The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Wangard Partners and Kraus-Anderson will construct a new veterans clinic in the Olympia Fields restoration project in Oconomowoc. (Rendering courtesy of Plunkett Rayisch Architects)
Developers announced on Tuesday a new Veterans Affairs (VA) health care clinic at Wangard Partners’ Olympia Fields development in Oconomowoc. Kraus-Anderson was named the construction manager for the 8,500-square-foot clinic.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs will lease the VA Clinic at Olympia at 1289 Olympia Fields Drive, Wangard Partners officials said. The medical center will provide medical care and behavioral health services to the region’s veterans, officials added.
“The greater Oconomowoc area, Waukesha County and communities to the west has a higher concentration of veterans. Wisconsin as a state is considered a veteran-friendly state and it has certain benefits such as continuing education for veterans and their families that makes the state very attractive. This clinic is bringing services to the people that live here,” Stu Wangard, the CEO and chairman of Wangard Partners, told The Daily Reporter in an interview.
The clinic took six months of planning with the VA and the city of Oconomowoc and developers aim to have it completed by December, Wangard said. Developers are looking to break ground in the spring when the developer completes a stormwater quality initiative, he added.
Wangard said he wanted to create a community to connect the former Olympia Hotel and Resort to the new growth on the edge of Oconomowoc and its downtown.
“Oconomowoc has one of the most dynamic central business districts. It has a wonderful main street, many nice restaurants, very nice shops and excellent service providers. It’s a bustling community, not only to shop or go out to a restaurant but there’s all kinds of events taking place throughout the year. … This redevelopment of the Olympia area ties the community together,” the developer said.
The company will also work with medical providers to create a “medical cluster” in the area, Wangard said. Another medical clinic is under construction to the north of the VA clinic and the project will wrap up in the summer, he added. “We’re also talking to several other medical groups that have expressed an interest in coming to this area,” Wangard said.
Wangard Partners is the developer of the former Olympia Hotel and Resort, which closed in 2018. The multi-parcel project includes different construction partners and tenants, infrastructure such as roads and acres of space for mixed-use residential and retail buildings.
The project attracted businesses such as Sendik’s, which replaced the former Kmart store. Area traffic generators include Fleet Farm, Harley Davidson, the YMCA and Aurora Healthcare, Wangard’s website said.
Patients will be able to use exam rooms, women’s health exam areas, mental health services, consultation rooms and telehealth areas when the project is complete, Kraus-Anderson officials said. Project amenities include new reception and waiting areas, a conference room and team workroom areas.
“Kraus-Anderson is thrilled to be a part of this exciting project for the VA, Wangard and Oconomowoc in general,” an official for the construction company said.
Pierce Engineers provided structural engineering services for the clinic and Plunkett Rayisch Architects designed the building.
