BUILDING BOOM

Sheboygan County bursts with construction

By Rebecca R. Konya

Acuity Insurance is well on its way to completing a $46 million expansion project that will double the size of its facility in Sheboygan.

If anyone needs an indication that the economy is turning around, they need look no further than the recent explosion of construction activity in Sheboygan County.

There are no fewer than five multimillion dollar construction projects under way or set to begin around the county, with many concentrated in the city of Sheboygan.

From Interstate 43, passersby can see the quick progress on Acuity Insurance's headquarters. The regional property and casualty insurer, which employs more than 650 people, broke ground last April on a $46 million expansion that will double the size of its current facility to 400,000 square feet. Sheri Murphy, vice president-services, said the company will occupy the new space by August.

A mirror image of the current building, the addition includes office space, a full-service cafeteria, a fitness center and onsite storage. A signature element of the new building is an 80-foot-tall, glass-encased galleria.

The expansion is driven by necessity," said Murphy. "Our current building is essentially full to capacity."

Necessity is also driving the construction of a new $4.5 million science facility on the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan campus. Building and Grounds Supervisor Rich Haen said the existing science building, finished in 1963, is outdated and deteriorating.

LJM Architects, Sheboygan, is planning to create a traditional neighborhood in downtown Sheboygan with the River Park Place condominium project.

The Brotz Family Science Building, which will be completed in time for the 2004 fall semester, features a 60-seat lecture hall, classrooms and laboratory space for several different science disciplines, including physics, geography, anatomy, botany and chemistry.

The county is funding the majority of the project, rounded out by a $500,000 private donation.

Another academic institution embarking on a major expansion and remodeling project is the Kohler School District. The com-munity approved a $9.8 million referendum last fall to fund the improvements to the aging K-12 facility.

"There haven't been any significant updates to the building since 1965," said Superintendent Jeffery Dickert.

The expansion will add 50,000 square feet for a new gym, administration area and classrooms, said project manager Greg Sabel of C.D. Smith Construction Inc., Fond du Lac. The existing structure will receive a major facelift, including new lighting and a heating, ventilating and cooling system.

Construction began in early March and should reach completion by August 2005. Sabel said crews will turn around the addition by November and interior remodeling will continue throughout the 2004-2005 school year.

In Plymouth, Satori Foods is seeking a financial commitment from the city to build a new facility on the com-munity's east side. Public Works Director Bill Immich said the City Council met with Satori in early March to discuss possible financial incentives.

The Italian and specialty cheese firm is seeking help to build a new $12 million, 130,000-square-foot factory and office complex. The new facility would support future expansion — something Satori's current downtown location doesn't allow.

Frederick Bowes, executive vice president of Satori, said that while the company has retained an architect, the project itself is still in the early planning stages.

"There are a few too many variables right now," he said.

Voted the best hometown in the country in 2001 by ePodunk, a Web site that provides in-depth information about 25,000 communities around the nation, one might expect to find neatly manicured lawns and white picket fences throughout Sheboygan.

That old-fashioned vision is true — at least of the new River Park Place condominiums planned for downtown Sheboygan. LJM Architects, Sheboygan, is building 27 traditional bungalow-style condo units on the site of a former brewery near 10th Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

The throwback condominium project will feature front porches and garages with alley access. Scott Matula, an architect with LJM, said the first units would be available this summer.