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 rooms specified by the grant — a telehealth room — is about 120 square feet.

"Our intent is the business center wraps around off the existing space towards the road, gives us the opportunity for a new entry sequence," Steve said, describing an entry that would better reveal activity inside the building and make the facility feel more welcoming.

City Administrator Aaron Johnson and Steve told council members that the project relies on a state-administered funding contract. Johnson said the Department of Administration has executed a contract with the federal government that provides access to the grant funds and has directed recipient communities to proceed. "The Department of Administration has a signed contract with the federal government, to get access to that money, and they have been able to act," he said, adding the city expects a signed contract to be delivered to staff this week.

Council members raised multiple issues: preserving a large oak tree shown on the conceptual plans, the location of the marquee and main entry relative to the existing parking lot, the project’s effect on future expansion capacity and boiler and mechanical-system sizing. Justin Verance, director of public works, confirmed the separate boiler-replacement project remains under design and that a larger boiler will likely be required if the addition moves forward.

On site configuration, Steve said the design team considered six to eight floor-plan concepts and chose a layout that keeps future eastward expansion possible while improving curb appeal and providing a dedicated business-center entry. He said the team is trying to avoid moving previously renovated elements where possible.

Staff and designers noted program flexibility as a goal: if telehealth or coworking demand is lower than expected, rooms can later be repurposed for offices or senior-center programming. "It's in your grant. It's definitely part of what those folks are looking to award you the money for fulfilling," Steve said of the telehealth room, adding that the overall program needs to be adaptable for long-term use.

Budget questions remain. Steve and city staff said the project is tracking within the grant parameters but that the city will continue refining cost estimates as design advances. Council member Henry Velacher asked directly about the $4.6 million figure referenced in the presentation; staff confirmed the grant award amount and said they are monitoring the state and federal contracting steps that unlock the funds.

No formal action was taken Tuesday; staff asked the council for continued direction and said they will return with more detailed design documents, cost estimates and, if needed, budget requests as the design proceeds.

The project team said the design will include survey, geotechnical work, public renderings, regulatory reviews and construction estimates. They also said they will aim to preserve the marquee and the large bur oak shown adjacent to the proposed addition whenever feasible.