Your honor

Accepting the 2006 Passion of Excellence Award on behalf of Quarry Quest are (from left) Dan Voss of Miron Construction Co. Inc., Michelle Trapp of Michels Corp., Holly Gygax of Michels, Bob Bingen of Michels and Craig Uhlenbrauck of Miron. Photo courtesy of Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Quarry Quest, an annual event in Neenah that educates the community about the construction and aggregate industries, won the 2006 Passion of Excellence Award from the Neenah School District. Quarry Quest, which is sponsored by Michels Corp., FABCO, Miron Construction Co. Inc. and Engineers Local 139, won the award for its effort to make a difference in the community and educate children. … BuildersEdge, a Green Bay-based nonprofit organization, recently released its list of 2006 BuildersEdge Award winners. The winners, who were honored for their efforts in their industries and communities, were Frank Madden of MD Properties, Mequon; Gary Sannes of SJ Janis Co., Wauwatosa; Marty Brice of Marty Brice Construction Inc., Green Bay; Great Lakes Roofing Corp., Germantown; Phil O’Connor of Kennedy-Hahn Appliance, Appleton; Hillcrest Lumber/Hillcrest Homes, De Pere; Corrigans CBS Custom Built Structures, De Pere; Quasius Construction, Sheboygan; George Beyer of Beyer Construction, New Berlin; Pat Nate of Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah; Thomas Juza of Thomas Juza Custom Home & Design Inc., Green Bay; The Selmer Co. Inc., Green Bay; PortSide Builders Inc., Sturgeon Bay; and The Boldt Company, Appleton. …

Mead & Hunt earns top honors for its design of an air-traffic control tower at W.K. Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek, Mich. Photo courtesy of Mead & Hunt Inc.

AZCO Inc., Appleton, won a Perfect Record Award from the National Safety Council for the company’s achievement in operating 80,132 employee hours in 2005 without an occupational injury or illness. … Bassett Mechanical, a mechanical engineer based in Kaukauna, won a Silver Award in Quad/Graphics’ 2005 Supplier of the Year awards for the engineer’s work as a parts manufacturer and repair supplier. … Several Wisconsin members of the Associated Builders and Contractors won awards at the 2006 National Craft Championships competition in Las Vegas. Eric R. Carley of Silloway Builders Inc., Redgranite, won a Bronze Award in carpentry; Kyle David Fitzsimmons of Collins & Hying Inc., Dodgeville, won a Bronze Award in HVAC; Clint Lee Gressler of J.D. Ogden Plumbing & Heating Inc., Neenah, won a Bronze Award in plumbing; and Chad Schroeder of AMA Heating & Air Conditioning, Green Bay, won a Bronze Award in sheet metal. … The Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association honored several companies at its 2005 WUCA Safety Awards for Excellence banquet. Zubrod Directional Boring LLC, Elkhorn; Hawk Construction LLC, West Bend; Van Straten Construction Co. Inc., Green Bay; Herr Directional Drilling LLC, Dousman; and KS Energy Services Inc., East Troy, won for outstanding safety performance with less than 50,000 man-hours. Rawson Contractors Inc., Hales Corners, and Underground Pipeline Inc., New Berlin, won for outstanding safety performance with man-hours between 50,000 and 100,000. Powers Lake Construction Co. Inc., Twin Lakes, won for outstanding safety performance with man-hours between 100,000 and 175,000. Infrasource Underground Services Inc., New Berlin, won for outstanding safety performance with man-hours between 175,000 and 250,000. Arby Construction Inc., Green Bay, won for outstanding safety performance with more than 250,000 man-hours. … Mead & Hunt Inc.’s design of an air-traffic control tower at W.K. Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek, Mich., won Project of the Year from the Michigan Chapter of the American Public Works Association. The Madison firm’s project won the award for good construction management, safety planning, community relations, environmental protection and quality control. … Milwaukee Transportation Partners, Milwaukee, won the Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin in the 2006 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition for the company’s Marquette Interchange West Leg project. … VanDerVaart Concrete Products, Sheboygan, won Concrete Design awards for excellence in the use of ready-mixed concrete from the Wisconsin Ready-Mixed Concrete Association for the company’s work on the Hesselink farm in Oostburg and the Acuity Insurance flagpole in Sheboygan.

On the horizon

Engberg Anderson Design Partnership Inc., Milwaukee, is providing architectural and engineering services for the General Mitchell International Airport baggage-claim building remodeling in Milwaukee. … Eppstein Uhen Architects Inc., Milwaukee, is handling pre-design studies for the new Brown County Mental Health Center in Green Bay. … Quantic Architecture LLC, Appleton, is designing and engineering an estimated $1.30 million office and garage/storage building at the Merrill Ranger Station in Merrill. … SDS Architects Inc., Eau Claire, will provide architectural and engineering services for an estimated $2 million rest room renovation in Hathorn Hall on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls campus. … Lien & Peterson Architects Inc., Eau Claire, is working on an estimated $1.49 million HVAC and ceiling replacement in the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s administration building in Menomonie. … MEP Associates, Eau Claire, is designing and engineering an estimated $1.44 million chiller replacement for UW-Stout’s administration building and Bowman Hall. … Kee Architecture Inc., Madison, is designing an estimated $1.65 million student-services building remodel on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. … PTD Inc., Fond du Lac, signed on to design an estimated $1.14 million headquarter renovation project for State Patrol District 3 in Fond du Lac. … HGM Architecture Inc., Oshkosh, is designing an estimated $1.99 million central pharmacy facility at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun. … Continuum Architects & Planners SC, Milwaukee, will design the estimated $1.24 million remodel of Greenquist Hall Biology Lab on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus in Kenosha. … The Kenosha County Department of Public Works is planning construction of a three-story parking structure for the county’s Public Safety Building in Bristol. … The Kenosha County Board of Supervisors is planning construction of a new sheriff’s substation in Bristol. … Engineer Raasch Associates Inc., Green Bay, earned state approval to proceed with an estimated $3.66 million air-pollution control project at Mendota Mental Health Institution in Madison. Raasch also earned state approval for an estimated $4 million air-pollution control project at Waupun Central Generating Plant. … Graef Anhalt Schloemer & Associates, Madison, will consult on an improvement project planned for Dane County Regional Airport. … Venturedyne Ltd., West Allis, is planning construction for an estimated $3 million distribution center on South 54th Street in West Allis. … The village of Germantown is developing plans for an estimated $1.5 million expansion of a senior center in the village. … Mead & Hunt Inc., Madison, will provide consultant services for an improvement project at the Adams County Legion Field Airport in Friendship. … Bray Associates Architects Inc., Milwaukee, is working with Milwaukee Area Technical College on an estimated $9 million manufacturing center on MATC’s Oak Creek campus.

Dotted Line

Peters Concrete Co., Green Bay, won a $2.8 million contract for utility and road construction work in Grand Chute. … Mainline Sewer & Water Inc., Wauwatosa, landed a $3.16 million contract for paving and utility work in Mukwonago. Mainline also won a $1.54 million contract for a sewer-relay project in Brookfield. … Kruczek Construction Inc., Green Bay, took home a $1.4 million contract for a transmission water-main project in Suamico. Kruczek also won a $1.93 million contract for a sewer and water reconstruction project in Appleton. …

A burning question with Ron Paul If reincarnation exists, what would you like to come back as? Paul is the director of construction management services for Ramaker & Associates Inc., Sauk City. “Honestly, if I had to do it over again and come back, I’d come back as some type of house pet. Who has it made like a house pet? They’ve got the best of both worlds. They don’t have to do much, they get taken care of, and they’re given all the love and attention they can handle.”

Underground Pipeline Inc., New Berlin, will construct a sanitary- and storm-sewer relay and water-main replacement in Whitefish Bay after winning a $1.42 million contract for the job. … FABCO Power Systems, Eau Claire, secured a $1.67 million contract to furnish and make operational diesel electrical-generating equipment and switch gears for Michigan Technical University in Houghton, Mich. … Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah, won a $1.84 million general contract for a multibuilding piping and asbestos-abatement job in the Arts and Communication Building and Albee Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus. Miron also won a $4.87 million contract for the Acuity Technology Center addition on the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan campus. … Steen Construction, Dorchester, landed a $1.17 million contract for a utility relocation project in Wausau. … Oudenhoven Construction Inc., Kaukauna, took home a $1.04 million contract to construct a well station in Forest Junction. Oudenhoven also won a $1.28 million contract to construct a water-treatment plant in Princeton. … Hoffman Construction Co., Black River Falls, won a $1.32 million contract for the Gasser Road reconstruction and utility project in Lake Delton. … William Beaudoin & Sons Inc., Brookfield, won a $1.14 million sidewalk contract for the River’s Edge subdivision development in West Bend. D.F. Tomasini Inc., Waukesha, won a $1.13 million sewer and water contract for the subdivision development. … James Peterson Sons Inc., Medford, will construct sanitary-sewer and water-main improvements in Plover after winning a $1.58 million contract for the work. … Jossart Bros. Construction, De Pere, secured a $1.69 million contract for sewer, water-main, road and detention pond construction for the Dickinson Heights subdivision project in Ledgeview. … De Groot Inc., Green Bay, landed a $1.14 million contract for the Allouez Avenue utility reconstruction in Allouez. … Payne & Dolan Inc., Waukesha, won a $1.99 million contract for a road resurfacing project in Brookfield. … Harry Viner Inc., La Crosse, will construct a street relocation and utility project in La Crosse after winning a $1.05 million contract for the job. … Absolute Construction Enterprises, Racine, landed a $1.09 million contract for the St. Francis Public Library’s Children’s Library expansion in St. Francis. … MSI General Corp., Oconomowoc, was selected for the design and construction of a 2,034-square-foot office expansion for Innovative Picking Technologies Inc. in Ixonia. … Mathy Construction Co., Onalaska, will cross into Ontonagon County, Mich., for a road construction project after winning a $1.77 million contract for the job. Mathy also won a $2.52 million contract for road construction work in Ontonagon, Houghton and Baraga counties in Michigan. … Vinton Construction Co., Manitowoc, landed a $1.97 million contract for a concrete pavement job in Appleton. … Staab Construction Corp., Marshfield, took home a $1.68 million contract to upgrade a wastewater-treatment facility in Baraboo. … Feaker & Sons Co. Inc., De Pere, won a $1.59 million contract for utility and street improvement work in Allouez. … Lunda Construction Co., Black River Falls, landed a $1.13 million contract for road construction work in Winona County, Minn. … Joe Daniels Construction Co., Madison, will reconstruct State Street and adjacent streets in Madison after winning a $3.23 million contract for the job. … LaLonde Contractors Inc., Milwaukee, won a $1.30 million contract for street and utility work in Glendale. … McCabe Construction Inc., Eau Claire, landed a $1.92 million contract for street improvements in Somerset. … Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc., Plain, took home a $1.65 million contract for bridge and road construction work in Minneapolis.

Peer Review

A refreshing plan

Bray targets city redevelopment

Laura Bray started down the path of urban development as a Marquette University student in the early 1990s.

Crime in the Marquette campus area was on the rise, and enrollment in the school was dropping. So the university formed the Campus Circle Initiative for Neighborhood Revitalization to help improve the nearby community.

Bray, who is now the executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners Inc., eagerly jumped on board.

“It was a major institution asking how it could impact development in the surrounding neighborhood in a positive way,” said Bray, 33. “As a student enmeshed in an urban environment, it’s difficult not to ask questions about what you can do to help impact the situation that you see.”

With her interest in development piqued, Bray left Milwaukee upon graduation and headed for Bridgeport, Conn. When she arrived, she hurled herself into another formidable urban plight.

Bridgeport, according to Bray, is in one of the wealthiest counties in the country, but it is one of the poorest cities in the nation. Her house in the central city was a mere 20 minutes from the lavish homes of David Letterman, Martha Stewart and radio personality Don Imus.

In Bridgeport, she tried to make sense of and fix the inequities she sees as prevalent in today’s urban locales.

“One of the things that was the most fun in my career was building this new organization in Bridgeport that focused people’s attention on demanding fairness for city neighborhoods,” she said. “The model we were trained on got neighborhoods allied and working closely with the city, but not in a way that the city overtook a neighborhood’s development. It was extremely difficult and rewarding work.”

Bray eventually left Bridgeport to travel with a consulting company, Consensus Organizing Institute, which devised strategies for solving urban development problems.

“Development is challenging; development in the inner city is really challenging, and for a host of different reasons,” she said. “That experience — to be able to travel across the country — was great, and I probably learned more than I gave as a consultant.”

When she left college, Bray didn’t see herself ever moving back to Milwaukee. Then, in 1998, she moved back.

She said that during her time away, she began to notice a change in the city’s attitude whenever she returned to visit friends and family.

Rendering courtesy of Dorschner|Associates Inc.

By design The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering is testing a theory with its plans to renovate a learning center in the college’s building on the Madison campus. The old learning center was filled with little rooms for students to get one-on-one tutorials, but attendance was low. The theory is that a new learning center offering a much more open, interactive space will give students seeking help a welcoming atmosphere. And the college turned to Dorschner|Associates Inc., Madison, to turn that theory into reality. The architectural firm designed a 9,000-square-foot center with a café to encourage flow and movement of students in the space. The $410,000 project should start in June, with completion slated for late August. Bids for the job should be due by the middle of May.

“I think that time frame is when Milwaukee started to grow up as a city and change into becoming a place that can attract new talent, new companies and new excitement,” she said. “I saw improvements happening, and organizations paying attention to things like the cleanliness of the Milwaukee River.

“People started to really recognize what assets there were in Milwaukee and build on those in a new way.”

She worked in Milwaukee’s Department of City Development for several years and was instrumental in establishing the Renewal Community, which gives tax incentives to businesses locating in the heart of Milwaukee.

She took the position at MVP in September 2004 and said she is thrilled to be playing a major role in filling the Menomonee Valley with industry.

“Now, the companies that I’m trying to recruit into the valley can take advantage of Renewal Community,” she said. “My background is everything from small-business lending to affordable-housing development to community organizing, and I think that background has served me well.”

She said MVP was created to pull together the many different parties involved in valley developments and to figure out the best direction for the overall program.

“There are very few places where this group of people [on MVP’s board of directors] comes around the same table,” said Bray. “It’s pretty outstanding.”

- Joe Grundle

Robert D. Wehrle

In memoriam

Robert D. Wehrle, Milwaukee, died March 5 of undisclosed causes. Wehrle, 88, worked as a mason for the city of Milwaukee for 30 years and was a longtime secretary for Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 in New Berlin. … Peter J. Creekmur, Pewaukee, died March 11 following a battle with brain cancer. Creekmur, 49, worked most recently as a project manager for New Land Enterprises, Milwaukee. … Barnabas “Barney” Karpfinger, Greenfield, died March 8 of complications from cancer. Karpfinger, 77, co-founded Edgerton Contractors Inc., Oak Creek, in 1956.

On the move

James Peterson Sons Inc.'s utility division moved from its offices on Washington Street in Rhinelander to the company's primary office at N2251 Gibson Drive, Medford. The division's phone number is 715-748-3035.

The completed Fitzhugh Scott Jr.-designed YWCA opens in Racine. Images courtesy of Racine Heritage Museum

Off the clock

Not the Wright choice

Frank Lloyd Wright didn’t leave much room for reading between the lines.

“My Dear Ladies: Concerning the work I have done in your behalf by generosity of Mr. Herbert Johnson, there seems to be some mistake,” according to a letter Wright wrote to the Racine YWCA in 1950. “Mr. Wiltscheck … tells me you have been deliberating between these drawings … and those of other architects. This deliberation places me in a position I have never accepted … I do not compete for work … So, reluctantly, I withdraw my services … As for architects willing to work under such circumstances, I have nothing but contempt.”

And with those words, Wright, at the height of his architectural fame, walked away from designing the new YWCA facility in Racine. For its part, the YWCA turned to architect Fitzhugh Scott Jr., whose design was realized when the new YWCA opened in 1953.

The YWCA exhibit's main panels at the Racine Heritage Museum include images and documents from the organization's history. Images courtesy of Racine Heritage Museum

The YWCA, according to Christopher Paulson, executive director of the Racine Heritage Museum, spent more than 40 years raising money for its new facility, so it had every right to explore as many options as possible.

“This came about because they were doing their due diligence,” he said. “They won’t just take the first design that comes along, Wright or no Wright. Then, he finds out about it and freaks out.”

Paulson said he laughed when he first read the correspondence between Wright and the YWCA, and the humor in the story helped spark the museum’s new exhibit, “Right for Racine but Wright Wrong for Racine’s YWCA,” which kicked off on March 3. The exhibit is an update to the museum’s core piece on Wright’s Racine work, which, Paulson said, represents every major phase of the architect’s career.

“We have this wonderful story we can tell to start answering questions of: What’s this stuff doing in Racine?” he said. “There’s this sort of global presence with the community, and the same thing applies to Wright as a global architect.

“There are 50 years of representative pieces. It’s really cool.”

Best of the web The 4178° Chicago Architecture Web site at www.stereostil.de/chris/web/flash/ uses a Flash plug-in to display a 3-D view of the city of Chicago. The site showcases 10 famous Chicago buildings and lets users click on images to display details about each structure. The 3-D transition effects are quite impressive. — Rick Benedict

And while Wright’s relationship with the YWCA resulted in one less example of the architect’s work, the exhibit still manages to reveal another instance of Wright in Racine.

“It’s a fantastic story of a little problem he had,” Paulson said. “I think it’s got some good comedy in it.

“It opens another window into his personality.”

The museum did not set a closing date for the exhibit. The exhibits are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

- Chris Thompson

Copyright © 2006 The Daily Reporter Publishing Co.