The Department of Commerce (Commerce) PECFA program was able to approve $260,000 in funding toward future remedial efforts at the newly-proposed 84 Lumber Plant in McFarland. In addition, Governor Jim Doyle recently announced that the Commerce Blight Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment (BEBR) program has awarded $400,000 to 84 Lumber Company to redevelop the site. The overall redevelopment project will create about 150 new jobs for McFarland.

The additional PECFA funds, in combination with the BEBR, grant will help the Village of McFarland and 84 Lumber Company redevelop a former petroleum distribution terminal into a manufacturing, lumber distribution and retail facility.

84 Lumber is proposing a $4.3 million redevelopment plan for the 18-acre site, which will include the construction of nine slab-on-grade single story buildings, environmental remediation, asphalt paving, utilities and storm water management facilities. An additional $1.2 million investment will be made in equipment purchases for truss assembly operations. The total project cost is $5,553,000.

Since it was founded in 1956, 84 Lumber Company has risen to become the largest privately-held building materials supplier to professional contractors in the country. The company's 2005 sales were nearly $4 billion, with 95 percent of sales to the professional market. 84 Lumber Company operates over 475 locations and 2,084 components manufacturing facilities with more than 10,500 associates nationwide.

The Wisconsin Department of Commerce is pleased to assist 84 Lumber Company in making this lasting investment and bringing new, good-paying jobs to McFarland, while at the same time remediating and redeveloping a petroleum contamination site.

-- Alan A. Hopfensperger

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Please send comments or questions to Barbro McGinn, editor.