Dane County to Purchase Five Acre Campus to House Equipment for Parks, Lakes

March 18, 2021
Ariana Vruwink, 608-267-8823
County Executive, Land & Water Resources

Facility Will Support County’s Expanded Conservation, Water Quality, and Flood Reduction Work

Dane County is set to acquire a new facility to help manage its growing fleet of equipment used to maintain parks and conservation land and improve lake health and reduce flooding, County Executive Joe Parisi announced today. The county plans to purchase five acres immediately adjacent to the Land and Water Resource Department’s Parks and Lake Management Operations Facility in Madison. This will help Dane County house equipment acquired in recent years for parks and lakes.

“We have made great investments in recent years in our parks, the health of our lakes, and our ability to reduce the risk of lake flooding,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “Purchasing this facility allows us to house the equipment needed to do the important conservation and water quality work that’s underway in one central location.”

Parisi noted Dane County Parks saw a record 4 million visitors last year, a new all-time level of popularity as more families got outside for recreation during the Covid-19 pandemic. This new facility will serve as the base of operations for Dane County Parks, which manages over 14,000 acres of county parkland.

Dane County currently stores its lakes and watershed equipment in different facilities throughout the community. Having the equipment in one place will save time and increase program efficiency.

The county will spend $2.5 million on purchasing the property, which includes two parcels at 4212 Robertson Road and 4130 Robertson Road. Together, these parcels total over five acres in size. The location is paved, fenced, lighted, and includes a large warehouse with multiple service bays and an adjoining office.

Parisi included $5 million in his 2020 budget to purchase a hydraulic dredge and create four staff positions to bolster the county’s efforts to remove sediment that’s built up in the Yahara River—sludge that slows the flow of water out of area lakes during periods of heavy rain. Staff members for the county’s new dredging team will be able to use the new complex to service equipment. With this purchase, the county will house its flood mitigating dredge, dump trucks, barges, boats, pipe, and buoys at the new facility.

The resolution to acquire this $2.5 million property will be introduced at Thursday night’s County Board meeting. It is expected to be approved in the coming weeks.