The Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a public hearing March 7 in Sturtevant regarding the city of Racine's Lake Michigan water diversion application.

When : Wednesday, March 7 at 6:00 PM

Where : SC Johnson iMET Center,  2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant

Format : The hearing will include a 30-minute presentation followed by a public comment period. The department will accept both written and oral comments at the hearing. A hearing officer will be present to conduct the hearing and may put time limits on individual oral statements to ensure an opportunity for all persons present to make statements.

Persons wishing to provide written comment on the diversion application should do so by March 21, 2018. Comments can be emailed to: [email protected] . You can also send comments via regular mail to:

DNR Drinking Water and Groundwater Program DG/5

Attn: Adam Freihoefer

PO Box 7921

Madison WI 53707-7921

For more information, visit  DNR.wi.gov  and search " Racine diversion . "

As we shared last week, recently the City of Racine submitted a water diversion application to serve the Village of Mount Pleasant.

Over the last 20 years, Racine has lost one quarter (nearly 7,000) of its manufacturing jobs. Due to this loss, Racine has seen a 47% decrease in its industrial water sales. In 1995 Racine sold, on average, 22.1 million gallons of water per day. By 2015, Racine water sales had dropped to an historic low of only 13 million gallons per day.  

The City of Racine’s application for water diversion is a signal of the return of manufacturing jobs to the region. 

Over the course of the next week, the Village of Mount Pleasant will be closing on about 1,700 acres of land on which the Village holds options. The properties include numerous parcels in areas one, two and three of the Foxconn project site.

 

“This is a great step forward as we continue to look to a spring groundbreaking for the Foxconn project,” said Dave DeGroot, Village of Mount Pleasant President.

Last week, the Village also announced a partnership with Racine Habitat for Humanity to donate household items to Habitat’s ReStore.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price. Proceeds from Habitat Restores help fund Habitat for Humanity’s mission to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope.

“This is a great opportunity to partner with a local municipality to provide for those in need in our community,” said Thom Bowen, ReStore Director for Racine Habitat for Humanity. “We look forward to working together with the Village of Mount Pleasant.”

WisDOT's work to reconstruct the east and west frontage roads in Racine County is underway.

This week, the East Frontage Road (SE Service Road) is scheduled to close to traffic Monday, February 5 - Friday, February 9 for storm sewer crossing. Access to businesses and residents will be maintained north and south of the closure. 

Click here to learn more about other upcoming work and closures scheduled for the next phase of this project.