InBusiness Magazine 2020 Project of the Year, Best New Development or Renovation — Education I AIA Wisconsin 2022 Merit Award for being a “Catalyst project for village economy and life”
Brownfield Site Develops into a New Library
Local children participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Waunakee Public Library on April 21. Photo Credit: Vogel Bros. Building Co.
The Village of Waunakee had been planning for a new library since 2007, making the completion of its award-winning facility in 2019 a significant milestone. After a multi-year site search, the Village selected the former Waunakee Alloy Corporation property – a brownfield site – for redevelopment. The project transformed a community eyesore into a vibrant public facility, strategically located just north of the community’s growing downtown.
A brownfield site is an abandoned or underutilized industrial or commercial property that may contain environmental contamination, often deterring redevelopment. To address these challenges, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides grants and technical assistance to encourage communities, states, and developers to put these blighted properties back into productive use. The Brownfields Program provides support to safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties under the EPA’s Land Revitalization Program.
The new Waunakee Public Library is a 40,000-square-foot facility designed by OPN, with Snyder & Associates providing site development, utility design, stormwater management, multi-use trail design and planning, pedestrian bridge design, and project permitting services. The project successfully addressed significant challenges, including soil contamination, high groundwater, coordination with multiple regulatory agencies, and the presence of a mapped environmental corridor.
Beyond the library itself, the project prioritized active transportation and improved pedestrian and bicycle connectivity by incorporating a multi-use trail and pedestrian bridge over Six Mile Creek into the site design. The 12-foot-wide, 900-foot-long paved trail connects Pleasant Drive to Madison Street on the south side of the new library on the north side of the creek, and doubles as a fire lane. The pedestrian bridge further enhances access by allowing patrons to cross Six Mile Creek and reach additional parking located on the south side of the site.
Key Achievements
- Navigated multiple reviewing agencies and permits with long lead times. Finished the design on time with the layout the client desired.
- Designed the site and trail with less than 10,000 square feet of wetland fill, enabling the project to achieve a general wetland fill permit that was less costly and timely for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) permitting process.
- Site and trail design incorporated the necessary cap required by the WDNR for leaving contaminated soils on-site, which avoided exuberate fees for removing contaminated soil.
- Designed the site and trail outside of the floodplain line to avoid lengthy FEMA approvals.
- Incorporated the site and trail design with a 90-foot span pedestrian bridge across Six Mile Creek for access to parking on the south side without affecting the 100-year floodplain.
- Site design allows for a future building expansion to the west.
