Northeast Asphalt crews worked this week to complete the parking area that will be shared by the hospital and the Center for Health and Performance, also on the campus.

The parking area is roughly on the same territory occupied by the building that served as the hospital from 1933 until it was razed after the new building was opened in May, 2012. At that point the old four-level structure, with portings dating to a 1927 construction project, were razed and the land cleared to create the parking lot.

The health and performance center was added to the south side of the expanded Aspirus General Clinic, which shares the same site.

The project, which trimmed the number of square feet in the medical complex and put the emphasis on the realities of health care in the 2000 era, has been working well.

The complex is totally new, from the urgent/emergency suite to patient rooms, operating rooms, laboratories and the offices and stations that support.

Even after the new hospital opened, the parking lot was a rough area as the health and performance complex was constructed and an addition placed onto the General Clinic.

But once they were completed, the machinery moved out, the construction trailers that had been on the site since the late summer of 2010, rolled out and the grading and now, the paving was completed.

The health and performance center will be open for a “sneak peak” for employees and their families, providers, physicians and volunteers on June 14, and then another peek for members of the hospital’s fitness program, WelFit, will be held on Saturday, June 15 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Officials are undertaking an effort to accurately assess the Internet needs of Wisconsin residents and businesses by using a location-based demand survey. Tithi chattopadhyay is Wisconsin’s first statewide broadband director head of high-speed Internet. “The goal of the survey is actually to collect data about what people have in terms of Internet service, whether they are satisfied with it, and if not, what they desire and how much they are willing to pay.”

The information will be compiled together and put onto a color-coded map. Chattopadhyay says officials can see exactly where online access is abundant or lacking, and whether there are clusters of demand for better service for current and future use.

They are seeking information from both residents and businesses. “Once we have it mapped, we are hoping we can then have a conversation with providers of how … maybe they can directly reach out to these communities and businesses or if there are some obstacles in the way then we can address what those obstacles are.”

The goal of the LinkWISCONSIN project is to collect accurate data for providers and policy leaders at the local and state level for future broadband planning. Officials believe fostering better broadband access across the state encourages investment in infrastructure; it also makes it easier to attract start-ups and businesses that rely on data to provide a service to customers.

If you can’t get online to fill out the electronic survey, there will be paper questionnaires sent via the U.S. mail to certain or you can call the PSC to obtain a copy. PSC at 608-267-2338.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) and UW Extension along with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) have teamed up to get the word out about the survey, which is available now through May 30th.

Jackie Johnson, Wisconsin Radio Network

Two multi-million housing projects in the city of Antigo—including construction of a new 50-unit apartment complex on the city’s north side—have won the backing of the state housing authority.

The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority has allocated $412,785 in annual tax credits to the Antigo Housing Authority for a major renovation to Park View Manor.

It also granted $596,193 in tax credits for construction of the Pebble Ridge apartment complex by developer Herman & Kittle Properties Inc. Applicant for that project was Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula.

The Antigo projects were among $11.5 million in low-income housing tax credits announced by Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch this week.

According to Antigo Housing Authority Director Mary Pavek, the Park View Manor project dates to 2011, when the agency partnered with Commonwealth Companies of Fond du Lac to pursue renovation dollars. The 84-unit complex located on Third Avenue was constructed in 1973 and is the oldest building in the agency’s portfolio.

With a goal of preserving Park View’s long-term viability, the tax credits will bring over $4.2 million of renovation that will include addition of handicap accessible units, modernized apartments with open-concept floor plan, mechanical and architectural upgrades.

“All common areas will be reworked into more usable space with the addition of a beauty salon, fitness center, library, community room and media center,” Pavek said. “A new outdoor patio will allow residents to enjoy the new walking path completed by the city of Antigo.”

No tenants will be displaced during the renovation project, she stressed.

Construction will commence in December.

The Pebble Ridge development was presented to the Antigo Common Council in January, when two developers were vying for the tax credits. It will be located off of Charlotte Street in an area just south of the Eye Clinic of Wisconsin.

The complex carries a price tag of $5.4 million and will include one, two, three and four bedroom units, a clubhouse with community room, covered outdoor entertainment area, garage with storage space and an on-site management office. There will also be an exercise room and playground.

The apartments will be available for individuals and families with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Those figures range for $25,200 for a one-person household to $41,700 for a six-person family.

Average rents will range from $500 to $800 a month, depending on size.

Construction is slated to begin in fall with leasing in spring and summer of 2014.

Tax credits are awarded over a 10-year period through the federal housing tax credit program. In exchange for receiving the credits, developers agree to reserve a portion of their housing units for lower and moderate-income households for at least 15 years.

“In order to revitalize our state’s economy, affordable housing and economic development must play key roles,” Kleefisch said. “Developments being awarded tax credits address local housing needs and they stimulate economic growth through family supporting jobs for our communities. The beauty of these tax credits is that they provide opportunities for private developers to fund projects that they might not ordinarily be available to finance on their own.”

WHEDA received 59 applications this year representing nearly $33 million in requests. Twenty-three received approval.

Wisconsin ranks 22nd among the 50 states in its average speed for broadband, and it is 26th in the amount of service that is faster than four mega-bits per second. The rankings come from Akamai Technologies, a New York firm that keeps track of broadband trends around the world.

Hall says people want to live and work in places with affordable and high-quality broadband. He said it is a fact that businesses have not opened in Wisconsin because of a lack of high-speed service in some parts of the state. And Hall said areas without broadband are a competitive disadvantage.

Akamai says the U.S. ranks eighth in average broadband speeds. South Korea and Japan are the two fastest. Hall says eighth-place is not a good place to be if the U.S. wants to lead the world’s economy.

Wisconsin has an average speed of 7.3 mega-bits per second. Vermont, Delaware, Washington DC, New Hampshire, and Utah are the five fastest, all averaging 9.5 and 10.8 mega-bits per second.

The state’s Economic Development Corporation is surveying businesses online about its high-speed needs. Hall says it will expose the weakest areas of the state.

Hose said more and more people are recognizing that the water from the natural mineral springs at Polar is pure, refreshing and has a taste that many other brands cannot match.

Langlade Springs is becoming known as a preferred bottler of premium and specialty water that is being sold across the United States.

“Our water is also safe and healthy because we manufacture our own bottles using in-line blow molding just seconds before they are sanitized and filled,’’ Hose said. “The bottles are then inspected, labeled and packaged for shipment to vendors.’’

The firm has always worked to keep its bottles environmentally friendly by using only recyclable plastics and now, even making use of some recycled products.

The plant in downtown Polar is currently running four 10-hour shifts a week, but with summer hopefully around the corner, there could be more demand.

That, and the national growth in the bottled water industry, signal good things for Langlade Springs and its friends.

Jim Hose, plant manager at Langlade Springs, at the labeling equipment at the Polar Plant this morning.

And with its first graduating class receiving their diplomas in just a few weeks, Northcentral Technical College’s new wood tech center in Antigo is beginning to play a key role

“Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in the value of forest products produced, demonstrating how our forests are the foundation of one of Wisconsin’s most important economic sectors,” Paul DeLong, chief forester for the Department of Natural Resources, said. “Though the sustainable harvesting of timber can be visually concerning to some right after harvest, the resulting values include not only wood products but habitat for some highly desired wildlife and a healthy, growing forest that will produce an array of benefits long into the future.”

Travis Allen, instructor for NTC’s wood tech program, said the cooperative effort between the tech school, Langlade County, city of Antigo and private industries was developed with just that goal in mind.

“Just last week we had three regional industries contact us,” Allen said. “They were looking for just the type of skilled employees we train through this program.”

The first 16 students to complete the program will graduate in May, Allen added, and “there are employees out there who are anxious to hire them.”

The data also indicate the forest products industry has held its own during the economy’s recent ride on the roller coaster.

“Significantly, the forest product industry’s importance as a percentage of manufacturing has stayed roughly the same as before the downturn,” Roger Nacker, an economist and president of the Wisconsin Economic Development Institute, said.

Nacker analyzes economic reports for the DNR Division of Forestry.

Steven Hubbard, DNR forest products services specialist, noted the growth in the forest products industry is good news for the entire state. For starters, last year the 2010 U.S. Census figures showed the industry had about 56,500 employees. The newly released figures show an industry job growth to 58,136.

Add to that a growth in the value of shipments to $19 billion – up from about $17 billion in 2010.

“This is why Wisconsin’s forests are the foundation of one of the most diverse economic sectors – and one of the strongest,” Hubbard said.

Wisconsin’s forest industry includes firms in the North American Industry Classification System, wood and wood products sector, and the furniture and fixtures and the paper and allied products sectors. Add to that the 270 firms in forestry and logging with a payroll of more than $27 million and 800 employees. Nursery and tree production also are in addition to these numbers.

The forest products industry also supports thousands of related jobs, including those producing specialized machinery for the forest products and paper industries.

Overall, the industry contributes about $2.6 billion annually in wages to the Wisconsin economy, and supports about $228,000 in state and local taxes.

“We are a leader,” Allen stressed. “Wisconsin is Americas Dairyland, but we are also America’s forest products leader.”

A student at Northcentral Technical College's Wood Technology Center works on a machine.