Wisconsin’s Capital Budget will include a $30 million investment to help fund the expansion of the Alliant Energy Center’s Exposition Hall, a project that will expand the capacity of existing events and attract additional events that will bring increased national prominence to Wisconsin.
Gov. Tony Evers was joined by several Dane County and Madison city leaders, including Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, Dane County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan, and Urban League of Greater Madison President Ruben Anthony, at a press conference at the Alliant Energy Center this morning.
“The expansion of the Alliant Energy Center will catalyze hundreds of millions of dollars in private development generating $1.7 million in new property taxes and boost our local economies throughout the state,” Gov. Evers said at the press conference. “I’m excited to see this project move forward and I know it will add value to our entire state.”
The current facility does not offer the spaces necessary to accommodate today’s meetings and events. This project will convert the Exhibition Hall from being a regional exposition center to a full-service convention center for all of Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.
“Gov. Evers investment in the Alliant Energy Center is critical for reasons across the board,” State Rep. Shelia Stubbs told Madison365. The Alliant Energy Center is in Stubbs’ district. “This renovation will help the region for tourism and community engagement, but also provide critical jobs for communities in the area.”
The funding will come through a non-state grant program that provides state bonding support for non-profit or local government projects that have a statewide public purpose.
“Thanks in part to past support from the state, Dane County’s Alliant Energy Center is now the premier venue in the country for agricultural shows. Expanding the ability of these grounds to host national and even international events is exactly what Wisconsin’s farm economy needs right now to preserve jobs and our agricultural heritage,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “I applaud Gov. Evers for capitalizing on this opportunity, bolstering our reputation as a true destination for the state and region.”
