This week and the following, one of the biggest projects going on at the site is the preparation and laying of the permeable paver parking lot. This system allows the water to filter through the parking area more naturally and return back to the water table rather than collecting the dirt and debris and becoming run-off like it would on a traditional black-topped surface.

The exterior of the building is nearly completed.

We hope to be able to make an official move date annoucement in the next few weeks!

Spring is in the air

The central hallway is now mostly framed in; soon walls will be up and it will start to become a real building!

As we advanced our clocks ahead this past weekend, I know that spring is just around the corner. The only problem is that it sure doesn't feel or look much like spring right now. From the pictures I’ve added you can see some progress, but the real progress is in what you can’t see. First off, all the plumbing is in place and the electrical work will begin this week. The heating and cooling is going in as evidenced by all the duct work throughout the building as well. We now have a completed roof, and even the garage and flight enclosure are being finished up. Soon we will be knocking down the wall between the existing building and the new facility. This portion was waited on so that we could ensure the least amount of heat-loss possible. The good news; we are still targeting a mid May completion date. This will mean that we are planning our move for the first part of June. As long as the weather holds, and barring any unforeseen set-backs we should be able to stay on schedule. The next big step; walls!!!!

The front office will have space for all of our office staff as well as a reception and volunteer area.

The flight area is getting its roof! The area will be flexible allowing us the ability to split it into smaller areas for less flighted or smaller birds or open up all the areas for one long flight corridor.

The other good news is that we are nearing completion of our capital campaign goal! If you can help we would love to count you as part of our "flock." Visit our website or contact the Center for more information.

It was too early to say...

Winter has caught up with our new facility, slowing things down a bit :(

 In my last blog I think I jinxed us a little bit. I had said we were on schedule as January settled in and, of course, that’s when we got socked with all sorts of winter weather. For those of us who actually like winter and snow, it was nice to see, but for building purposes it is not a welcome sight. With the weather stabling again, we continue to make progress, but we have lost some time. Hopefully we can make up for this once we get closer to moving day.  

Looking into the new office area of the facility, the front door is just to your left

Now, to update you on where we’re at. The building is really taking shape; nearly all of the interior walls are framed. You can actually walk through the facility now and imagine what each room will look and feel like when complete. The workflow too, can be imagined; how things will operate and where things will go. Of course it never takes long to fill space and once we start admitting patients, taking on new volunteers, interns and researchers and inviting the public out for on-site programming, the days when it seemed so big will be long gone. Either way you look at it, the reality is that we will have a much nicer, roomier, more efficient workspace then we could have imaged ten years ago.   

The future looks bright!

On another note, our capital campaign continues to push on. We are well over three quarters of our way to our goal of $1.3 million. The support has been incredible and we are all so appreciative of everyone who has contributed. If you are interested in contributing to this great project, feel free to contact the center at 262-968-5075, or visit our website at http://www.helpingwildlife.org / http://www.helpingwildlife.org/aboutus/futurewinc.htm

A New Year Begins

View from the west- you can just see the footings for the garage that will be built on this side of the building in the coming spring. It will serve as a utility storage area as well as a tool shop for various projects.

 As the January cold sets in we are making good progress on the building.  We are on schedule and things are beginning to look quite impressive.  As you can see by the latest pictures, the walls are being completed and the roof is almost fully installed.  Once we can “button up” the building we can start to work on the interior and then our future will really begin to take shape.  Everyone involved in the project has been working hard on making this dream a reality and I am grateful for it.  

View from the east- the Gertrude Sherman building (on right) will see some changes too when the buildings are joined together later this winter.

The capital campaign continues to be successful, and we are now starting work on a long-term relationship with UW-Waukesha and the UW System.  The program planning for the new facility has begun and the level of enthusiasm and excitement just continues to grow.  With the collaboration between UWW and WINC taking shape, the full impact of what we have been able to create using the new facility as our catalyst is very exciting. 



Capital Campaign Donor, John Peterson and Executive Director, Michael Guzniczak stand in the area which will become the new Board Meeting Room.

Thank you all for your well wishes and continuing support, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. M.G.

On December 20th the Staff, Board, supporters and builders from the Wildlife In Need Center and UW-Waukesha gathered for what is known as a "Topping Out" Ceremony. This signifies a milestone because it is when the topmost portions of the buildings framing is put into place.

Although the weather outside... isn't balmy, everyone was willing to tolerate it long enough for the celebration!

Even some of the canine invites helped us send good wishes into the rafters of our new facility!

Alterra Coffee and Hot Chocolate from Black Canyon Coffee, paired with some delicious cookies made it even better!

Wayne Grandy, the Vice President of the WINC Board and also the Committe Chair for the Capital Campaign Committee as well as John Rodell, the Board President for WINC, have had a big hand in making this project a reality. Thank You!

Another milestone...

... was reached when the WINC staff and Board, members of the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and key people in the construction and funding of the new facility came together on Monday, December 20^th for a “Topping Out” ceremony.  The event is a tradition in the building trade to signify the milestone of placing the highest point of the building.  For us, that is the rafter-peak and everyone got the chance to leave their signature, along with their hopes and dreams for the new building.  

Although the temperature was a little cold, the hot chocolate, coffee and cookies afterward helped warm all who attended.  With the rafters going up this week, we are only a week behind our scheduled timeline.  Not bad considering the delays we had in starting and the weather we’ve had so far this season.

The builders have assured us that they will continue to work throughout the winter and we will be in our new home by the start of WINC’s 2011 busy season. 

Until the next update, on behalf all of us at the Wildlife in Need Center want to wish you and you family a happy holiday season, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  As one of our board members said, it is looking like a really great New Year for WINC!

Excitement and Progress



Framing has begun!



Well the weather held off just long enough for us to stay on track and schedule. The cement slab was poured and the framing has begun as of the end of November. With the building at this stage work should be able to continue throughout the winter, which is a huge relief to all of us involved.

It also means that we can start to turn our attention to the physical move scheduled for April of 2011. There is no question that this will take a lot of planning, cleaning, organizing and logistics. The off-season this year is probably going to be our busiest ever. This, of course, will put a strain on the staff, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getter brighter and we are all excited about the end result.

Also during this time, we will start working with UW-Waukesha to fine tune, and implement some of the collaborative strategies we’ve talked about over the last year and a half. For so long we’ve been focused on a new facility. But, turning our attention to the collaboration and the opportunities the new facility now presents raises the level of excitement to new heights all around. While the facility represents a new benchmark in the growth of the Wildlife in Need Center, the collaboration represents a new chapter in the Center’s long-term vision.  It’s exciting times at the center and I hope all of you are as thrilled with our growth and progress as we are.  



Smooth-textured and tinted cement will make up the floors in much of the clinic areas.





The view of the structure from the NE (back of the building with the Gertrude Sherman Building to the east)

Guest Blogger M.G.

December Snows...

... Bring progress and excitement! We are all greatful to the builders and our supporters, and most of all to Mother Nature, for getting us to the point we needed to be at before winter came upon us! Work continued through November getting the frost walls poured, the well dug, the plumbing installed and the flooring cement poured as well!

As these snowflakes fall they are drifting upon the framing which began going up this week. Watch next week as we get you caught up this aspect of the building process!

Have a warm and safe day!

Things We Are Thankful for...



Proper Site Preparation...



Digging Holes!

Safety First, Proper Signage...

And Footings!

This collection of photos were all shot as work progressed throughout October and into November. Watch in the coming weeks as we keep you posted as the new WINC facility gets framed and becomes a real building!

Although ground was broken in May, major construction began at the site in September. Below you will see some photos of the site just before construction began which will be really fun to look at once there is a building where there was once a field!

The west side of the Gertrude Sherman Building

Looking East toward the west side of the Gertrude Sherman Building

The area where the new WINC facility is being born!

 Keep watching as we keep you up to date on progress!

After two and a half years...

...the Wildlife in Need Center (WINC) has begun construction of it's new home in Ottawa!

Through a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha (UW-W), WINC will relocate it's operation to a new, nearly 6000 sq.ft. facility. The new facility is being built at the Field Station managed by UW-W and will become an addition to an existing structure, the Gertrude Sherman building. The Gertrude Sherman building was built in 2000 and houses a classroom and pottery studio. While the current building will remain and the use of the building will stay the same, both the new addition as well as the existing building will provide for expanded learning opportunities for both UW-W students as well as for WINC.  

Construction officially started in October of 2010 and we anticipate a completion date sometime in May 2011 - just in time for our busiest season. WINC currently treats approx. 2100-2500 animals a year.  In the new location, WINC will be able to provide care for a small number of additional patients as well as provide a much more efficient facility for our volunteers helping us care for them. In addition, the facility will allow WINC to expand it's educational programming allowing for on-site education programing, something the center has been unable to do at it's current location. 

Although WINC and UW-W will remain seperate entities, through this collaboration we will be able to enhance many aspects of each other's missions. The recently added research component of our mission will also see added benefits. Proposed research projects will consist primarily of diet research, rehabilitation impact studies on various species and other field research projects both on and off-site. The intern program at the center will also be expanded to include year round learning opportunities in animal care, community outreach, education and research.

Not only will the new center provide an enhanced experience for the wildlife patients and volunteers of the organization, it will also be a showcase for various green building applications, from an advanced storm water recyling program featuring a complete water reclamation system to advanced energy saving design features. In addition, the center will feature a number of unique habitat restoration projects in conjunction with UW-W.

Michael Guzniczak, Executive Director of WINC says "This represents one of the most significant milestones in the organization's 16 year history. [By moving to the UW-Waukesha Field Station] Not only are we able to construct the new state of the art, energy efficient facility, which has been in our plans for nearly 6 years, but we also have a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with UW-W and the rest of the UW System. That collaboration will yield significant success in both our mission and programing as well as the mission of UW-W. [Speaking for WINC] the entire organization could't be more excited."

We hope you're excited to and stay tuned to watch our progress!



Trees being thinned out, relocated and removed at the UW-W Field Station site



Site Clearing began as early as this past summer while actual construction began just last month

Guest Blogger M.G.