(This conversation has been edited for clarity)
Jason Cregier (JC): Today, we look at some recent news around southern Wisconsin. So who better to check in with than Alex Gary of the Beloit Daily News.
Alex, thanks for joining us.
Alex Gary (AG): Nice to see you after the Fourth of July. Glad to see you survived.
JC: Yeah, all my fingers and toes, eyes, ears and nose are still with me at this point.
The last time we talked, we discussed the interim superintendent for Beloit Public Schools. Now there is a new superintendent. Kind of? What is going on with that, Alex?
AG: The School District of Beloit is endlessly fascinating. They have gone through a series of superintendents and interim superintendents.
The latest was Wayne Anderson. He was appointed in November, and Anderson had actually been an interim superintendent in Beloit before his most recent appointment.
It was thought that, "Hey, he knows the system and he knows the people." We talked this past spring, and he was open to staying as superintendent longer.
The way Wisconsin funds its public schools, Beloit is going through another series of budget cuts. Anderson struggled to get a preliminary budget passed. I believe they had four straight weeks of meetings — two regular and two special meetings — and he just could not get the four votes out of seven that were needed to move the budget forward.
After that, he emailed the board and said something to the effect of, "I can't lead you guys. I am going to go ahead and retire at the end of June."
They went from thinking Anderson was going to stick around for a while to get through a referendum to, "Oh, we have to replace this guy at the end of June."
The school district did move quickly. Leah Gordon was the principal of Converse Elementary and has had her superintendent license since at least 2011. She went from principal at the start of last school year to assistant superintendent in February. She was then approached about becoming superintendent for Beloit schools and now has a two-year contract as interim superintendent.
Gordon has been with the Beloit School District since 1998 and has seen 17 superintendents during her time there. Now she will be No. 18.
JC: I wonder how teachers and other administrators within the Beloit School District feel about all the constant turnover at the top.
AG: The Beloit Education Association never responds to our emails or phone calls. My sources are the superintendent and the school board president. I would love to sit down with Beloit's Board of Education President to talk about how they feel about things.
There is a survey conducted twice a year on how the staff feels about how the school district is run. We do publicize that.
The last couple of years, the responses have been a little bit better than the year before. However, the surveys conducted during COVID were awful. I think that was indicative of schools across the nation, though, not just in Beloit.
It has been improving, but teachers in Beloit definitely do not feel as appreciated as teachers in other school districts.
JC: Let us shift gears a bit and once again discuss data centers. Last time we discussed the possibility of a data center in Beloit, there was not a company officially tied to the project. Now there is.
Alex, what can you tell us about this?
AG: Yes. Last month, a company out of California called Panattoni let it be known that they are behind an effort to build a data center that would stretch between two towns, Beloit and Turtle.
The data center would encompass 400 acres between the two towns, with two major buildings on the Beloit side and two major buildings on the Turtle side.
It is an interesting situation. The data center company will now have to convince two towns to approve this project, not just one town but two.
Panattoni has a 40-year record of building major projects across the world. This is a legitimate company, not some "fly-by-night" type of thing.
However, Panattoni has only recently gotten into data centers in the last two years and is diving heavily into that area. The reason is that, at a recent presentation, the company showed that if it were not for data center construction, commercial construction would be down in the U.S. People are not building warehouses or retail buildings. Data centers are where the action is right now if you are in the construction business.
JC: Logistically speaking, two towns means double the meetings — double the lobbying. Correct?
AG: Yep. You will need to convince two separate boards that this project will be good for their respective towns.
From what we can tell, most people in both communities are against the idea of a data center project. If these two boards approve the project, they are most likely going against public sentiment. That could be interesting.
If you are about to retire from the board and think the data center coming to your town is the best thing, great. Maybe I will lose the next election. However, if you want to stay on the board, this will be remarkably interesting to see how this data center discussion plays out.
JC: While on the discussion of local business and commerce, Beloit is set to have a new 75,000 square foot manufacturing plant in its business park. What can you tell us about that?
AG: Twenty to 25 years ago, Beloit launched the Gateway Business Park alongside I-90. The whole idea behind a business park is that they are "shovel-ready" sites, meaning you could buy the land and the infrastructure is there.
The Gateway Business Park has been an absolute success. Many of Beloit's largest employers reside there, such as the Staples Fulfillment Center and a massive 1 million-square-foot Amazon facility, not to mention Ecolab and Kerry. Last year also featured three new projects being built.
There is now an unknown company looking to build on two parcels of land that total 10 acres for use as a 75,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. This would not be just a warehouse with the minimal number of workers. This project would be designed to have workers build products made in Beloit, which adds up to more jobs for the region.
The Gateway Business Park has been a tremendous success. A TIF district was reauthorized in that area to continue investing money into the business park.
An issue they do face is that land in that area is now running scarce. Over the years, 600 acres have been developed in that business park, creating more than 3,000 jobs. Now there are fewer than 150 acres of available land to build on and no more parcels available over 10 acres.
The new Beloit City Manager will be tasked with deciding whether more money will be allocated toward the Gateway Business Park or whether to let the project end naturally. If I had to guess, I bet they would add more money to the project.
JC: Alex, thanks for joining us and providing an update on what is happening around southern Wisconsin. That is Alex Gary of the Beloit Daily News.
Alex, thanks for joining us.
AG: Thank you, talk to you soon.
Copy Edited by Eryn Lent
