To address the problem, Superior officials have been planning Connect Superior, a $31 million broadband expansion project that would be funded partly by federal dollars. Without that access in a society based increasingly on technology, business owners struggle to operate, students struggle to complete homework assignments, and many can’t access simple entertainment or online shopping options. Paine has watched as many community residents have struggled to access reliable Wi-Fi. Of the 394,000 total, 385,000 live in rural areas, the report shows, and make up 21.8% of the state’s rural population. The 2021 Broadband Deployment Report estimates that 6.8% of Wisconsin residents, 394,000 people, lack access to broadband with adequate bandwidth, higher than the 4.4% national average. “Provisions of the bill will also help us bridge the gap on broadband access, respond to and begin countering the climate crisis, and reduce supply chain bottlenecks.” “The effects of this effort will be far-reaching, as the bill aims to strengthen our food supply chain through tremendous investment in the transportation infrastructure that family farmers rely on,” Von Ruden added.
Representing scores of farmers across the Dairy State, Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden said the measure represented “a historic investment in the critical infrastructure needs of family farmers and our communities.” “We have fallen really far behind on our roads and other infrastructure, so this additional money is really needed because it can help us catch up.” Broadband for Farmland “Those things are expensive, so this money will really help,” Gragert said, noting that Eau Claire is currently making costly street repairs on its borders to include bicycle lanes and other features to make them more pedestrian-friendly. It is money, that if we are able to access it, it will be putting our citizens in a better position.”
“I would love to apply for money for storm-water control projects, as well as some bridge. “The City of Waukesha and the administration is very interested in applying for any federal money that we think we can use for any projects we can apply for in our five-year capital improvement plan,” Reilly said Monday. In Waukesha, Mayor Shawn Reilly said he’s looking forward to paging through the city’s five-year infrastructure plan and seeing which of the many road and bridge projects might be able to get done sooner thanks to federal funding. “We’ve got plenty of roads and bridges to build.” “Tower Avenue is the next big state project,” Mayor Jim Paine said when asked about infrastructure funding priorities. That road is among those across the northern part of the state that could receive funding as part of the infrastructure bill.
In Superior, residents know to anticipate a bumpy road when they travel Tower Avenue, the part of State Highway 35 that passes through the city. RELATED: Family Sees Hope for In-Home Healthcare Worker Shortage in Biden Package Being Negotiated in Congress “It will also help us strengthen resilience to climate change by investing in programs that help cities mitigate impacts from flooding, severe storms, and shoreline erosion.” “The bipartisan infrastructure package addresses critical needs facing Great Lakes cities, including upgrading water infrastructure, removing lead water lines, and cleaning up emerging contaminants such as PFAS,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on behalf of the Great Lakes and St. Municipal leaders in Sheboygan and Rhinelander also praised the impacts the bill could have on improving local water supplies and waterways. In order to battle the lack of willing accountability of manufacturers for the impacts of their damaging and pernicious chemicals, municipalities like La Crosse must look to federal assistance to help provide a path forward to ensure resilience and to maintain a healthy and safe water supply for all of our community’s residents.” “The problems are simply too insidious and complex to manage through the annual budgeting process. “It is abundantly clear that local governments around the nation lack the resources to adequately mitigate the ill effects of PFAS chemicals on our precious groundwater sources,” Reynolds said in a press release just prior to the House vote.