The Lakeland Union High School District and the Wausau architectural firm it used for the last two major reconstruction projects at the Minocqua campus have parted ways.
The district will not use Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH) for the proposed Phase 3 project, which calls for new grandstand/press box structure, locker rooms, and concession stand/public bathrooms, said Finance Director Gregg Kopp at Tuesday’s buildings and grounds committee. The parting of ways was “very amicable,” Kopp said. SEH offered to share its Phase 3 drawings with any firm hired to work on the project. The district has paid SEH nearly $190,000 for work on Phase 1 & 2, which included a secure main entrance and auditorium renovation. If SEH had continued with Phase 3, it would have collected $36,000 more in fees. Project on hold Phase 3 is on hold pending a fresh look at the outdoor sport facilities project and a community fundraising campaign.
Kopp explains they hired Point of Beginning, a civil engineering firm from Stevens Point, as a consultant: “We did hire Point of Beginning to do a site plan at a cost not to exceed $15,000,” Kopp said. The fee could be in the $10,000 to $11,000 ballpark if they don’t need to retain an architect. “They will develop a plan for the whole campus, not just the sports field,” Kopp explained. “They’ll put drawings and renderings together as to what the facility would look like based on their recommendations. Point of Beginning will work this week on the site plan and expect to have a proposal ready for the committee by mid-June. “And they’ll also kinda help us out with that fundraising campaign,” Kopp added, noting that sketches of proposed work would help create awareness and interest.
A more complete picture Administrator/Principal Jim Bouché said the focus this time around would be on Point of Beginning giving the committee “ideas from a bigger picture” in which to place the facilities. It’s been three years since SEH provided the first drawings of the outdoor sports facilities. Too, they now have a small group of community-minded individuals who say they will donate $800,000 to provide turf for the entire complex. That changes the dynamics of how different sports offerings should be laid out, committee members noted.
Committee and board member Barry Seidel urged the planners to design the project so it could be done in phases, if needed, adding that the locker rooms should be a high priority. The costs Previous estimates have put Phase 3 costs at $2.3 million, exclusive of the $800,000 in turf donation. The school board has committed $750,000 to the project from its fund balance. Additional dollars from a special debt levy would bring district dollar commitment to $1.3 million. The community fund drive goal is about a $1 million more.
If they “hit a home run,” as Kopp characterized it, with a couple very large donations from the community, Phase 3 work could start yet this summer or fall. Otherwise, they are looking at next spring. Of course, that all is contingent on the full school board approval. The district is struggling with a projected $500,000 deficit in its 2016-17 operating budget, and teacher layoffs are likely as noted at an earlier meeting.
