The Waukesha Water Utility is seeking approval from the state Public Service Commission to build a new 72,555-square-foot, $28.5 million operations center on Chapman Drive, just south of the city’s Clean Water Plant.
The Clean Water Plant would occupy roughly 8,000 square feet in the center and pay for about $3.1 million of the construction cost, leaving the utility to pay roughly $25.4 million.
Future operations center needs were incorporated into the budgeting process for Waukesha’s change to a Lake Michigan water supply. Since that project came in under budget, the funding is available to pay for most of the new headquarters project with the remainder paid for with cash-on-hand, according to
Dan Duchniak, general manager of the Waukesha Water Utility.
“The good news is that resident and business rate projections have not changed as a result of this project,” Duchniak said in an email.
Earlier this year, Waukesha’s Common Council approved paying $750,000 to purchase roughly 11 acres for the project. The property, located at 0 Chapman Drive, is currently owned Firestone Bldg Prod Co LLC, which lists an address in Dundee, Michigan, according to county tax records.
Firestone Building Products, which has a plant across the street from the site, rebranded as Elevate in 2022.
Construction will begin in November and be complete by June 2026, according to the application.
The Waukesha Water Utility’s current offices are located at 115 Delafield Street. That building would be demolished and the site would be prepared and sold for future development, according to Duchniak.
The oldest portion of the current utility building dates back to the late 1800s with several additions made over the years, the last of which occurred in the 1970s, according to the utility’s application to the PSC.
The application says the space is fragmented and “lacks efficiencies needed in today’s business world and economy.” The application also points to ADA compliance issues, poor insulation, a leaky roof and “an overtaxed HVAC system.”
“Despite repeated attempts to repair the flat roof, a portion of it leaks every winter/spring with the seasonal thaw; these leaks occur throughout the facility, including in our mail / copier room, on our office equipment, and in employee offices,” the application says.
The utility also says the secure storage and garage spaces “were built for a different time; a time when vehicles were smaller.”
Currently the utility is storing vehicles and inventory at other locations around the city.
“In past decades, keeping some items outside, in a fenced in area was acceptable, however, now due the location of the current building, this is no longer secure enough from vandalism or theft,” the application says.
The new operations center would have roughly 50,000 square feet of vehicle and storage space for the utility and another 5,500 for the Clean Water Plant. The utility would have about 14,300 square feet of office space while the CWP would have 2,500.
The utility did consider renovating its current space. That project would cost an estimated $20.4 million but would not meet all of the utility’s needs, would not include shared space with the CWP and would require a temporary location during construction. A site at the city’s booster pumping station was also considered. While that option was cheaper at $19.9 million, the land was not available for purchase.
