Join us for three webinars over three days focusing on Infrastructure.

Whether it is adapting to increasingly intense rainfall events, replacing old utility pipes, addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance and replacements of streets and bridges, or ensuring high speed internet services are available and affordable throughout a community, modernizing public infrastructure is an enormous task. Recent federal legislation has offered additional funding opportunities to communities for infrastructure needs in the near-term. Communities around the State are weighing their options for how to maximize this one-time funding to make the most impact. Join us for three web events for ideas and best practices surrounding three crucial infrastructure issues: Stormwater, Streets & Bridges, and Broadband. This event is intended for local elected officials, staff, and anyone interested in the subject matter. 

Wednesday, November 30           12:00PM – 1:30PM
Street and Bridge Project Funding Opportunities

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), signed into law in November 2021, made a historic increase in amount of federal dollars available for Wisconsin DOT programs that help fund municipal street, bridge, and transportation alternative projects over the next five years. In this webinar, Wisconsin DOT staff will discuss upcoming Local Program BIL solicitation opportunities. WisDOT’s presentation will highlight project solicitations for the Local Bridge, Surface Transportation Program-Local, and TAP programs. Also hear from two communities that were recently awarded BIL funding for their street projects. Learn how they pulled their application together, how their project fit within their community’s capital improvement plan, and the current status of the project.  

Speakers:    

                   Merrill Mechler-Hickson, DOT Bureau of Transit, Local Roads, Railroads & Harbors Presentation (pdf)
                   Travis Houle, DOT TAP and CMAQ Statewide Program Manager
                   Randy Eide, Menomonie Public Works Director Presentation (pdf)
                  John Butler, Public Works Director, Ashland Presentation (pdf)

Thursday, December 1                   12:00PM – 1:30PM
Stormwater Opportunities and Innovations

Municipalities are facing dual challenges of upgrading older stormwater infrastructure (storm sewers, ditches, and flood control reservoirs), while at the same time, needing to install new grey and green stormwater infrastructure to serve as flood control, address water quality and quantity issues, and adapt to more frequent and intense storms. For many years the League has urged DNR to take a more holistic view on stormwater management.  For example, a project that controls stormwater, reduces flooding and sediment and stabilizes stream banks might justify the use of wetland areas as part of such a project.  Attorney Paul Kent will provide an update on DNR’s possible openness to this more holistic approach to stormwater. 

Bill Selbig, has recently been engaged in several innovative urban stormwater projects, including a new project creating an urban flood detection and warning system for Madison and a suburb of Chicago. Bill will provide an update on this and a variety of other stormwater project highlights that municipalities around Wisconsin should find interesting.   

Speakers:    

                     Attorney Paul Kent, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP Presentation (pdf)
                     Bill Selbig, Research Hydrologist, USGS - Upper Midwest Water Science Center Presentation (pdf)

Friday, December 2                         12:00PM – 1:30PM
Multiple Approaches to Broadband

Residents across Wisconsin in large, small, urban, and rural places all face a variety of challenges with broadband availability, affordability, adequacy, and competitive offerings. This session will take participants through Federal, State, and local broadband efforts to connect residents. 

Carah Koch and Jaron McCallum: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides $65 billion to connect all Americans to high-speed broadband internet that is affordable and reliable.  Within BIL there are several programs that support broadband planning, infrastructure, and adoption.  Learn about Internet for All, what the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the State of Wisconsin, and other critical stakeholders are doing to coordinate high-speed internet infrastructure deployment and digital equity efforts. 

Reedsburg Utility Commission will discuss LightSpeed, Wisconsin’s only 100% Fiber Optic municipal broadband offering – its start and continued expansion into rural areas.

The City of Superior will introduce Connect Superior, a vision of laying fiber across the city to improve access, affordability, and competition.

The City of Waupaca is entering its 20^th year offering a fixed-wireless ISP operation called Waupaca Online. Now partnering with Waupaca County with support from several PSC Broadband Expansion grants to both expand coverage areas and upgrade infrastructure as well as a low-income pricing option.

Lastly, we will hear from the City of Wausau/Marathon County Telecommunications Commission on their Community Area Network (CAN) approach to providing broadband.

 Speakers:  

Carah Koch, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA)
Jaron McCallum, Wisconsin Broadband Office Presentation (pdf) (both Koch and McCallum)
Ken Las, Reedsburg Utility Commission/LightSpeed Presentation (pdf)
Superior Mayor Jim Paine and Councilmember Tylor Elm
Joshua Werner, City of Waupaca, Waupaca Online Presentation (pdf)
Gerry Klein, Wausau-Marathon County IT Commission Presentation (pdf)

Additional Resources: 

FCC’s New Broadband Map Brings Challenges for Local Government, November 23, 2022, Governing Magazine