On August 2, 2017 several thousand people along with local, state, and national dignitaries, helped open the St. Croix Crossing, a joint project between the Wisconsin and Minnesota transportation departments.

Happy third birthday, St. Croix Crossing!

The project endured a long history, some say going back to the 1970’s; others saying going back to flooding in the early 1950s, or just about 20-years after the lift bridge opened in downtown Stillwater, Minnesota in 1931. Over time, the term ‘historic’ was used to describe the lift bridge. It became functionally obsolete and needed replacing.

The new crossing was constructed over a protected river, the St. Croix, under the watchful eyes of critics and supporters.

It took an executive order by one U.S. President and a signature on federal legislation by another President to make the project a reality.

In September 2002, President George W. Bush issued an executive order to speed up federal environmental studies of major transportation projects throughout the U.S. The federal Department of Transportation (DOT) created a list of high priority transportation projects slowed by reviews and legal disputes. Replacing the lift bridge was among the first ten or so projects on the national list.

The environmental streamlining process brought numerous agencies and organizations together in a facilitated process in hopes a consensus could be reached on replacing the lift bridge. Between June 2003 and July 2006 a stakeholder group met at the Stillwater, Minnesota city hall to find common ground and solutions. The group recommended a bridge design and corridor about one mile south of the lift bridge.

In November 2006, the Federal Highway Administration issued its Record of Decision, meaning all project studies and reviews were complete, putting the new river crossing project in line for future funding and construction. Public comment of the Record of Decision remained open for 180-days. Near the close of comments, a lawsuit was filed.

Additional environmental reviews were done by the National Park Service (NPS), one of the participants in the stakeholder process. NPS recommended that no bridge be constructed over the St. Croix regardless of location or design because of the its protected qualities under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. How to obtain an exemption to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was outlined by NPS.

An effort to secure the exemption soon started in Washington, D.C. It was first approved by the U.S. Senate and then by the House of Representatives. President Barack Obama signed the legislation in March 2012.

The Minnesota DOT immediately commenced work on test borings into bedrock beneath the river bottom. Those test results gave prospective bridge construction bidders valuable details on conditions and stability. By ice-out in 2013, the construction project got underway, and in mid-2017, the project was substantially completed and ready to open.

If one bridge opens, another would close. The historic lift bridge in Stillwater closed simultaneous to the opening of the St. Croix Crossing. In June 2020, the rehabbed lift bridge opened as a recreational amenity for walkers, runners, and bicyclists to enjoy. Multi-use paths in Wisconsin and Minnesota connect the old lift bridge to the new crossing downstream, creating a nearly five mile loop.

Happy birthday, St. Croix Crossing. Welcome to a transformed use, historic lift bridge. Both are outstanding amenities in the St. Croix Valley of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

On July 22nd, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary June 2020 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s June rate was estimated at 9.8%, which is lower than the final rate of 13.9% for May and April’s final rate of 16.1%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.4%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from May to June decreased in all of the 72 counties, but increased for all year-over-year. The rates ranged from 5.7% in Lafayette to 20.0% in Menominee.

Preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from May to June and increased in all year-over-year. Rates ranged from 6.8% in Fitchburg to 12.8% in Milwaukee.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in June include Lafayette (5.7%), Clark (6.1%), Taylor (6.2%), Richland (6.3%), and Green (6.6%). Menominee County had the highest rate in June at 20.0%, followed by Forest (18.5%), Iron (14.2%), Jackson (13.2%), and Douglas (12.0%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 9.8%, June’s preliminary rate in Dunn is 7.9%, while Polk reported 8.6% and Pierce reported 10.1%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The June 2020 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 9.2%, lower than May’s final rate of 10.1% and the same as April’s final rate of 9.2%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.3% in June 2019.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in June was estimated at 8.5%, which is lower than May’s final rate of 12.1% and April’s final rate of 13.6%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.4%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in June was estimated at 8.6%, which is lower than May’s final rate of 9.9% and April’s final rate of 8.7%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for June was estimated at 11.1%, which is lower than May’s final rate of 13.3% and April’s final rate of 14.7%. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.7%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for June was 65.7%, which is lower than May’s final rate of 66.6% and April’s final rate of 65.5%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 67.0%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in June was estimated at 61.5%, which is higher than May’s final rate of 60.8% and April’s final rate of 60.2%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.0%.

June’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.

On July 14th, St. Croix County, Wisconsin announced the launch of its COVID-19 Small Business Loan Program. It was created to help businesses in the county currently experiencing unanticipated financial pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

$500,000 was allocated to the loan relief fund by unanimous action at the July 7th county board of supervisors meeting.

Eligible businesses can request $5,000 to $10,000.

Loan proceeds can use be used to help with rent/mortgage payments, commercial utilities, preexisting purchase orders (placed prior to June 15, 2020), payroll expenses, and modifications and/or upgrades related to adjusting business practices due to COVID-19.

Loan applications are accepted from July 14 through September 10, 2020.

Learn more and obtain a link to the application at https://www.sccwi.gov/958/Small-Business-Loan.

On June 24th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary May 2020 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s May rate was estimated at 13.8%, which is lower than the final rate of 16.1% for April and March’s final rate of 4.0%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 2.8%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from April to May decreased in 69 of the 72 counties, but increased year-over-year in all counties. The rates ranged from 7.0% in Taylor to 31.2% in Menominee.

Preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from April to May and increased in all of them year-over-year. Rates ranged from 8.2% in Fitchburg to 17.5% in Superior.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in May include Taylor (7.0%), Clark (7.2%), Green (8.4%), Lafayette (also at 8.4%), and Vernon (8.8%). Menominee County had the highest rate in May at 31.2%, followed by Forest (21.7%), Iron (19.0%), Douglas (17.8%), and Adams (17.1%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 13.8%, May’s preliminary rate in Dunn is 10.3%, while Polk reported 12.4% and Pierce reported 13.7%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The May 2020 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 10.4%, which is higher than April’s final rate of 9.2% and March’s final rate of 3.1%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 2.7% in May 2019.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in May was estimated at 12.0%, which is lower than April’s final rate of 13.6%, but significantly higher than March’s final rate of 3.1%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.3%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in May was estimated at 9.9%, which is higher than April’s final rate of 8.7% and March’s final rate of 2.9%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for May was estimated at 13.3%, which is lower than April’s final rate of 14.7% but higher than the final rate of 4.4% for March. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.6%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for May was 66.6%, which is higher than April’s final rate of 65.5% and March’s final rate of 66.4%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 67.0%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in May was estimated at 60.8%, which is higher than April’s final rate of 60.2% but lower than March’s final rate of 62.7%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 62.9%.

May’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.