VILLAGE BOARD APPROVES PURCHASE AGREEMENTS WITH FOUR
PROPERTY OWNERS PREVIOUSLY
PART OF FEDERAL LAWSUIT
Last week, the Village of Mount Pleasant voted to approve purchase agreements with four property owners in the Foxconn Project Area that were previously plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the Village.

"We are pleased to have reached agreements with four of the property owners that were previously plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Village," said Alan Marcuvitz, an attorney for the Village of Mount Pleasant. "Because the Village was able to reach voluntary agreements for the sale of their property, those individuals will be dismissed as plaintiffs from the lawsuit."

In addition, the Village Board voted to acquire land from several other property owners in the Foxconn Project Area. To date, the Village has acquired 100% of the land in the core of Area I, where the first phase of Foxconn's manufacturing campus is being build, as well as 82% of the land in Areas I, II and III.
More information is available here .
WISCONN VALLEY SMALL BUSINESS CAPACITY BUILDING SESSIONS SCHEDULED
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and its partners will host two Wisconn Valley Small Business Capacity Building Sessions to help smaller contractors overcome access barriers and compete efficiently on work tied to the construction of Foxconn's advanced manufacturing campus.

" We want to ensure that Wisconsin businesses of every size and background have an opportunity to make the most of the unprecedented economic development project that Wisconn Valley offers," said Governor Scott Walker. "Construction of the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park is estimated to create tens of thousands of direct and indirect construction-related jobs. Filling these jobs will require harnessing the expertise and skills of the state's entire contractor community to meet the sheer scale and ambitious timelines of Wisconn Valley-related development projects."

The first session will be held on August 15 from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. in Milwaukee at UMOS, Inc. (2701 South Chase Avenue).

The second session will be held on August 24 from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. in Racine County at Gateway Technical College's SC Johnson iMET Center (2320 Renaissance Blvd).

For more information and to register to attend, click here .
FOXCONN LAUNCHES $1M
"SMART CITIES – SMART FUTURES" COMPETITION
Recently, Foxconn Technology Group announced the formal launch of its "Smart Cities Smart Futures" initiative during a Smart Futures Summit at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Foxconn is committing $1 million in award prizes over the next three years to the initiative, which aims to generate new ideas from Wisconsin students, faculty and staff as they work to develop smart communities and systems throughout the state. The "Smart Cities Smart Futures" competition is open to everyone affiliated with the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Wisconsin Technical College System .

“The ‘Smart Cities Smart Futures’ competition is a chance for students, faculty and staff across Wisconsin to help shape the future. We are very pleased to have numerous statewide organizations join us in this initiative, which we hope will inspire and enable the immense talent available in the Badger State to participate, submit ideas and potentially see them come to life,” said Dr. Alan Yeung, Foxconn Director of U.S. Strategic Initiatives and President of FEWI Development Corporation. “As Foxconn builds a robust AI 8K+5G ecosystem in Wisconsin, this competition will contribute to the state’s transformation into a global high-tech hub , grow and create new businesses and boost the ability to attract premier talent.”

To learn more about the competition, click here .
WHEDA, RACINE COUNTY
TO HOST SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
HOUSING SUMMIT
The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and Racine County will host the Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit on September 12, 2018 at Delta Hotel by Marriott in Racine (7111 Washington Avenue, Hwy 20).

The summit will connect municipalities in the Wisconn Valley Region with developers, financial institutions, and housing partners . This information-sharing event will focus on bringing housing solutions to the region. Hear the latest on economic development, infrastructure and housing, and engage with local municipalities.

Who should attend?
  • Municipal officials, including mayors, city planners and city administrators;
  • Community leaders including housing authorities, chambers of commerce, community development corporations and local housing partners;
  • Developers;
  • Builders; and
  • Financial institutions.

For more information and to register for the summit, click here . Additional information on the need for a variety of increased housing options in Southeastern Wisconsin and Racine County is available here .
VILLAGE AWARDS FOXCONN-RELATED DEMOLITION WORK TO FOND DU LAC
COUNTY-BASED CONTRACTOR
The Village of Mount Pleasant Board voted to award Fond du Lac County-based Guelig Waste Removal and Demolition, LLC with a $366,665 contract to conduct demolition work tied to Foxconn's advanced manufacturing campus. Previously, Guelig Waste Removal was awarded two other contracts for demolition associated with the Foxconn project.

The bid team includes three other Wisconsin-based companies. Subcontractors include companies in Milwaukee and Racine counties: KPH Construction, Krizan's Well Drilling, and Pat's Services, Inc.

“We are excited to continue our work with the Village of Mount Pleasant,” said Bob Guelig, Owner of Guelig Waste Removal and Demolition, LLC. "That a small, Wisconsin business is growing because of the Foxconn project is a testament to the statewide impact of this project."

To learn more about this work, click here .
EDITORIAL: FOXCONN LOOKING INTO SOLAR POWER IS MORE WELCOME NEWS
The Racine Journal Times Editorial board recently published an article exploring Foxconn's energy supply needs and the possibility of using solar power to answer some of those needs.

"We Energies officials said they were in talks with Foxconn over its energy supply needs and that solar power may figure prominently in the campus' needs."

"According to [a] news report, a solar installation at Foxconn could be the largest in Wisconsin, and could generate 60 to 90 times the current top facility, found at the new IKEA store in Oak Creek, which has 4,716 panels and generates 1.6 megawatts of electricity."

Read more in the Racine Journal Times .
HOGAN: DEVELOPMENTS WILL MAKE
GREEN BAY A 'MAGNET' FOR TALENT
Following announcements that Foxconn will open innovation centers in Green Bay and in Eau Claire , Mark Hogan, CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, shared his perspective on the project with the Green Bay Press Gazette.

"I feel good about the contract we have: No jobs created, no wages, then they get no tax credits, " Hogan said. "This is an investment in our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren... What I've seen with Foxconn is the celebration of collaboration to solve problems and take advantage of the opportunities around us ."

"I'm a firm believer that all the things happening will be a magnet for people to northeast Wisconsin," Hogan said. "You can't fill the number of jobs being created in the region just from the Fox Valley. This is a regional play for talent, a national play for talent and an international play for talent. We believe Foxconn will attract more people and have that magnet effect " on the state.

Read in the Green Bay Press Gazette .
WISDOT SEEKING BIDS FOR ROAD WORK
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced it is  seeking bids for work to install drainage structures in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stream and migratory bird limitation timeframes.

Bids are due to WisDOT by 9:00 a.m. on August 14 . The contract award date is dependent on the bids received on August 14.

More information is  available here .
UPCOMING MEETINGS / EVENTS
On August 15 , Wisconsin DWD and its partners will host a Small Business Capacity Building Session in Milwaukee from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. at UMOS, Inc (2701 South Chase Avenue).

On August 17 , Racine County and its partners will hold a Job Fest in Racine from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Knapp Elementary School (2701 17th Street).

On August 20 , Village of Mount Pleasant officials and project partners will hold a monthly Foxconn Project Briefing at 6:00 p.m. at Ebe Auditorium at Mount Pleasant Village Hall (8811 Campus Drive).

On August 24 , Wisconsin DWD and its partners will host a Small Business Capacity Building Session in Sturtevant from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. at Gateway Technical College's SC Johnson iMET Center (2320 Renaissance Blvd).

On August 31 , Racine County and its partners will hold a Job Fest in Racine from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center ( 1134 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive) .

On September 12 , WHEDA and Racine County will host the Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit at Delta Hotel by Marriott in Racine (7111 Washington Avenue, Hwy 20).

Upcoming meetings and events can be found in the event calendar on our website, FoxconnRacineCounty.com.