By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Members of the Whitewater Community Development Authority are hoping to go to bat a third time as they put in a request for additional state dollars aimed at spurring economic development within the city.
CDA members on Dec. 10 adopted a resolution that formalized a request to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for a request to obtain additional capital catalyst dollars, upward of $200,000.
The appointed body should receive word on the status of the request early this year.
The CDA has successfully obtained capital catalyst funds from the WEDC on two prior occasions. The capital catalyst program is aimed at giving an extra push to start-up companies that are in their infancy, or incubation, period.
In discussing the rationale behind going for another round of capital catalyst funding, CDA officials continued to sound an optimistic tone about the city’s upward trajectory.
“I think people are beginning to see this as a pretty exciting place to be,” CDA Chair Jeff Knight said of Whitewater.
Patrick Cannon, executive director of the CDA, offered a similar sentiment: “We’ve put a lot of money back into this community, and I think we’ve done a nice job.”
The CDA is close to exhausting the existing funds within its second round of capital catalyst funds. At their most recent meeting, the CDA awarded a $10,000 capital catalyst grant to BioChar, a start-up specializing in an atmospheric waste product.
Cannon said BioChar is looking to increase its number of employees and also has visions of moving into the city’s Technology Park in 2016.
In other recent business, the Whitewater CDA wished a fond farewell to departing member Jim Winship, who stepped down from the Common Council on Dec. 31. In his four years as a council member, Winship did double-duty on the CDA.
“I wanted to be on the CDA because I knew how important economic development is to the city’s residents,” Winship said. “This has been a really good group of people to work with, and I’ve learned a lot.”
Knight lauded Winship for his contributions.
“You’ve brought a lot of energy here, and you’ve made suggestions that were outside the box,” Knight said. “I can only tell you you’ll be sorely missed.”
