LADYSMITH, Wis.—Minneapolis-based general contractor Kraus-Anderson is embarking on a $21 million renovation for the School District of Ladysmith. The project entails renovations at the district’s middle and high schools, both imagined by designer Bray Architects.

Among the additions being undertaken are remodeling 22,000 square feet of classrooms and a 10,000-square-foot gym expansion. New construction entails a 3,000-square-foot media center add-on.

In addition, Kraus-Anderson’s Madison offices will be updating the buildings’ systems and security features, as well as bringing the two schools into ADA compliance. The contractor will also be installing a new roof, fashioning new parking lots and redesigning the athletic facilities, including new bleachers for the football stadium and new dugout for the softball field.

John Huenink, Kraus-Anderson’s vice president and director of education construction, said that his firm worked alongside the Ladysmith district in crafting an information campaign to successfully pass a bond in order to help fund the construction projects needed throughout the district.

“In 2021, KA completed an educational adequacy and facility study, along with facilitating a community task force to help build the district’s referendum plan,” said Huenink.

The various renovations are due for completion next summer.

Kraus-Anderson, founded in 1897, has been ranked the 20th largest builder of K-12 facilities in the nation by Building Design and Construction magazine, with $1 million in such work in the last half-decade alone. In addition to its Twin Cities headquarters, the firm operates from Upper Midwest branch offices in Madison, Milwaukee, Duluth, Bismarck and others.

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BELOIT, Wis.—Scherrer Construction Co., Inc., in partnership with Bray Architects, recently completed an $18 million construction project to build the new Garden Prairie Intermediate School within the Beloit Turner School District.

The new 86,000-square-foot building features an updated infrastructure, improved learning environments and an upgraded safety and security system. Construction on the project included a new cafeteria, a two-station gym with a 400-seat bleacher system, a library and media center and a dedicated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) area.

Additionally, the building features themed academic wings such as riverfront, farmland and wilderness to enhance student learning and inspiration. Each wing is equipped with individual locker areas, bathrooms and breakout rooms. The hallways are also designed to be large enough for small groups of students to work in.

“The way we educate students continues to evolve, as do the buildings we teach them in,” explained Ben Templin, principal and executive vice president of Scherrer Construction. “The specialized wings and learning areas throughout the Garden Prairie Intermediate School will help students prepare for the future and learn in the most optimal space possible for years to come.”

The Garden Prairie Intermediate School will replace the Townview Elementary School. The school and its partners celebrated the new school with a ribbon-cutting in late August.

Family-owned and operated since 1928, Scherrer Construction is a full-service general contractor and construction management firm with offices in Burlington, Wis., and Wausau, Wis.

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