Nicholas & Associates scores $7.8M building contract in Sussex

Milwaukee-based Nicholas & Associates was awarded a $7.8 million contract to build two buildings in Sussex.

The contractor announced Tuesday it will build The Ridge at Village Park, a 10,100-square-foot freestanding pavilion, and the Sussex Parks Maintenance, 10,500 square feet, at Sussex Village Park. Both projects are owned by the village, which posted bids in February.

In addition to the freestanding building, The Ridge will have a 14,500-square-foot covered outdoor space and an open-air stage area, Nicholas officials said. The project will include community rooms, a kitchen, public restrooms and storage, and will be used by the village parks department and Sussex Lions Club.

Pavilion construction will start in mid-July after the Sussex Lions Daze festival, officials added.

The maintenance facility will serve as the Parks Department’s new headquarters, and will include break rooms, restrooms, a workshop and vehicle service and maintenance spaces, officials said. Construction will begin May 1.

“Building civic projects like this is in the Nicholas family DNA with our nearly 50 years of experience in constructing municipal, recreational and other buildings in Illinois and Wisconsin,” said Christopher Coleman, president of the Nicholas Family of Companies, which includes Nicholas & Associates. “We also are known for working closely with communities and partners to ensure successful completion of projects,” he added.

Jason Piurkowski, director of constriction for Nicholas’ Wisconsin office, will lead the project, officials said. He worked on the $20 million Meadow View Elementary School in Oconomowoc, officials added.

Coleman credited Piurkowski’s local experience as a major factor in securing the contract.

“(Piurkowski) grew up on a farm in Stoddard, near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border and a long way from the action and activity of greater Milwaukee,” Coleman said. “But the strong work ethic developed during his formative years served him well in his current role, helping us earn the trust of partners like the village of Sussex,” he added.

Kahler Slater Inc. was hired to design the new park facilities.

“As a resident of nearby Brookfield, I know this park and the Lions Club very well,” Piurkowski said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to working with the Village of Sussex to bring these great new resources to the Parks Department and the community. The parks and rec geek in me is also excited to team up with a firm like Kahler-Slater, an innovative leader in parks and rec design,” he added.

In addition to the parks facilities, Nicholas & Associates worked on the city of Waukesha Fire Station No. 1, the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, The Ruby at the Brookfield Square apartment community in Brookfield and the Hub13 apartment development in Oak Creek.