A dream of many parishioners 20 years in the making, St. Peter Catholic Church is starting a renovation project. Located on Madison’s north side, this facility was originally intended to be a catholic school, however, was converted to a parish center. The sanctuary, which was designed as a gymnasium, will be renovated with new windows, flooring, a reredos wall, baldachin, altar, pendant lighting, and furnishings. Existing crowded offices will be remodeled to a user-friendly and efficient open office area. In the gathering space, partition wall dividers will be removed and replaced with fixed walls, creating a seating area and a new entrance to the sanctuary. Outside the facility, both entryways will receive canopy towers to enhance the appearance and create a more visible and inviting entrance. The first phase of this project, completed in September 2024, consisted of exterior site improvements, constructing a new ADA-compliant ramp, and stair replacement. The aggressive three-month schedule is aiming to finish in time for Palm Sunday.  Plunkett Raysich Architects is providing architectural and interior design for this project.

Located in the Culver Community Park complex, The Village of Prairie du Sac, in partnership with the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sauk Prairie School District, held a groundbreaking ceremony for new developments in the park. This ceremony marked the construction of a new early learning center and the completion of Phase II of Culver Community Park. This new center will feature 13 classrooms, accommodating infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. Geared to start in the spring of 2025, Culver Park is planning to move forward with four new turf fields for baseball and softball, playgrounds, and expanded amenities, making it a regional destination for sports tourism. Founded in 2020, Culver Community Park offers year-round recreations opportunities and events for all ages and abilities.

The long-awaited Dellshire Hotel project is starting up. Located on a rocky site, extensive excavation and rock blasting was needed. Meanwhile, a substantial 600-cubic yard concrete pour for a mat slab footing was recently completed. This 245,500 square foot resort features a medieval theme. Upon entering the resort, a monumental fire-breathing dragon welcomes visitors. When driving up to the porte cochère, gas lit torches carry out this unique theme. The exterior of the building features a combination of stone masonry, corbels, engineered siding, and cathedral windows, while the unique roof style brings you back to centuries long ago. Inside, a grand lobby includes another dragon, enclosed by a watery moat. Stairs with forged iron railings lead to the first-floor suites. Occupying the lower level and ground floor is a two-story family entertainment center. Located adjacent is a restaurant that is reminiscent of the Middle Ages. Meeting spaces with an outdoor deck are situated on the west wing of the ground floor. 204 guest rooms occupy the rest of the ground floor and the above three stories. Hot tubs, a swim-up bar, and pools are also included at this luxurious resort. Future phases include village buildings, treehouses, and canopy walkways.

Wisconsin Battery Company is breaking ground on a new battery factory in Portage. This 66,500 square foot manufacturing plant will include space dedicated to production, shipping/receiving, administration, and material storage. The lobby, cafeteria, locker room, and offices occupy the front of the facility, while the cathode, zinc, wastewater, fabrication, and coating rooms surround the open production area. Designed for expansion capability, future phases include a warehouse expansion at the rear of the building and additional buildings on site. The structural system of the facility will be comprised of structural steel to hold photovoltaic solar panels, which are planned to be installed in the future. Unique to this battery factory, the batteries produced will use hemp fiber. In general, the hemp’s woody pulp strands will become carbonized into thin nanosheets and combined with sodium ions. In everyday lithium batteries, lithium ions are conductive with graphite (a form of carbon). In this case, sodium ions will replace the lithium ions and the carbonized hemp will replace graphite. The advantages of hemp fiber and sodium-ion relates to higher energy density, lighter batteries, lower costs, and environmental friendliness. Wisconsin Battery Company will start with zinc-air hearing aid batteries and then focus on household batteries, rechargeable tool batteries, and eventually EV batteries.

A new library expansion is coming to Sun Prairie. Measuring 23,400 square feet, the new addition will add space for age-designated collections, youth programs, community gathering space, a media center, and will improve accessibility to the facility. The new main entrance leads into a curved glass atrium where residents can gather and meet. Glass windows, aligned on both the north and south sides of the addition, and skylights bring natural lighting into each room. Photovoltaic solar panels will be installed on the roof, harvesting daylight, and a geothermal system will heat and cool the building. The existing 35,500 square foot library is also scheduled to be remodeled. Split into four phases, the first phase will consist of constructing the addition, while the phases after that will make their way throughout the existing facility. Exterior site improvements consist of a new amphitheater, exterior patio, native plantings, and walking trails.