County courthouse, city hall projects move forward in Waukesha

Two long-planned projects aimed at addressing aging city and county government facilities in Waukesha are moving forward.

Demolition of Waukesha County’s 60-year-old intake court building at 515 W. Moreland Blvd. began in late March, paving the way for the construction of a new 62,000-square-foot, four-story addition, designed by Milwaukee-based Zimmerman Architectural Studios.

It’s the first in a two-phase planned upgrade to the Waukesha County Courthouse campus, including the $35.8 million building addition and a $58.6 million renovation of the existing courthouse. Gilbane Building Co. is leading the construction project.

The project emerged from planning that began in 2012, when county board members and department heads identified the need to address capacity constraints and the outdated layout of the county courthouse.

When the building was completed in 1959, there were three judges sitting on the bench, serving the county’s population of about 150,000. Today, the county has 12 sitting judges and a population of more than 400,000.

“The biggest thing is capacity; when you look at our population, we know it’s going to grow,” said Paul Farrow, Waukesha County executive. “We needed to make sure we had a facility that could handle the needs of the community and ensure the safety of those individuals when they come in to the courthouse.”

The project involves tearing down a 52,000-square-foot structure, which includes an intake courtroom and unused jail space.

The addition, which will include eight new courtrooms, will be designed with “three-way separation,” among inmates, court staff and visitors.

“It will meet all of today’s standards for security, for safety for personnel and public coming through,” Farrow said.

Construction on the addition is expected to be complete in 2021.

In late 2022, renovations on the existing courthouse are expected to begin. The project will involve updating aging mechanical systems, creating a more efficient layout and increasing public accessibility, Farrow said.

“When you think about this building being built and finished in 1959, we’ve made a significant change in how we deal with security after 9/11 in 2001, so we had to retrofit what we had,” Farrow said. “It really isn’t conducive to a good, effective flow of people coming into the building.”

The entire project is expected to be completed in 2023 or 2024.

City Hall

Meanwhile, plans are moving forward to replace Waukesha City Hall, a 1965 structure that was built on top of what was originally a bomb shelter.

Various facilities and space needs studies tracing back nearly 12 years have raised concerns regarding safety, maintenance and operational concerns with the 45,180-square-foot building at 201 Delafield St.

“The roof system needs to be replaced, the HVAC system, and some of our electrical systems need to be replaced,” said Kevin Lahner, city administrator. “We have a water infiltration issue. The basement houses our IT and it just so happens that the water leaks into our IT department, our boilers and electrical systems.”

Over the years, city leaders have debated whether to repair the current structure or construct a new building altogether. During the 2018 budgeting process, the city council decided on new construction.

Plans call for a new $27.3 million building to be built next to the current city hall, which will be demolished. The city is working with St. Paul, Minnesota-based BWBR Architects Inc. on conceptual plans for the project. A general contractor has not been selected yet.

“One of the biggest priorities is we wanted to create a work environment that encourages collaboration and communication among the different members of our staff, so we’ve tried to do that through design,” Lahner said. “It won’t be a completely open office design, but it’s more of a hybrid between an open office and a traditional closed office design.”

Other plans include secure entryways for staff members, improved public meeting spaces, and sustainability features, including a green roof. Another improvement, Lahner said, will be the re-configuration of the council chambers, which will allow council members to face the audience, rather than have their back to them, as they do in the current building.

Earlier plans included an employee fitness center and rooftop terrace, both of which have been scrapped after residents and some council members raised concerns with the optics of those features.

Construction is expected to begin by September, with the project being completed by February 2021.

One of the goals of the project, Lahner said, is to spur more development in the area around the new city hall.

Already in the works is a proposal from Madison-based Horizon Development Group Inc. and Elm Grove-based Luther Group LLC to redevelop the site along Delafield Street across from the current city hall. Those plans include a mixed-use, 80-unit building consisting of senior apartments and 7,500 square feet of first-floor commercial space.

Once the current building is demolished, there will be an additional developable lot on top of the hill to market to developers, Lahner said.

“We feel we’re creating a catalyst project to spur some redevelopment just north of our downtown,” Lahner said. “Connecting our neighborhoods with the downtown area will be a nice transition for everyone.”