Gov. Jim Doyle announces in June that the state will provide $500,000 in tax credits and loans to help 3M fund its 100,000-square-foot expansion project in Dunn County.

Photo courtesy of The Dunn County News

Well Dunn

Dunn County prepares for growth spurt

By Rebecca R. Konya

With beautiful scenery, abundant recreation, good schools and an hour's drive to the Twin Cities, Dunn County is poised for growth.

Last spring, 3M Co. announced Dunn County expansion plans at its Menomonie facility. A worldwide diversi-fied manufacturing company, 3M employs 425 people at the Menomonie location. The expansion project will add 100,000 square feet of additional space to grow a manufacturing line.

In June, Gov. Jim Doyle announced that the state would provide $500,000 to 3M for the expansion. The state Department of Commerce offered $250,000 in technology-zone tax credits and a $250,000 low-interest loan.

In addition to business development, Menomonie also is seeing its recreational facilities rejuvenated. Jay Williamson and David White of J.D. Acquisitions LLC, Menomonie, recently purchased the Thunderbird Mall on North Broadway with plans to give the aging retail center a major facelift. Williamson said that construction was already under way on a new bowling alley and family entertainment center. Remodeling plans also call for a high-end sports bar.

The Boyceville Economic Development Corp. is planning to add 28 new lots to the Anderson Hill subdivision in Dunn County.

Image courtesy of Cedar Corp.

"It will be unique to the area," said Williamson of the future pub, which will include skyboxes for a stadium feel.

The renovation project, to be completed in phases, will include a new roof, new HVAC system and parking lot repairs. The mall's exterior façade and interior are
slated for remodeling next spring.

"We're giving it new life," said Williamson of the 30-year-old shopping center.

If the renovation schedule proceeds as planned, Williamson said, the entire project will be completed in late 2005 or early 2006.

Elsewhere in the county, construction of an ethanol plant is moving ahead. Though a lawsuit is pending, ground has been broken for the plant, which is to be constructed along Highway 170 between Wheeler and Boyceville.

Western Wisconsin Renewable Energy Cooperative began grading and clearing the site in late May, but WWREC president Paul Harrison said the co-op can't pour concrete until all legal issues have been settled.

"Everything is in place to make it happen," he said.

Demographics

Population, percent change, April 1, 2000-July 1, 2003: 3.2
2003 population estimate: 41,114
Population, percent change, 1990 to 2000: 11.0
Percent of people under 5 years old in 2000: 5.7
Percent of people under 18 years old in 2000: 23.3
Percent of people 65 years old and over in 2000: 11.2
Females, 2000: 49.6 percent
Whites, 2000: 96.1 percent
Blacks, 2000: 0.3 percent
American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2000: 0.3 percent
Asians, 2000: 2.1 percent
People of Hispanic or Latino origin, 2000: 0.8 percent
High school graduates, percent of people age 25+, 2000: 86.6
Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of people age 25+, 2000: 21.1
Housing units, 2002: 15,927
Homeownership rate, 2000: 69.1 percent
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $92,900
Households, 2000: 14,337
People per household, 2000: 2.57
Median household income, 1999: $38,753
Per capita income, 1999: $17,520
People below poverty, percent, 1999: 12.9

Business Facts

Private nonfarm establishments with paid employees, 2001: 1,009
Private nonfarm employment, 2001: 12,854
Manufacturers shipments, 1997 ($1,000): 875,383
Retail sales, 1997 ($1,000): 324,014
Retail sales per capita, 1997: $8,370
Minority-owned firms, percent of total, 1997: Fewer than 100
Women-owned firms, percent of total, 1997: 19.6
Housing units authorized by building permits, 2002: 369
Federal funds and grants, 2002 ($1,000): 159,791

Geography Facts

Land area, 2000 (square miles): 852
People per square mile, 2000: 46.8

Although the Dunn County Board of Adjustment approved the plant last November, a group of citizens filed a suit to prevent the county from giving WWREC the necessary permit to move forward with construction. The St. Croix County Circuit Court is deciding the matter.

"They claim we're going to be producing dangerous chemicals," said Harrison of the citizens' complaints. He added that odor was another concern. "Technology has changed a lot. We can identify the source of odors and control them."

When, or if, constructed, the plant will produce ethanol from locally grown corn. The product is added to midgrade and premium gasoline to help the fuel burn cleaner.
Depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, Harrison said the co-op is still aiming to have the ethanol plant up and running by late summer.

Residential construction is also keeping pace with business development in Dunn County. In Boyceville, the Village Board recently approved 28 additional lots for the Anderson Hill subdivision located off the intersection of highways 79 and 170. Lots will range in size from two-thirds to one-half acre, and homes will fall in the $150,000 to $200,000 range.

Jeff Nussbaum, a civil engineer with the Cedar Corp. in Menomonie, said the Boyceville Economic Development Corp. is hoping to start the sale of lots in late fall. Infrastructure improvements will be completed next spring.

The 36-acre addition also will include park areas and walking trails, said Nussbaum. The village is seeking grants to fund those public improvements.