MJS article
When he served in Congress in the 1990s, Mark Neumann sponsored a law that made it possible for private developers to get involved in building houses for military families to replace dilapidated housing around bases.
Now, as a private real estate developer, Neumann is involved in an effort to build 95 houses in Kenosha for families of members of the Navy serving at Great Lakes Naval Base.
A meeting to discuss the plan publicly is set for 5:30 p.m. today at Kenosha Unified School District offices, 3600 52nd St., several blocks from a project site. Neumann said the project would require approval from Kenosha officials.
The homes would be built as a public-private partnership in which Neumann Developments would obtain the land and develop it before turning it over to Midwest Family Housing, a partnership of the Navy and a private company, Forest City Military Communities. Neumann holds an option on the 35-acre site.
Forest City is involved with the Navy in the planned construction of 1,658 homes for Great Lakes families, almost all of them in Illinois. The Navy base is in Illinois on the Lake Michigan shore.
Navy officers would lease the homes for an amount equal to their military housing allowance. The homes would have values of $180,000 to $200,000, Neumann estimated.
Neumann said that as a congressman, he wanted to find ways to provide members of the military with better homes and save the government money.
"Today, I consider it a great privilege to be involved in a project where 95 Great Lakes military families may in fact have the opportunity to raise their families as part of the Kenosha community," he said.
Neumann said that if the project proceeds, construction would most likely begin next year. The land, he said, is not being used now.
He said the development would bring federal tax dollars into Wisconsin, which receives one of the lowest amounts of U.S. spending of any state.
Neumann, a Republican, represented a House district that included Kenosha until 1999, after a close loss in his challenge to incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold for a U.S. Senate seat. He now lives in the Waukesha area.
If we build it, they will come!Actually, most Kenoshans are already aware of military families living in the area. This is a perfect way to encourage even more military families. This is another great way to show our support for our military!
Mark Neumann is doing some great work and continuing to help out his constituents in Kenosha County, where ever he can.
Thanks Mark! We are behind you 100%! Let's get 'er done! You know the conservatives in Kenosha will help in every way possible.
3 comments:
I posted on homeless vets coming back from Iraq this morning. It makes you kind of wonder why there aren't more "Neumanns" out there caring about our troops.
I thought he was against pork projects like this. Another 2-faced conservative
Oh good grief- he is a private business man, building homes with other private business' for our military families.
Where in the world would you get the idea that this is a "pork" project?
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