Pandemic relief funds to re-open Villa Louis, state sites
On June 24, the Evers Administration reversed course and announced the release of $1 million to reopen all Wisconsin Historical Society sites, after the State Assembly passed legislation directing the Governor to do so.
The bill’s co-authors, State Sen. André Jacque (R-De Pere) and State Reps. Loren Oldenburg (R-Viroqua), Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City), and Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville), said the relief is long overdue for the state’s tourism industry.
“Opening these historical sites is crucial not just for local economies like Belmont, Mineral Point, Cassville, and Prairie du Chien, but for our state as a whole,” Sen. Jacque said. “Time is of the essence now with school out and summer upon us as we enter that season of peak demand for these sites. The return on investment for Wisconsin’s tourism economy as a whole clearly justifies this investment.”
The members of the Wisconsin Council on Tourism, including Acting Secretary Sayers, unanimously voted on April 28, to send a letter to Gov. Evers requesting the use of these federal funds for this purpose, but his administration determined the Council did not properly post the meeting, and thus took no action.
“We were very disappointed that the State Historical Society did not push the Governor to reopen these popular destinations,” said Chad Fradette, Prairie du Chien Historical Society vice-president. During that time we were able to keep the Fort Crawford and St. Germain House historic sites and our museum open on a shoestring budget, the DNR kept all state parks open, and other entities were able to keep their museums and sites open.”
He continued, “Tourism is a large component of the economy of our state and especially that of southwest Wisconsin. During Prairie du Chien’s Rendezvous, which drew thousands of people to the area, the Villa Louis, located just yards from this event, was closed.”
“It’s fantastic to hear that the Governor has decided to take our advice and move $1 million from the American Rescue and Recovery Act (ARPA) funds to the State Historical Society,” said Rep. Tranel, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Tourism. “I want to thank Lancaster Mayor David Varnam and Cassville Village President Keevin Williams for making the trip to Madison to testify in support of our bill. This was a lot more work than it should have been. However, at the end of the day, we were able to persuade Gov. Evers to do the right thing, which is great news for Wisconsin’s tourism industry.”
Legislation passed last week by the State Assembly (Assembly Bill 391) requires the Governor to direct federal ARPA relief funds to enable the State Historical Society to reopen historic sites and keep them open for the rest of this year.
Rep. Novak, lead Assembly co-author of the measure, said, “In my view, this action was long overdue as we’ve known about this problem for some time. This action will offer a sense of relief to our local sites and will provide a much-needed boost to our tourism industry. I hope the Governor directs his agencies to move quickly to ensure the sites can open as soon as possible.”
The Wisconsin Historical Society faced a budget shortfall of about $2.4 million due to the loss of program revenue in 2020 because of pandemic related shutdowns. Due to the current funding challenges, the majority of Wisconsin’s historical tourism sites would have remained shuttered until 2022 without pressure from the Legislature.
