Friends of White River Park looking to engage Peter Scherrer Group for study of barn
By Kellen Olshefski
SLN Staff
The Friends of the White River Park is getting the ball rolling on the White River Park barn project with a little help from Walworth County.
Walworth County Director of Central Services Director Eric Nitschke said during the Feb. 15 Walworth County Parks Committee meeting county officials had met with the friends group and Peter Scherrer about the next steps for the barn.
Nitschke said the county is looking to work with the friends group to bring Scherrer on board the project to complete some background work.
The Peter Scherrer Group, based out of Burlington and formed as a father-daughter team in 2009, primarily focuses on real estate development and construction as well as consulting services related to real estate and facilities solutions.
At this point, Nitschke said the county isn’t spending any funds on the project, though it is doing it in partnership with the group, as it is the county’s barn. He said the hopes are for Scherrer to provide for some research on architects, what could possibly come of the barn and do some of the initial documentation and the steps needed to find and raise funding sources for the project.
“Really, the idea is that we’re going to continue to move forward, but the friends group is going to contract with Mr. Peter Scherrer to start the process of doing some of the initial planning for the barn itself,” he said.
Citizen-member Merilee Holst said when the county first started looking at the barn, the idea was that classrooms and the like would be downstairs, though wanted to know more about plans for the barns upper level.
Nitschke said the general thought process is doing the legwork to find an architect to look at various uses for the barn, be it a place to rent out or a place for learning.
However, what he said needs to happen before those discussion can be had is data needs to be gathered regarding costs, architectural renderings for what the barn could like and structural and internal upgrades needed.
“That’s where there’s a preliminary engagement letter with the Peter Scherrer Group with various steps and the county is working with the friends group to walk through those steps,” he said.
Once they reach the point of determining a specific use for the barn, Nitschke said the county would be much more involved in the project.
“Right now, it’s more of a data, information gathering to get to the donation and funding portion of this,” he said.
County Administrator David Bretl said the Walworth County Board previously approved authorizing the friends to conduct the study, as well as naming the barn after Walworth County Board Chairwoman Nancy Russell, providing funds are raised to complete renovations.
Bretl said the both the committee and County Board would see the project again, being the county has to approve not only donated money, but the business plan and architectural plan.
While he said he’s not exactly sure what plans are for gathering input from the community and board members, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if the barn ended up being a nature and learning center on lower floors and some type of room or rental on the upper level.
“That will be up to the direction that you provide and the board as well,” he said.
Bretl said he thinks the board would be pretty flexible with a lot of different uses in the barn, so long as it doesn’t become a long-term, large expense for the county.
Nitschke said comments and concerns posed by the committee are warranted, though he intends to keep the committee informed of any discussions that are going on.
“The county has full intent of tracking this very, very closely and keeping you, the park committee, comprised of where the general direction is going,” he said.
“If we need to take a pause, we absolutely can do that, but we want to keep the discussion moving because there’s a lot of interest and interest in the financial perspective where folks want to donate to improve this not as a fancy shiny barn, but something that’s preserved for the benefit of the county residents.”
