Village of Westfield Clerk/Treasurer Linda Quinn looks over the plans for the new Senior/Community Building with Village President Dean Alexander. The plans will soon be available for viewing in the Westfield Public Library. Bidding on the project begins in February with ground breaking anticipated for March. The project is financed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The grant awarded to Westfield is $560,000 for the $1.2 million project. With years of careful planning, the Village Board has financed the rest of the project with no tax increase. (Photo by Kathleen McGwin)
Bids go out soon for Westfield Senior/Community building
By Kathleen McGwin
Westfield Village Council began developing the vision almost 10 years ago and soon it will begin taking shape. The Westfield Senior/Community building which will house the Village Municipal offices, police station, community room and the Senior Add Life meal site, will be located across the street from the present Village Hall on East Third Street in Westfield. Bids for construction jobs will open on February 18. Construction documents are available for bidding beginning January 26. A special Village Board meeting will award bids on February 23 and give notice on February 25.
“Two things are important about this project,” said Village Board President Dean Alexander at a recent interview about the project. “First, this is needs based. The board started planning for this in 2001 under Fran Demke. Then, succeeding President Pody Illinski continued the vision. Steps were taken over the years to position the Village of Westfield to meet the growing needs of the community. The second important thing is that this is being done with no tax increase to the citizens of Westfield.”
The thoughtful actions that the Village Board has taken over the years since that first vision in 2001 meant that when money became available for “shovel-ready” projects, Westfield was ready to apply and was chosen one of 37 sites in Wisconsin to receive part of $17.6 million of Recovery Act Funds earmarked for community development. The project is financed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The grant awarded to Westfield is $560,000 for the $1.2 million project.
Steps that the Village took over the years include purchasing the former Technical Education building of the Westfield School District. The board knew the site was a perfect spot for future growth because of its location next to the library and across from the present building. The board also, in 2002, surveyed Village tax payers. The vast majority, said President Alexander, were in favor of a community center project.
Each year, the board began to set aside money for the future building project. In 2005, after close study of the feasibility of renovating the Tech Ed building, it was decided to raze it. Costs of renovation precluded its use, but the land was theirs for the future. Around this time board members began to visit other communities that had built municipal buildings asking questions of what worked and didn’t work and what important elements they should consider when Westfield’s project finally became reality.
The present building which houses the fire department, police, Marquette County EMT, village clerk/treasurer, and the senior Add Life meal site is over 50 years old. After the new center is constructed, the old site will continue to house the fire department and EMT needing only small updates like paint and lighting.
The village employed the professional services of MSA, a municipal development company that worked with them step by step in planning the project and applying for the grant. The grant is a matching grant with the village using money it has saved in its building fund, approximately $100,000, and an additional 20 year loan to finance its share of the project, staying within the working budget of the village. A budgeted reserve fund will pay the principal, interest, and maintenance for the new building.
The new building will be 6500 square feet with 40 off street parking spots. Sidewalk will be built on all sides and a special civic green space will be developed between the community building and the library.
“We want this to be a unique outdoor area,” said Alexander. “We hope citizens will become involved to make this an area that incorporates and connects the municipal building to the library.”
Citizens will be able to be involved in other ways as well. Opportunities will arise, said Alexander, where they will be able to donate to the project’s interior aesthetics or with needed items to make the building useful and appealing to all citizens.
“We planned for versatility,” said the President. “The community room can be divided in half, making it usable in many ways. On one side can be the senior meal site which has a warming kitchen, and on the other side can be other meetings and activities. Or it can be opened up for larger events. We also considered and incorporated every energy saving device we could within price constraints.”
A mid-March ground breaking is anticipated. The Village encourages local contractors and sub-contractors to place bids for work on the building.
“Every effort has been made to make local businesses aware of the bid process,” said Alexander.
Westfield is looking to the future.
“It’s about progress,” said Village Board President Dean Alexander. “It’s about following the lead of those who had the foresight for the present building, those who had the vision for future needs, and now taking the community into the next 50 years.”
