Local government leaders from Dane County have announced plans to demolish and replace the aging barns at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The facility upgrades, which were proposed in Governor Scott Walker’s state budget, will help enhance events like World Dairy Expo, Midwest Horse Fair and the Dane County Fair.
“These multi-use pavilions will secure the long-term financial strength of the county’s Alliant Energy Center, keep our facility a multi-million dollar contributor to our local economy, and provide the kind of state of the art space that will help current and new customers call the AEC home for years to come,” said County Executive Joe Parisi.
So far, the county has hired the architectural firm Strang Inc. to create the vision for the project. Parisi says the county plans to replace the old barns with two modern, state of the art multi-use pavilions at a cost of $18 million. Half of that money is coming for private contributions, with the remainder being covered by taxpayer dollars. County supervisors and the state Legislature must still approve their budgets before the plans become official.
The new structures would be able to house about 2,600 head of livestock or 1,300 horses. The pavilions would also have interchangeable walls in order to create smaller areas, or be opened up to make a large gathering place for auto shows or swap meets.
Meanwhile, news about the new multi-use facilities has already generated more than a dozen new contract proposals for shows that have expressed interest in bringing their event to the AEC.
Once approved, construction for the project will began later this year and would take about a year to complete.
Source: Wisconsin Ag Connection