Council hears design update on Waupaca rec center expansion, staff says grant remains available

Waupaca Common Council members heard a conceptual design update Tuesday for a planned expansion to the city recreation center that would add flexible office space, classrooms, a business center and an expanded gym, with construction targeted to start mid-2026.

The update focused on a flexible-facilities grant the city received to fund elements of the project and on design choices intended to preserve existing expansion capacity. The council heard schedule, layout and budget planning from a design team and city staff and discussed parking, mechanical systems and grant-side conditions.

Steve from Berners Schober, the project presenter, said the design team has been refining floor plans and is aiming to issue drawings for contractor pricing in late spring or early summer, with construction starting in mid-summer and completion in fall 2026. He described the proposed business center as roughly 1,000 square feet with private offices and multiple seating types and said one of the smaller…