County Board to ponder Confluence Project
The Confluence Project’s success will depend on both private and public investment, and more of the latter may be coming in the near future. In January the Eau Claire County Board will consider a request for a $5 million investment in the performing arts center portion of the project. The request comes on the heels of the Eau Claire City Council’s Oct. 22 vote to make a similar $5 million pledge.
County Board Chairman Gregg Moore said the request will be taken up by the board’s Administration Committee on Jan. 7, the Finance Committee on Jan. 9, and likely the full board on Jan 21. If the County Board makes a pledge, it would only be to borrow money to go toward the arts center’s construction and not for its operation, Moore said.
“I think there’s a range of opinions on the board, from ‘Yes this makes sense to support the request’ to ‘No, philosophically this isn’t something the county should do,’ ” Moore said. In addition, some board members are likely be willing to make a pledge, but for a smaller amount.
For his part, Moore supports committing $5 million, though he expects a divided vote. While some people may view the Confluence as benefiting only the city of Eau Claire, not the county at large, Moore said he believes the project will boost sales tax receipts, which would help everyone in the county. In addition, he said, the city and county are economically interdependent: “A vibrant city of Eau Claire is critically important to the rest of Eau Claire County.”
Dan Clumpner of Commonweal Development, the private firm involved in the project, agreed that the project’s economic development potential will be crucial to the discussion with the County Board. If the Confluence partners are successful at the county level, their next step is to pursue funding from the state. “A strong commitment from local government is important as we pursue our discussions with the (UW System) Board of Regents and the (Walker administration’s) Department of Administration,” he said.
