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MADISON — The 2009-11 state budget Gov. Jim Doyle signed Monday includes $500,000 for construction of the Myrick Hixon EcoPark and $50,000 for equipment at the La Crosse Community Dental Clinic.
The $500,000 state grant will go toward the $4.8 million cost to construct the EcoPark, which converts the old Myrick Park zoo into an environmental education center, said Jim Gallagher, interim executive director for the EcoPark.
“We’re immensely delighted about the state funding,” said Gallagher.
Phase 1 construction is almost done and staff moved into new offices last week, said Gallagher. Work on educational exhibits should be completed by fall. Construction of live, native animal exhibits will begin in fall as well, and will replace all existing exhibits when completed next year, he said.
The Myrick Hixon EcoPark was among the few non-state agency requests the State Building Commission included in the capital budget in April. Despite a record deficit and declining state revenues, the project survived legislative scrutiny and the governor’s veto pen Monday.
The state funding requires local matching funds that total about $3 million, including $500,000 from the city of La Crosse, Gallagher said.
Dr. Dennis Loeffler of the La Crosse Community Dental Clinic was surprised and thankful that $50,000 for x-ray equipment remained in the budget. LCDC and Western Technical College in La Crosse will use the state money to “digitize” records at the two institutions.
“We’re a small staff and have been using film, but with the new equipment we can go directly to digital records, which is more efficient and acquaints students with the equipment they’ll use later in their jobs,” Loeffler said.
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