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Doyle Announces Grant for Potosi Project
Doyle Announces Grant for Potosi Project
Wisconsin governor says the brewery restoration will help spur economic development in area
by CRAIG D. REBER
POTOSI, Wis. - The Potosi Brewery restoration project received a substantial financial boost Wednesday from Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle.
In front of more than 150 people, Doyle announced the awarding of a $400,000 Brownfield Grant to the Potosi Brewery Foundation, which oversees the $3.6 million project. Administered by the state Department of Commerce, Brownfield money is used to help restore usable, functional buildings.
"Most importantly, these grants are for the purposes of spurring economic development," Doyle said.
When completed, the site will house both the National Brewery and Potosi Brewery museums, the Great River Road Interpretive Center, a restaurant and microbrewery. The complex is expected to employ between 40 and 50 people. The brewery operated from 1852 to 1972.
"This project is not just about Potosi but southwest Wisconsin and the entire tri-state area," said Potosi Village President Frank Fiorenza.
Doyle agreed. "People are coming to realize more and more the historic significance of this part of the country," he said. "As all of this area develops, it really becomes a destination point for people who want to have a nice weekend in a beautiful part of the country, to see interesting historical sites and even to drink some beer. This is a pretty good place to come."
Doyle praised foundation members and their collective vision. "Obviously, the project is incredibly inventive and creative," he said. "It is one that really honors and restores the heritage of this community. But also in just cleaning up this building and getting it to be a productive site, it really helps with the long-term development of Potosi - ensuring it remains a good, strong, and economically viable community."
Calling the project a "great" example of what can be achieved through the efforts of a public-private partnership, Doyle said he was pleased to be a part of helping preserve the community's historic heritage and creating jobs.
In his remarks, Doyle noted that during the state's development, breweries were often a community's economic center. "Through hard work, communities pulled together to grow and provide jobs," he said. "Those values have been handed to us and will sustain us in the future.
"If we stay true to those values, the future will be very bright." Doyle's trip to southwest Wisconsin included a stop in Prairie du Chien where he announced the city was selected for the Main Street Program, which provides technical assistance to local downtown revitalization projects.
©2005 Telegraph Herald
