Building Commission to take up $24M Viroqua Readiness Center construction at meeting next week

The Wisconsin State Building Commission plans to take up a $24 million project to replace a National Guard readiness center in Viroqua during its meeting next week.

The building commission will meet Wednesday to consider advancing the project as part of $61 million in work throughout the state. The new Viroqua Readiness Center would involve the demolition of an existing building and the construction a 60,000-square-foot structure to replace it. It will be home to the Army National Guard’s Detachment 1, 107th Maintenance Company.

The project would replace Vernon County’s existing readiness center, which was completed in 1966 and has less than half of the space needed by the unit. The group now uses outbuildings and shipping containers to store various equipment and supplies.

The new building would have classrooms, an assembly hall, kitchen, fitness equipment and other features. It would also add storage rooms, maintenance areas and vehicle storage. The guard now conducts vehicle maintenance and training offsite.

If the building commission approves the project, construction bids for it could be opened in October 2022 to line up with plans for receiving federal funding for the project. The work is expected to get underway in spring 2023 and wrap up in 2024.

The other projects on the building commission’s agenda include:

— A $6.5 million replacement of an arched brick steam tunnel built in 1910 for several buildings on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus

— $11.1 million in maintenance and repairs at three UW-System schools, including an HVAC replacement project at UW-Madison’s Bascom Hall and a $2.9 million roof-replacement project at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

— $6.2 million to conduct a various maintenance and repair projects throughout the Wisconsin State Park system, including the construction of a new boat shed for the Kettle Moraine State Forest and new vault toilets throughout the state.