Dane County Executive Joe Parisi unveiled the formation of a task force Wednesday that will review the community’s needs and decide on a plan of action as the county looks to expand the Alliant Energy Center.

The Alliant Energy Center currently is as a key economic server in Dane County, bringing in more than $88 million for local economic stimulation annually, according to a statement from Parisi’s office.

Still, Parisi said a task force diving into the center’s possibilities could bring further benefits to the community.

“The time has come again to assess what possibilities exist for expansion or upgrades of this diverse facility and create a plan of action that fits within our current economic climate,” Parisi said in a statement.

In an interview with The Badger Herald, Parisi said he is currently unaware how large the expansion is going to be. The task force is going to look at the market and potential demand to assess not only the current needs of the people who hold exhibitions at center but also the future needs of those people, he said.

Right now the task force is looking at possible options of expansion and making a menu of different ideas for ways to keep the grounds thriving and evolving, Parisi said, adding “everything is on the table.”
County officials also believe the development of the area is essential, but say the project needs to be carried out correctly from start to finish to achieve best results.

“What we do with these grounds will play a large part in our community’s future. We really need to take our time and get it right,” Rick Phelps, former Dane County executive and new chair of the Expansion Exploration Task Force, said in a statement.

The task force will take their list of options to the community this summer and into early fall to get feedback, Parisi said. The county will then implement whatever plan reflects the sustainability of the center and is in harmony with the community’s input, he added.

Parisi said he hopes the expansion will maintain business and find areas with a potential for growth. According to the statement, considering and identifying private/public partnerships or other investment opportunities to aid funding are essential to the task force’s process.

“The possibilities are endless,” Parisi said in the interview. “We want to see what’s out there.”

Parisi said the new resources from the expansion could be anything from shows to sporting events depending on what the community wants.

He will decide the final outcome based on a cost-benefit scale and then include it in the 2013 budget, he said.