LEAPS AND BOUNDS

Calumet County enjoys a growth spurt

By Jeanne Wieland

The Lake Park Villas development in Menasha transforms an "ugly ditch" into a string of ponds connected with waterfalls. Photo courtesy of Martenson & Eisele Inc.

From the small towns and villages to the larger cities, construction projects are sprouting up all over Calumet County.

Julie Heuvelman, county planner, pointed to the town of Harrison and the village of Sherwood as prime examples of little communities that are growing by leaps and bounds as visitors discover the high quality of life they can find there.

"These communities are expected to double in population in the next 20 years," she said.

Both the town and village are near High Cliff State Park on Lake Winnebago, which Heuvelman said has been quite a draw.

"There's been a residential housing boom going on there, mostly with nicer single-family homes," she said. The town of Harrison and the city of Brillion are adding industrial parks as well.

The southeastern quadrant of the city of Appleton lies in Calumet County, and it's been an active area for development in recent years, said Peter Hensler, Appleton's director of economic development. In the past five years, about 1 million square feet of new commercial construction has gone up, with another 50,000 to 60,000 square feet just last year.

The string of ponds and waterfalls at Lake Park Villas in Menasha separate residential development on the west and commercial development on the east. Photo courtesy of Martenson & Eisele Inc.

A Wal-Mart and Home Depot that located in the area several years ago kick-started development in the area, Hensler said. When the Wal-Mart proposal came forward, Hensler said the city worked hard with the developer to gain advantages for the city.

"A TIF district funded the necessary improvements, and it was also designed so that the increment gave us the ability to buy industrial park land," Hensler said.

The infrastructure for the 360-acre industrial park is complete, he added, and lots are just starting to go on the market. Appleton's other industrial parks are either filled or nearly filled, Hensler said.

But it isn't all commercial and industrial development in Appleton right now. Residential projects also are gaining steam, Hensler said.

"We're getting to the point now where we have almost reached the maximum of our sewer service area," he said. "We'll be built out in Calumet County in the next couple of years."

In Menasha, a project called Lake Park Villas has transformed a parcel of property that used to be home to an "ugly ditch," said Jeff Schultz, project manager for Martenson and Eisele Inc., a Menasha-based planning, surveying, engineering and architecture firm.

The city of Menasha bid out the project to developers, eventually choosing Johnson Properties, which hired Martenson and Eisele.

The "ugly ditch" was transformed into a string of ponds with waterfalls, Schultz said. The west side of the property is home to residential lots, smaller parcels with lots of green space, natural prairie and trails. Homes are under construction now.

The east side is called Lake Park Square, a commercial area with a health club, a day care and a retirement home. A restaurant is scheduled to go in soon.

The transformation of the 133 acres has been remarkable, Schultz said.

"I've never seen waterfalls in this area," he said. "The enhancement of that ditch was huge. And the small lots with green space — people don't really do that around here."

The city of New Holstein is looking to improve its municipal airport sooner rather than later. Mayor Ron Karrels said Gov. Jim Doyle approved a $220,000 project at the airport last year to provide grading for a new hangar site, install a runway-end lighting system and replace and relocate the airport's navigational beacon. The state and city both kicked in about $10,000 for the project, and the Federal Aviation Administration put forward the remaining funds.

These measures helped improve safety, but New Holstein is especially interested in expanding the airport and lengthening the runway to make it possible for larger aircraft, such as corporate jets, to land. The current runway is 3,600 feet; in order for insurance companies to permit the landing of larger aircraft, the runway needs to be 5,000 feet.

City and county officials are determining feasibility for the expansion, which could further inspire growth in the county, Karrels said.

"We are trying to meet the needs of existing businesses in the area and the county, but we are not taking advantage of what we have here," he said. "If we can expand, it could be an industry driver."

| Story Index | Wisconsin Builder | DailyReporter.com |

© 2005 Daily Reporter Publishing Co., All Rights Reserved.