•The Lakeshore
Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan Counties
Modular housing manufacturer to build Sheboygan plant
The City of Sheboygan agreed to sell 40 acres of land within the SouthPointe Enterprise Campus off Interstate 43 to S2A Modular, a California-based manufacturer of the world’s first self-sustaining, custom, luxury modular smart homes. The company expects to employ 250 people in various construction-related trades once the project is complete.
With plants in California, Florida and Texas, S2A Modular plans to open its fourth plant in Sheboygan. The project’s first phase will consist of creating the S2A MegaFactory, which is more than 100,000 square feet and capable of producing up to 1,000 homes annually.
The second phase will begin after meeting expectations on sales goals and product demand. The company anticipates a total investment of $30 million.
Construction should begin in late fall, with the interior work being completed throughout the winter. Home production from the plant may begin as early as the third quarter of 2022.
Total property tax valuation is anticipated to be $18.2 million. This investment will help pay off public improvements the City of Sheboygan made in 2018.
National Marine Sanctuary one step closer to approval
The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary is one step closer to reality.
Gov. Tony Evers announced the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will publish a final rule for the designation. The sanctuary designation will take effect following a review by the governor and Congress over a 45-day period when Congress is in session.
In 2017, NOAA published draft designation documents for the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The proposed sanctuary spans 962 square miles from part of Kewaunee County south to Ozaukee County.
The area was nominated for National Marine Sanctuary consideration by a diverse coalition of organizations and individuals at local, state, regional and national levels. Principal cities involved in the nomination include Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Two Rivers and Port Washington.
Masters Gallery Foods expanding Oostburg facility
Masters Gallery Foods is adding 110,000 square feet to its Oostburg packaging and distribution center.
Once the project is complete, the facility will total more than 285,000 square feet and double the current production area while adding significantly to dry storage, bulk cheese and finished goods warehousing space. The project should be completed during the second quarter of 2022.
Initial construction of the Oostburg facility was completed in May 2018 and has led to nearly 250 new jobs for Sheboygan County since production began. Another 125 jobs will be added when the new packaging lines are installed.
•interstate 41 Corridor
Brown, Calumet, Outagamie, Winnebago, Fond du Lac Counties
YMCA of the Fox Cities acquires Fox Crossing fitness, racquet center
The YMCA of the Fox Cities has acquired Valley Fitness & Racquet in Fox Crossing, making it the sixth YMCA location in the Fox Cities.
The new location will be named Ogden Family YMCA Fitness & Tennis Center in honor of the donation and commitment the Ogden family has made to make this possible for the community. Earlier this year, the Ogden family approached the YMCA with the idea of Valley Fitness & Racquet joining the organization.
Valley Fitness & Racquet includes indoor tennis courts, pickleball and the Warrior Training Center. Current members of both the club and the YMCA have access to all YMCA locations without an increase in membership fees.
In addition to the Ogden Family YMCA Fitness & Tennis Center, the other YMCA locations in the Fox Cities include Apple Creek, downtown Appleton, Heart of the Valley in Kimberly, Neenah-Menasha and Fox West in Greenville.
Wittman Regional Airport debuts new general aviation terminal
Wittman Regional Airport’s new terminal building is now open. The new terminal will better serve the needs for the Oshkosh general aviation airport.
The old terminal, which was designed for commercial air traffic that the airport no longer serves, will be torn down, with additional hangar space taking its place. Airport Director Jim Schell said the airport is at full capacity with its hangars and the additional space would allow for transient planes to stay in Oshkosh.
The new terminal streamlines operations with all airport staff offices located in the same building.
Grant to help fund Fox Locks interpretive trail in Kaukauna
The Fox River Navigational System Authority is planning to develop an interpretive trail along the five Kaukauna locks, thanks to a $300,000 grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
The 1.3-mile trail will run adjacent to all five locks and give pedestrians and cyclists a chance to see the locks in action. The trail will be constructed on land already owned by the locks and will link to existing and proposed trails throughout the Fox Valley.
“This project will increase public access to the historic lock system,” said Fox Locks CEO Jeremy Cords. “The trail will provide one of the most up-close views of how the locks work along the entire lock system and allow citizens to see living history in action.”
The Fox Locks system and the City of Kaukauna also opened five locks on the Fox River. Recently completed repairs will allow the Veterans Memorial Lift Bridge to raise and lower, welcoming boat traffic on the Kaukauna section of the lock system for the first time in 35 years.
•The Northwoods
Florence, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto Counties
College of Menominee Nation gets educator investment grant
The College of Menominee Nation was one of six U.S. higher education institutions to be selected for grants from the Early Educator Investment Collaborative. CMN, which
will receive $674,000, was the only recipient from a Midwestern state and the only tribal college to be chosen.
Funds will support initiatives for students preparing for work in the field of education, one of the most popular career paths for those enrolled in CMN’s associate degree program. At the baccalaureate level, more than 70 percent of all CMN graduates hold a bachelor’s degree in education.
The award, which provides funds through May 2023, will support CMN’s plans for innovative changes in teacher preparation. Key among these will be development of a continuum of culturally responsive educational pathways to success for CMN students and multiple layers of support for graduates in the first year of their teaching careers.
•West Central
Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, Marquette, Green Lake Counties
State awards $3.3 million to expand veterans cemetery
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is awarding $3.3 million to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery at King.
The grant will allow Veterans Affairs to construct 428 preplaced crypts, a flag assembly area, a committal service shelter, irrigation and supporting infrastructure at the cemetery. These improvements will help ensure adequate resources for future burial needs.
The King cemetery was Wisconsin’s first state veterans cemetery. It opened in June 1888 with the burial of a Civil War veteran. More than 8,000 veterans and their dependents have been buried in the cemetery at King since its inception.
