By Kim McDarison

Gov. Tony Evers signed on Wednesday Senate Bill 895, completing a final step in approving funding within the 2023-25 capital budget for Winther and Heide halls on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus, among other projects.

The bill amends the capital budget for the University of Wisconsin System projects, granting bonding authority and making appropriations, information released by the governor’s office stated.

According to information released by the UW-Whitewater Marketing and Communications Department, the budget allocates some $78.5 million earmarked for the two halls on Whitewater’s campus, which serve — as home to the College of Education and Professional Studies — to educate teachers.

The halls earmarked for improvements were built in the 1960s, the release noted.

Winther Hall, built in 1969, the release stated, will see “the most dramatic transformation,” with scheduled improvements to include the replacement of the building’s roof, elevators and more than 200 windows.

“New exterior windows will be selectively installed to introduce natural daylight into areas of the building not previously used for instruction or where daylighting standards are not currently met,” the release noted.

Additionally, renovations will change the building’s footprint to expand classrooms, and instructional and computing labs, offering shared clinical space and an advising center.

“Classrooms, lecture halls, and instructional laboratories will be reconfigured and expanded to accommodate modern instructional technology and flexible furnishings,” the release continued.

The renovations will further include upgrades to systems within in the building, such as  HVAC, mechanical, electrical/telecommunications, and plumbing distribution networks, which will undergo a replacement and reconfiguring process deemed necessary to accommodate the new floor plan layouts. 

Heide Hall, built in 1965 and situated adjacently to Winther, will see the placement of new elevators, a new roof, and new windows and doors.

“A small addition will be constructed onto both Heide Hall and Winther Hall for accessible restrooms, in keeping with UW-Whitewater’s priority mission to provide exceptional services for students with disabilities,” the release stated.

As of January, preliminary architectural designs are being created, with construction of the project anticipated to begin “in late 2025,” the release read, with renovations first made to Heide Hall, followed by Winther. Completion of the projects within both buildings are anticipated “in late 2028,” the release noted.

“With these capital improvements, UW-Whitewater can meet an increasingly critical workforce need. There is a nationwide shortage of professional educators and teachers, especially in rural areas. UW-Whitewater proudly licenses more teachers than any other university or college in Wisconsin. This project gives us room to grow. It is an investment in Wisconsin’s future. We thank our government leaders for their overwhelming support of the project, as well as the students, faculty, staff, alumni and community stakeholders whose advocacy helped move it forward,” UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey A. King was quoted as saying in the department’s release.

As earlier reported by WhitewaterWise, and its sister publication, Fort Atkinson Online, support for the project on the UW-Whitewater campus was discussed during a Greater Whitewater Committee meeting held last March when State Rep. and Joint Finance Committee Co-Chairman Evan Goyke, serving as keynote speaker during the group’s monthly meeting, said that he had visited Winther Hall and was in agreement with those who saw reason for the building to be included within the framework of future construction projects. 

Referencing the then last legislative session, he said: “I was surprised that the (Joint Finance) committee did not enumerate that project. It was recommended by the governor and then ultimately not recommended by the Legislature and as you all know, nothing happened. And now, we are in the opposite scenario, where the governor has not recommended enumerating and funding the project. I think, at this point with inflation, it’s a $76 million project … and the governor has instead recommended, I think, $500,000 in continuing planning cash to kind of keep the project alive.” 

Last April, also serving the Greater Whitewater Committee as a keynote speaker during its monthly meeting, King, responding to questions posed about a potential to engage with state legislators to secure money in the upcoming two-year state budget cycle to address proposed renovations of Winther Hall, said the project was “on the top of my agenda.”   

King added: “I’m just going to be honest and authentic. We know what needs to be done.”

He described the building as in “horrible shape,” noting that students in wheelchairs “can’t get in and out of the place,” further describing students assisting fellow students in wheelchairs by carrying them out of the building when a fire alarm is activated.  

King said he believed there was support among legislators for the project, which was projected to cost $80 million. 

He said he believed some “miscommunication” regarding the university’s readiness to begin construction on the project had slowed the process. 

King, while speaking to the committee last April, said: “We have begun the design phase, we have the money, $2 million, for that to happen. So we are at a point now where we are ready to go to the next level in that design phase in order to have shovels in the ground by May of 2026. If we don’t get funding in this biennium, that won’t happen. It will push the project out by another two years to probably 2028. So, for us, we’ve tried to clarify the misunderstanding that we are not ready. We’re ready.” 

Last December, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted in favor of a funding plan submitted by the Wisconsin State Legislature which, among its provisions, limited the number of employees hired across the full university system, while freeing resources to fund improvements on two campuses, including the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

Two votes relating to the enumeration of the UW-Whitewater campus projects were taken in December, 2023. The first was taken during a special meeting, held Saturday, Dec. 9, during which the Board of Regents voted 9-8 against the resolution which would have, among its stipulations, limited the number of employees hired across the system’s institutions, especially those relating to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), and released money for several building projects, including the one which included both Heide and Winther halls.

After the the resolution failed, the Board of Regents held a second special meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 13, during which a second vote was taken. The resolution was approved by a vote of 11-6. With the approval of the resolution, some $78.5 million was earmarked for the renovation projects for the two UW-Whitewater buildings.

Earlier stories about the legislative process required to enumerate the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater projects within the state budget are here: https://whitewaterwise.com/legislature-continues-to-follow-through-with-plans-to-enumerate-fund-uw-whitewater-building-projects-state-sen-marklein-says/ and here: https://whitewaterwise.com/regents-vote-in-favor-of-state-funding-proposal-capping-uw-dei-employees-uw-whitewater-buildings-slated-for-renovations/.

An earlier story, as published on WhitewaterWise’s sister site, Fort Atkinson Online, about the Legislature’s consideration of the UW-Whitewater projects, as discussed with State Rep and Joint Finance Committee Chair Evan Goyke during a meeting with the Greater Whitewater Committee in March of 2023, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/goyke-addresses-greater-whitewater-committee-discusses-state-budget-population-trends/.

An earlier story, as published on WhitewaterWise’s sister site, Fort Atkinson Online, which included a discussion about plans for renovations at Winther Hall, as shared by UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King with the Greater Whitewater Committee in April, 2023, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/45-days-in-uw-whitewater-chancellor-offers-impressions-plans/.

A document provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater outlining the full project is here: http://whitewaterwise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ACFrOgCiHx7RHNqeZJbYUUrqsUn52mNfVW_WwyQ3Ok37KJ-s6JKreSMhIeXObVImMCGGJUV4UWLOEKbvex4aV_ZyES-SP0nWAlV4f0KgY-oWOLP969AzRIewtqyp4gGYHWI0RfvsA8AmGGZ3Gw56.pdf.