As I See It
Time for Prairie Springs II building
Perhaps this is the year and the budget where the Prairie Springs II Science building for the UW-La Crosse campus goes through.
This is the fourth budget cycle for funding the replacement for Cowley Hall. It’s about time it got built.
The first phase of the project was completed in 2018.
The current building, Cowley Hall, was built in 1965. It has outlived its functional life.
Consider how much technology has changed since then. Color TV was a big deal. Nowadays, I can watch programs on a smart phone I carry in my pocket.
Consider the need to have a facility that’s capable of handling new and future technologies.
I recently read some statistics that nearly 90 percent of College of Science and Health graduates from UWL work for employers in Wisconsin. Eight in ten UWL grads stay in the state ten years after graduating.
Those people buy houses, groceries and contribute to the economy of the state. They put down roots in this and other Wisconsin communities.
Why jeopardize those good stats by trying to teach them in a building that needs replacing? If the state won’t make the investment, why should they?
Get the funding for Prairie Springs II and get it built.
As I see it, I’m Kevin Millard.
walden
May 21, 2025 at 3:39 pm
So, what exactly is the justification for building a 3rd science building on the UWL campus at a cost of $200 million?
Every article on this project pretends this project is some sort of “because we want it” entitlement. Ridiculous. If you can’t tell the story its no wonder the project has not been approved.
John
May 22, 2025 at 5:23 am
Why does a building 60 years old make a difference. Why not remodel? Uwl has plenty of alumni why not fund raise. This is the one thing I don’t understand, how does a building teach smarter students?
Kevin, have you donated personally to this endeavor? My assumption is a no. Meaning it’s not that important. Just want everyone to pay for a few. Just like the La Crosse school district referendums.
Nick.
May 22, 2025 at 10:02 am
The Republican controlled legislature does not want to do anything. They do not want to end the pfas situation which is immoral. It is more than just building a building; it is the interior that would dramatically change from what it they have now.
The building when first proposed cost $90,000,000; Republican obstinance has driven the cost up to a point it may never be built. I am not in favor of that. The Republican controlled legislature has proven that they do not care about the residents such as French Island and do not care about the taxpayers.
I would like to know what they would do with the existing building.
walden
May 23, 2025 at 1:44 am
Nick:
1) The Republican legislature authorized funding for PFAS in the last budget contingent on the Governor providing a plan on how the money would be spent. The Governor signed (approved) the budget. The Governor then refused to provide the agreed upon spending plan. That is not the legislature’s fault.
2) The university and multiple “as i see it” columns have failed to provide any justification, just as you have failed…”the interior that would dramatically change…” does not justify spending $200 million or even $1.