APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Governor Scott Walker on Thursday signed a bill into law allowing the construction of the Fox River Navigational System Visitor Center.
Appearing at a lock and dam in Appleton, Walker gave final approval for the state Department of Administration to sell land to the city of Appleton. The Fox River Navigational Authority will now be able to lease the land from the city and build a visitor’s center.
“Wisconsin’s rivers are not only an important method of transportation, they also serve as a major attraction for tourists to our state as well,” Governor Walker said in a statement. “Assembly Bill 810 allows for the construction of a Fox River Navigational System Visitor Center, which will benefit the region as a whole as it continues to grow as a tourist destination and serve the needs of the community, including students who will be able to visit the center for educational purposes.”
The Fox River Navigational Authority will also be required under the bill to establish an escrow amount with money sufficient to dispose of the visitor center, if necessary, in the future.
Authored by Representative Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) and Senator Roger Roth (R-Appleton), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.
