STEVENS POINT – The long-debated and planned rebuild of Business 51 will likely begin next spring, but some early prep work could be seen this year.
The Stevens Point Common Council voted Tuesday to amend an activist-written ordinance created through a direct legal referendum in August 2022. The ordinance limited the city’s ability to plan construction projects costing more than $1 million, according to Mayor Mike Visa.
Here’s what you need to know about the history of the Business 51/Division Street reconstruction project, what the project looks like now, a road referendum ordinance and the referendum that created the ordinance that was sparked by project opponents, and recent changes ordered by the Common Council .
Where does the Business 51 project stand now?
AECOM recently completed a 60% design of the project, Scott Beduhn, director of public works, told a Stevens Point Journal reporter Wednesday. City staff and the Common Council will review this phase of an orderly design process that develops major project plans in four major phases.
As the city finalizes plans for the multi-phase road reconstruction project this year, visible construction on the corridor in 2025 will be the work of private companies and property owners either moving their equipment or preparing their properties for the city to begin road reconstruction work. next year, Beduhn said.
In a few months, the city will begin contacting landowners and private utility companies to work with them to remove conflicts with the planned site.
What will the reconstruction of Business 51 look like in 2026?
The “northern section” of Business 51, between the intersection with North Point Drive and Fourth Avenue, is slated to be financed primarily through funds available in Tax Increment Financing District 5, and construction will likely continue through the spring of 2026. City of 2025 the budget included an allocation of $1.7 million for “Building Business 51” in the TID 5 plan.
The city will continue to seek grants and other funding sources that could allow reconstruction to begin as early as 2026 on a section of the “southern section” of the Business 51 project, Beduhn said.
How long has the city been discussing the reconstruction of Division Street?
The Common Council voted in 2005 to take over maintenance of the former state-sponsored road in exchange for $6 million.
The initial plans were introduced by Mayor Andrew Halverson in 2013 and were immediately subject to debate and revision. The plan was shelved in 2014, and the $9 million earmarked for the project was used for the Hoover Avenue overpass, which was completed in 2017. The Division Street project was expected to cost $38 million at the time.
Planning for Division Street resumed in late 2019 when the Common Council approved a $1.1 million contract with infrastructure consulting firm AECOM to develop a new plan to rebuild the popular travel corridor.
The firm conducted a planning process that included virtual meetings due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By late 2021, residents and voters were demanding a referendum for reasons ranging from cost to design. An activist-written ordinance intended to stop the project was approved by voters and went into effect in August 2022. The project entered an additional planning phase to prepare for a possible referendum on the project.
An additional feasibility study was conducted in late 2023 regarding a planned roundabout for the Fourth Avenue intersection, and the Common Council reaffirmed the reconstruction plans in April 2024.
What is the road project ordinance and what changes were made on Tuesday?
The activist-written ordinance called for a referendum on construction projects that cost the city more than $1 million. The ordinance was approved by Stevens Point voters via direct legislative referendum on August 9, 2022, by a margin of 31 votes.
On Tuesday. The Common Council voted 10-1, with the ordinance amendments changing the threshold to require a referendum to $15 million, excluding the cost of municipal works, which can vary in proportional value from project to project.
The Finance Committee approved a $20 million threshold at its Jan. 13 meeting, but an amendment filed Tuesday by Marc Christianson, president of the Common Council and chairman of District 1, was approved 7-4 to lower the amount for requested a referendum on 15 million dollars.
What referendums have been held while the ordinance has been in effect?
There have been six referendums held in two elections on major construction projects since the ordinance was created in 2022. Four of the projects were typical road reconstruction projects on several streets around the city. Two were for infrastructure expansion projects.
All six referendums were approved by voters.
Has Stevens Point completed any other construction since 2022?
yes. The city has completed dozens of smaller projects that cost less than the $1 million threshold set by the ordinance ranging from park improvement projects to sidewalk repairs.
Local business news:Happy Feet in Stevens Point will close after 45 years as the owner prepares for retirement
News about local elections:These candidates have filed to appear on the spring 2025 ballot in Stevens Point
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and credits his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com.