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

Space is a relative thing

We have almost all of our walls in place!

 I was talking with someone about the size of the new facility when all we saw was the concrete slab. It looked not nearly as large as I thought it should. We discussed that, throughout the building process, there will be times that the space looks smaller then expected and then other times when it will appear much larger. 

The next time I commented on the size was when they were building the walls and the space looked enormous. A few weeks ago when the roof had begun to be installed it looked small again. Today, I went out to take some updated photos. I stood in what will become the gathering area that is now framed and thought to myself what a wonderful space for a group of students to meet and learn. I walked the halls of the new clinic area (virtual halls since the interior walls are not all up yet) and thought, “How are we ever going to fill all this space.” In the end, I am not worried about filling the space, as we all know you never have enough space because you can always find something to fill it with. 



In the Gathering and Kichenette areas - view of the Gertrude Sherman Building through the framing

 It seems with the snow on the ground and temps projected to fall into the single digits, that we may never see the completed project. But I’m assured that just in time for the spring melt we will have a wonderful new facility to call home. It really is taking shape and watching the progress and being a part of the growth is really something special. I’m happy to be able to share it with you.

M.G.

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!

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!