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County Executive's Office

Dane County Wins $370,000 Federal Grant for job training facility

October 12, 2001
Topf Wells, 266-9069 Sharyn Wisniewski, 267-8823
County Executive

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin today announced that Dane County has been awarded a federal Economic Development Initiative Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, in the amount of $370,000. The grant will be used to construct and furnish a job training facility in the Novation Technology Campus, a $30 million business park at the corner of Rimrock and Badger Roads, south of the beltline in the Town of Madison. The Alexander Company, Madison, is developing the project at the site of a former 55-acre landfill. The first phase is scheduled to create 400,000 square feet of biotechnology, high technology, retail and professional businesses and a minimum of 75 jobs with a range of skill levels from entry-level to high-skilled technology positions, with the potential for more in the future. The grant is from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under HUD's Economic Development Initiative (EDI) grant fund. It will be used to construct, equip and furnish a 2,700 square foot employment training center at the Novation Campus, operated by Madison Area Technical College. "There was tremendous competition for these grant funds," said Falk. "The real winners are the people who will improve their skills to prepare them for family-supporting jobs. I'm very grateful to our Congressional delegation for going to bat for us to help secure this grant." "MATC is extremely excited about this important project and the opportunity it allows us to expand our services and provide new outreach to the Southdale community," stated Beverly Simone, MATC President. "We plan to provide basic education, job skills training, and English as a Second Language instruction to local residents and to provide customized training to employees at the Novation Campus." Congresswoman Baldwin said, "I'm delighted that HUD has agreed with our recommendation to award this grant. The funds will help a promising public-private partnership provide employment skills and advancement opportunities to residents in the area." Senator Herb Kohl said, "Access to education and training is key to having employees who will make Wisconsin's New Economy businesses succeed. These dollars will be put to work preparing people for good jobs and strengthening Wisconsin's economy." Senator Feingold's letter in support of the grant said, "The training center along with the Dane County Job Center will be well positioned to match residents with local businesses." The Southdale branch of the Dane County Job Center will provide local residents with employment services and referrals to the training center and jobs. Matthew Meier of The Alexander Company said the training center will provide a valuable resource not only to the neighborhood but also to their tenants. "The availability of a skilled work force is always important to growing companies and this will put a trained employment base right on site," said Meier. The Town of Madison's Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy, developed with public input and funding from the county's federal Community Development Block Grant allocation, had identified the area as a priority for improvement. "This project has the potential to transform this area," said Falk. "It could bring jobs, clean up environmental contaminants, and attract New Economy businesses. Due to the risks and added costs that make this project a challenge, it needs both public and private investment to help it succeed."
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