state...

Wisconsin - 5/28/2009 - Wisconsin's 248 commercial banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported a net $87 million combined profit during the first quarter of 2009, an improvement over the $1.5 billion loss reported the previous quarter. The biggest losers continued to be Marshall & Ilsley Bank of Milwaukee, which reported a $76.6 million first-quarter loss, and AnchorBank of Madison, which reported a $20.6 million loss...

Madison Area - May 21, 2009 - The listing of area building permits is gathered from records filed with planning officials in Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton and Sun Prairie. The listing includes new residential construction, as well as non-residential construction totaling at least $100,000. The address of the property is listed first, followed by the type of property, the contractor and the value of the project. Madison 742 Color Peak Road...

Ken Notes: The list is growing -- a little.

Recent commercial property listings from PropertyDrive.

Wisconsin - More than $336 million in federal stimulus money has been allocated to counties, cities, towns and villages in Wisconsin. Of that total, about $124 million has been allocated through the state Department of Transportation for road, bridge and transit projects. And more than $48 million in Housing and Urban Development funds has been allocated...

Ken Notes: Great Resource

Wisconsin - 5/28/2009 - Alliant Energy is eliminating more than 150 jobs and mothballing four of the nine generators at its Rock River power plant as part of an ongoing cost-cutting effort. The bulk of the job cuts have taken effect since May 1, Alliant spokesman Rob Crain said. In all, 125 management and non-union employees will have lost their jobs, about 45 of them in Dane County. They include about 30 percent of Alliant's highest-ranking managers...

Ken Notes: This is a company with a guaranteed income stream and profit margin. I can't believe we are using that much less energy??

Verona - 5/28/2009 - Subdivisions without city water and sewer service are typically found in rural settings, under the domain of a town and separated from cities. But the City of Verona soon will consider whether it might bring well-and-septic neighborhoods into the city. The debate - tossed around by city staff for more than a year but initiated by a proposal on the southeast edge of the city - could begin as soon as Monday. A joint Committee of the Whole (Common Council) and Plan Commission meeting was set for next week...

Oregon - 5/15/2009 - The Village Board Monday decided to spend $12,000 to have the village's financial consultant, Ehlers & Associates Inc., amend two tax incremental finance districts in the municipality. Village administrator Mike Gracz said there were a few reasons to amend TIF District 2 and TIF District 3. In TIF 3, the description of the installation of a bicycle/pedestrian path included the entire 4,400-foot path from the west side to Jaycee Park on the east side, but "for the costs we only included the costs from Jaycee Park to the railroad corridor." ...

Madison - May 27, 2009 - Construction workers and University of Wisconsin officials held a "topping out" ceremony on Tuesday at the new Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. The workers signed the final white beam for the building before it was then placed on top. The event marks the completion of the external framework of the structure...

MADISON - 5/27/2009 - How the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the city of Milwaukee cooperate on urban planning and architectural issues will be the focus of a brown-bag session at Madison's Overture Center on Tuesday, June 2. Co-sponsored by UW-Madison, the city of Madison and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, and the American Institute of Architects-Southwest Wisconsin chapter, the event will feature Robert Greenstreet, dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at UW-Milwaukee...

The seller of real estate is required to file a Real Estate Transfer Return (RETR) with the County Register of Deeds when recording deeds of property conveyances. State statutes require those returns to be filed electronically beginning July 1, 2009. Below is a link to the electronically filed Real Estate Transfer data as of July 1st 2009 and forward. The data will be updated on a weekly basis...

Ken Notes: This link is a regular feature of WDN...

Treasury Department Debt to the Penny Link
CNN Money Scorecard
Government Recovery Website
Wisconsin State Budget Google News

Create a vibrant, innovative and prosperous entrepreneurial business climate, nurturing, connecting and celebrating entrepreneurs and their companies...

Ken Notes: A valuable resource worth visiting for all businesses in the state. A special thanks for BizStarts for compiling and sharing the resource!...

Madison - May 24, 2009 - After their wedding brunch on Madison's South Side, Ray and Theo Owen took off in a rowboat for their honeymoon: a camping trip down the Yahara River. One spot they pitched their tent, on Lake Monona's Squaw Bay, particularly enthralled them. The newlyweds wondered if they would ever live in a place so beautiful. That was 1906. Today, their great-great-grandchildren play on that same land. And Jan Marshall Fox, their granddaughter, recently received an award from the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation for the restoration of the cottage they built in 1911...

MADISON - 5/28/2009 - Grant funds are available to help state manufacturers achieve profitable growth and improve their business performance. The Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) announces matching grants targeted at small and midsize manufacturers can be obtained through a program offered by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The Next Generation Manufacturing program provides grants in the range of $5,000 to $6,500 to pay up to 50% of project costs for services delivered by WMEP. The remaining project costs will be paid by the company....

Wisconsin - This section allows you to access any of our current space needs and acquire some brief detail regarding each. You'll notice that in addition to posting our current RFPs and RFIS, we are listing other significant needs for which we are seeking space....

Ken Notes: Brokers should check this often...

Wisconsin - May 24, 2009 - Wealthy Investors Have Been Saviors For Local Startups As Venture Capital Vanishes. Ben Lap is hoping the financial drought is over. Lap says his Madison company, BioSentinel Pharmaceuticals, needs $2 million in venture capital to forge ahead with new products, now that its first - a quick test for deadly strains of botulinum toxin - is just out on the market. Terry Barry is looking for about half that much money from angel investors. His startup business, AquaMost, is fine-tuning its prototype, a device to purify contaminated water. Will funds come through?...

Ken Notes: Attention Venture Capitalists. Available one humble Development News Blog and 150 community based development websites. Seeking any and all offers.

May 23, 2009 - May 23, 2009 - Imagine being able to support 42 people with $27. Imagine that this tiny sum of money frees them from being indebted to the local money sharks. Impossible? No, but it seems impossible until you realize that half the world's population lives on less than $2 a day. Ridiculous? Yes, our "equal" world shouldn't be like this...

Fitchburg - 5/21/2009 - Construction of a pedestrian/bike overpass near the intersection of Fish Hatchery and McKee roads is well under way, with completion slated for late August. Work started on the $1.07 million overpass on April 20, with some lanes closed from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. during construction. The city is responsible for about 20 perecent of the cost of the project...

Milwaukee - May. 27, 2009 - Columbia St. Mary's Inc. has agreed to sell its buildings next to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a local developer, who would convert the hospital complex into space for UWM. Developer Doug Weas recently signed a contract to buy the buildings, says Carlos Santiago, UWM chancellor. University officials plan to meet with Weas to discuss their interest in leasing the buildings for student housing, a health care center, child care and other purposes, Santiago tells my colleague, Erica Perez...

Ken Notes: A UWM newspaper story on the property is HERE.

Milwaukee - May. 26, 2009 - Philanthropists Robert and Patricia Kern have pledged $10 million to the Medical College of Wisconsin - the largest, single private gift in the college's history - to develop devices for detecting and treating disease. The Kerns' personal gift will go to hire researchers and purchase mass spectrometers - sensitive equipment used to find very low concentrations of molecules that might reveal the presence of cancer, heart diseases or other problems....

Waukesha - May. 27, 2009 - A subdivision developer filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against a Brookfield resident contending that she defamed the builder and his venture "The Shire," both in her role as a city alderman and in her Internet blog. Joseph C. Niebler Sr., as president of NFI Properties LLC...

Ken Notes: Uh oh... I think I suggested the Madison Council liked bamboo floored, wi-fi'd, little pink houses once. I take it back - at least the pink part.

Milwaukee - May. 27, 2009 - Milwaukee has a new story to tell and, as it did eight years ago with the unfurling of Santiago Calatrava wing for the Milwaukee Art Museum, there's a desire to tell it with architecture. The new narrative goes something like this: postindustrial city on one of the world's largest bodies of freshwater becomes global leader in water-related research, industry and education. It's a noble idea, that the waterways around which our city grew, that first brought industry to life here, would give birth to new forms of industry and growth...

Ken Notes: Lofty goals are very well presented in this article. Well worth reading.

Milwaukee - May. 24, 2009 - Some faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are concerned that expansion plans could hurt the university by moving academics away from the main campus to other locations, according to a recent survey. But others said they support the initiatives, a central part of Chancellor Carlos Santiago's ambitious plans to reshape the university....

Wauwatosa - May. 27, 2009 - An Aldi grocery store planned for Wauwatosa is headed for zoning approval with no public opposition--a marked contrast to last year's battle over the Aldi in the Town of Brookfield...

Milwaukee - Thursday, May 28, 2009 - The pending sale of a former city fire station to a Milwaukee firm that makes and restores stained glass received approval for a loan Tuesday from the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. Enterprise Art Glass Works Inc. will get a $100,000 loan from MEDC, a business lender affiliated with the City of Milwaukee. The $250,000 project includes additional financing from Waterstone Bank....

Delavan - May. 26, 2009 - Stock Building Supply plans to close its Delavan location, permanently displacing 66 employees, according to a notice received Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The North Carolina-based building materials company told the state that it expects to shut down the Delavan site beginning July 12. Earlier this month, Stock filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection...

A single source for all economic development news for Greater Madison and beyond. Wisconsin Development News, (WDN) is published weekly by Ken Harwood.

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Ken

Kenneth Harwood
WisconsinDevelopment.com LLC
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