14 Sep Whitewater University Technology Park receives $4.7 million grant
A $4.7 million federal Economic Development Administration grant was awarded Thursday to the Whitewater University Technology Park to help fund the Innovation Center and park improvements.
The Innovation Center is designed to foster the development of new business-based research conducted by University of Wisconsin-Whitewater faculty and staff and their business partners and is expected to create several hundred jobs in the future.
The federal grant allows the Technology Park Board to begin construction of the Innovation Center later this year. Chancellor Richard Telfer said the technology park will be built “green” to complement existing wetlands and parklands on the site.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin helped the University Technology Park with the grant and stressed the importance of the various governmental agencies working together to spur economic growth. “When the federal and local government and ‘town and gown’ work in partnership, it yields benefits for decades to come,” Baldwin said.
The total cost of developing the Whitewater University Technology Park is about $10 million. The remainder of the funding will come from the Whitewater Community Development Authority (CDA), revenue bonding and other sources. The building will be owned by the CDA with UW-Whitewater providing the intellectual capital.
“The EDA grant will allow us to expedite our schedule for the construction of the Technology Park and Whitewater Innovation Center as well as for the extension of Starin Road to better link the UW-Whitewater campus and the Technology Park site. These projects will bring new jobs to our community as well as significantly benefit the future economic development of our entire region,” said Kevin Brunner, Whitewater city manager.
The Whitewater University Technology Park will be located on 125 acres bordered by Corporate Drive, Howard Road, Bluff Road and Moraine View Park on the city’s east side.