Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) announced Madison’s Imagination Center at Reindahl Park among several recipients of over $115 million total in grants to local and Tribal communities through DOA’s Flexible Facilities Program (FFP). Funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury Capital Projects Fund (CPF) as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act, these grants will go toward funding public facility expansion or improvement projects designed to provide reliable broadband access to local communities, including libraries, community centers, and multipurpose community facilities.
The FFP is open to all units of general local government and Tribal governments in Wisconsin. The maximum award is $4.25 million.
The CPF-FFP projects aim to:
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Directly support recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by strengthening and improving the public infrastructure to provide the digital resources necessary for Wisconsinites to be able to access remote work, education, and health care monitoring opportunities;
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Enable investments in capital assets designed to address inequities in access to critical services; and
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Provide 21st-century public infrastructure necessary to access critical services, including a high-quality and affordable broadband internet connection.
Madison will receive $4,250,000 to assist with the construction of a new public library and Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. The project will benefit over 19,300 individuals, including those who experience a higher rate of poverty and lowered access to internet and transportation. The new library will have meeting rooms, classrooms, a quiet reading room, and a family space. This project will offer free high-speed internet and computer access, and it will feature a Tech Hub with 10 workstations and 15 laptops.
