Federal funding for Altoona mobile home community removed from bill
The Hillcrest Estates mobile home park has about 340 families living on the grounds on the east side of Altoona, totaling between 800 and 900 residents. However, there is just one fire hydrant in the entire park.
The city is planning to upgrade the water system throughout the park, as most homes there report low water pressure. Altoona Fire Chief Mark Renderman also said the mobile home park was constructed at a time when state laws didn't require more hydrants. With just one hydrant, Renderman said a fire could be disastrous, especially since so many of the homes are in close proximity to others.
Altoona City Administrator Mike Golat said the entire municipal project is estimated to cost about $15 million.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, toured Hillcrest Estates last July, seeing a newly constructed home on the grounds, as well as seeing the site of a potential future emergency shelter. He also learned more about the municipal water needs of the community.
Van Orden had submitted a request for $2.25 million in federal Community Project Funding grants as part of a budget bill to aid in a municipal water distribution project, which would have covered about 15% of the total costs.
However, the money was stripped from the final version of the continuing resolution bill that was approved by Congress in March. Van Orden voted with all Republicans for the final bill.
Van Orden's office said he is working on getting the measure included in future bills.
'Rep. Van Orden is having ongoing conversations with the Appropriations Committee about the status of CPFs in the (fiscal year 2026) appropriations process and will keep folks updated as we receive more information,' his office wrote to the Leader-Telegram.
Golat said that if the federal money had come through, the work would have been done this year. Without the federal assistance, he is hopeful it can instead be done in summer 2026.
'Hillcrest is a key neighborhood for affordable housing,' Golat said. 'They are under an order from the (Department of Natural Resources) to address the water issues there. We were disappointed when the (continuing resolution) didn't include it in this year's budget. We did reapply for 2026 and we hope it will be selected.'
Golat said one possibility is the city may need to obtain a loan to pay for the project. He added they are working with the DNR on timelines for when the work must be completed.
Golat thanked Van Orden for touring the site and trying to obtain the money for them, even though it was ultimately not included in the final CR.
'Van Orden's office was great to work with,' Golat said. 'They recognized this is a significant need. They were as disappointed as we were (that) it didn't move forward.'
Altoona Mayor Brendan Pratt said an overhaul of the water system at the park is needed.
'Most of the pipes are very old,' Pratt said during the tour last summer. 'We want to use this money to connect this (park) to the city water.'
Pratt said there is city sewer to the mobile home park, but not water.
Jae Cho, co-owner of Hillcrest Estates, gave Van Orden a tour of the park, showing off a newly-constructed home. He said the park has been growing, adding 120 families in just the past six years.
Chippewa County morgue dollars also cutVan Orden had included more than $25 million in Community Funding Project dollars across the Third Congressional District that were later stripped from the final bill.
The only other local project that was eliminated called for $600,000 for Chippewa County to 'reduce the financial burden currently being placed on the county for mortuary services and reduce the cost for law enforcement agencies in travel time when they meet with the coroner to examine a body.'
The dollars were included because the morgue used by the Chippewa County coroner was located in HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital. Since the hospital closed in March 2024, the county has been using a funeral home in Altoona for performing morgue services.
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