Beaver Dam’s 2020 Budget Seeks $4M For Roads, No New Money Downtown

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen says next year’s proposed city budget has no new money for downtown revitalization. Instead, she says the focus will be more on streets.

Around $4-million dollars would be directed to streets with the big project being the reconstruction of South Spring Street from Judson Drive to Park Avenue. That price tag is $2.7-million dollars of which $1-million dollars is already covered by grants and another $600-thousand dollars may be covered by grants. Prospect Avenue would be repaved from Eilbes Avenue to North Crystal Lake Road at a cost of $360-thousand dollars. The Apple Valley subdivision at South Center Road would see repaving at a cost of $190-thousand dollars. The budget calls for spending $140-thousand dollars to purchase property that allows for an extension of Woodland Drive to Commercial Drive, connecting North Spring Street with North Center/ Highway 33. Another $160-thousand dollars would be directed sealcoating various streets.

The city already has around $300-thousand dollars in unspent monies in the revitalization fund that still needs to be used. Glewen says that unspent money – coupled with revenue that is starting to come in from a downtown, blight-elimination Tax Increment Finance District – would be used downtown. Specifically, she wants to use $240-thousand as a match for a grant the city is pursuing to repair the retaining wall along the river in the downtown tower parking lot. The remaining $60-thousand dollars would be for river walk enhancements behind the Watermark.

Other projects highlighted in the capital budget include $111-thousand dollars for improvements at city hall, $100-thousand dollars in equipment for the fire department, a new roof for the city-owned Dodge County Historical Society Museum at $36-thousand dollars, and $290-thousand dollars for improvements to four of the city’s two dozen parks, specifically the Athletic Field, Vo-Tech, Lakeview and the new dog park.

City officials last (Monday) night were presented with the capital budget; the operating budget is still being hammered out. As a result, the projected mill rate and tax levy have not been calculated and there is no word yet on changes in equalized property values.