2014 verona progress

8/11/2019 2014 Verona Progress

1/12

A supplement to theVerona Press


2/12

2 September 25, 2014 The Verona Press ConnectVerona.com

CULVERS OF VERONA

Get Culverized at Any Age!

430 E. Verona Ave., Verona

608-845-2010www.culvers.com

Seniors:

Stopinandgeta

SeniorSavingsCardfora5%discou

nt!We Have Scoopie GearFor The Kids

adno=370586-01

New fire/EMS station on the way$10.5 million projectdesigned to lastfor decades

MARK IGNATOWSKIUnified Newspaper Group

It might cost a bit morethan originally thought, butthe citys new fire stationshould be around for thenext few decades.

After several years ofplanning, the big hole onEast Verona Avenue willsoon become the citys newfire and EMS station. Theproject will be the cityslargest municipal projectever and will replace the12,000-square-foot stationbuilt in 1974.

A t j u s t o v e r $ 1 0 . 5m i l l i o n , t h e n e w42,000-square-foot building

will have room for fire andEMS trucks, sleeping andliving quarters and publicspace for training and meet-ings. Its location will serveas a gateway to the citysdowntown core once itscomplete in 2015.

Finding a place to put thenew fire station took sev-eral years and a few profes-sional studies to determine.

The city considered mak-ing it part of the VeronaCity Center in 2006 butdecided against it, and afterconsolidation efforts failedin 2008, the three-munici-pality Verona Fire District

went through some changes

and ended up dissolving to

create a city department.The city, now serving the

Town of Verona by con-tract, decided to site thestation on the same plot ofland and build in a com-pletely new location on theland so it wont interruptoperations at the currentstation.

Eventually, crews willhave to knock down theadministrative portion ofthe old building while theybuild the new station, butequipment and apparatuswill be housed in the oldstations bays until the newbuilding opens next spring.

A public open house is

slated for next summer.

T he s t a t ion i s a l s oexpected to share space onthe lot with a new VeronaArea Community Theaterbuilding. The VACT groupis raising money to build anew rehearsal and perfor-mance space, and the twofacilities will share someparking spaces.

Modern facilityDespite concerns about

response times to some ofthe rural areas, two locationstudies both confirmed thatthe East Verona Avenue/Lincoln Street locationwould adequately serve

both the city and town.

With the station now fac-

ing East Verona Avenue,the public safety facilitiesad hoc committee agreed ona more modern, showy lookthan City Center, with var-ied rooflines, lots of glassfacing Verona Avenue anda public monument near thecorner of Lincoln Street andVerona Avenue. Antiqueequipment will highlightthe northwest corner of thebuilding, the spot closest tothe road.

The size of the stationand the extra visual fea-tures, designed by FiveBugles Design, broughtsome criticism about public

spending, but city leaders

have focused cost-cutting

measures in other areas.Throughout the planning

process, the ad hoc commit-tee waded through detailsand was charged withrecommending the bestpossible and most cost-effective station for thefire and Fitch-Rona EMSdepartments.

Nearly a year-and-a-halflater, the committee anddesigners came up with afinal plan for the station.

It includes about 39,884square feet of space foroffices, living quartersand apparatus for boththe fire and EMS depart-

ments. That includes an

11,370-square-foot secondlevel filled mostly withovernight rooms and livingareas for firefighters andEMTs.

The fire apparatus baysare located on the east end ofthe building and are not onlydesigned to meet modernfire station standards, butwill also have extra-fast bi-fold doors that are expectedto save about 40 secondswhen trucks are ready to go.Trucks will exit onto VeronaAvenue and will be aided bypreemption technology atthe traffic signals.

Two EMS bays will behoused toward the middleof the station, with accesson the East Verona Avenue,as well.

Public visitors and oth-er vehicles will be able toaccess the station from Lin-coln Street. Public parking

will be along the buildingssouthern and western edgeswith a west-facing entrance.Visitors will be allowed free-ly in the lobby area and train-ing room, but access beyondthose points will be restrictedto fire and EMS staff.

Cost controlsThroughout the process,

the Common Council hadbeen updated on the plan-ning process and had beenable to give feedback on theproject.

But after the committeemade its recommendations

Message from the mayor

Housing, commercial

growth still strongEach year I am more

amazed by the people ofthis wonderful city. Afterthe tornado struck in June,I was astonished by the out-p o u r i n go f s u p -p o r t o fneighborsh e l p i n gneighborsr e c o v e rfrom thedisaster.

T h a n ky o uagain toall the volunteers and firstresponders who assistedwith the recovery efforts.

The city continues to be aleader in the Madison areafor new development proj-ects. Below is a summaryof growth and development

within the city.

Residential growthHousing continues to

remain strong in the city;however the city will befacing a potential hous-ing crunch in the very nearfuture.

Through August, 53 newsingle-family houses beganconstruction. In 2013, thecity issued 76 permits fornew single-family homesand a similar amount is antic-ipated by the end of 2014.The final phase of ScenicRidge is being completed in2014 with most of the lots

already sold.

Once Scenic Ridge is com-pleted, the only active single-family subdivision with asignificant supply of lots willbe Cathedral Point. The cityneeds to expand our bordersto provide additional housingto keep up with demand.

The next large growtharea for the city is the NorthNeighborhood in the areawest of County Hwy. M andsouth of County Hwy. PD.The city has been developingplans and will be preparedfor its future development.

Due to the close proxim-ity to Epic and low vacancyrates in the Madison area,multifamily demand remainsstrong throughout the city.

In 2014, the city approveda 76-unit apartment com-plex, known as the MurrayGlen Apartments, which is

currently under constructionimmediately west of ReddanSoccer Park. In addition, thecity approved the construc-tion of two apartment build-ings in Scenic Ridge that willadd 62 apartments to the city.

While the apartment mar-ket remains strong, the cityhas adopted a multi-familyphasing policy that limits thenumber of apartments thatare constructed each yearto ensure the city does notbecome overbuilt with apart-ments.

Commercial/industrialNon-residential growth in

2014 remained strong.

Fairfield Inn and Suites This 90-room hotel wasapproved at the intersectionof Nine Mound Road andVerona Avenue. Construc-tion started in the summerof 2014 and will be com-pleted in early 2015.

Hometown C i rc le Approved in 2013, the new8,620-square-foot commer-cial retail center located onHometown Circle is fullyleased and includes U.S.Cellular, Orange Leaf,Great Clips, Brews Broth-ers and Little Caesars.

W i s c o n s i n B r e w i n gCompany Along withoffering beer made in Vero-na, the Wisconsin Brew-ing Company constructeda large outdoor patio formusic every Friday duringthe summer, and for hosting

private events.Sugar River United Meth-

odist Church The citygranted approvals to allowSugar River United Meth-odist Church to convert theexisting Wildcat Lanes intoa church. Both interior andexterior improvements areplanned to start in 2014.

Liberty Business Park Four projects have beenapproved for Liberty Busi-ness Park, including twoflex industrial buildings, a17,000-square-foot com-mercial building and a 231-room Hyatt hotel.

Turn to Fire Station/Page 10

Hochkammer

Turn to Mayor/Page 9

Rendering courtesy Five Bugles Design

The 42,000-square-foot station will feature areas for both fire and EMS trucks as well as sleeping and living quarters and public space fortraining and meetings. The facility it replaces was built in 1974.


3/12

September 25, 2014 The Verona PressConnectVerona.com 3

Liberty Business Park

adno=372542-01

New Hotel Coming Soon - Spring 2015

Slaby & Associates is leasing/brokering the entire Liberty Park Development.

Questions regarding leasing, please contact Dean Slaby at (608) 333-4130.

Questions regarding construction, please call KSW at (608) 271-8360.

Building #1 - Currently under construction with 30,000 sq. ft.Tenants Include: KSW Construction, Commercial Recreation

Specialists, Budget Blinds, Cooper Plumbing, Vineyard Chic Kitchens.3,000 sq. ft. available for lease

Building #2 - Beginning with 26,500 sq. ft.Tenants Include: Zerorez, Badger GraniteWerks.

5,000 sq. ft. available for lease

Building #3 - Scheduled to begin in October will have 17,000 sq. ft.Retail businesses will house the bottom floor with offices on top floor. Retail tenants include: Freshii Foods (also a new west

side location under construction), Salvatores Tomato Pies (also located in Sun Prairie), Infusion Mixed Martial Arts (alsolocated in Mount Horeb). 4,000 sq. ft. retail space available for lease. 3,000 sq. ft. office space available for lease.

Momentum building; hotel next?2 buildings started, 2others approved

JIM FEROLIE

Verona Press editor

More than a decade after thefirst attempt to develop whatonce was known as the Van DeGrift property, two buildings areunder construction and more areplanned for the southeast sideindustrial park now called LibertyBusiness Park.

If all goes as expected, one ofthe biggest hotels in Dane Countywill be among them.

And in any case, the first one a 25,000-square-foot flex build-ing off Liberty Drive should bebuilt out and open for business bythe end of the year.

So far, construction on David

Reinkes 240-acre property northof County Hwy. M and east ofCounty Hwy. PB has been limitedto two of those flex buildings versatile spaces with open floorplans and cookie-cutter facadesthat can be converted to meet avariety of different needs.

But the first flex building isexpected to be filled with ten-ants long before its finishedin November, a second brokeground this month with leases for60 percent of its 25,000-square-foot space signed and a thirdcould be in the works in the nextcouple of months.

The other two buildings thathave gotten city approval a 193,000-square-foot hoteland retail building with two

restaurants are in the process ofhaving construction documentsproduced, Reinke told the Pressthis month. And with the hotelwill likely come more retail busi-nesses.

Reinkes development teamis staying aggressive, as thetax-increment financing deal itsigned with the city two years ago

requires millions of dollars worth

of development quickly to pay forthe citys road and utility workin the area before the TIF districtexpires.

A late start put them behind,but the hotel would get LibertyPark caught up. And that hasReinke excited.

Were swamped, we really are

Liberty Business Park

Photos by Jim FerolieThe 240-acre Liberty Business Park is mostly empty now, with one building underconstruction in this Sept. 7 aerial photo, but three other buildings have beenapproved, including a 193,000-square-foot hotel, and its landowner says theresenough demand for five or six other buildings after that in the next year.

Right, the first flex building will house KSW Construction, the lead contractoron the development, and Commercial Recreation Specialists, both of which areexpanding businesses.

Turn to Liberty/Page 11


4/12


5/12


Housing continues strong reboundUndeveloped space

becoming scarce

MARK IGNATOWSKIUnified Newspaper Group

New home starts in Veronahave rebounded to pre-housingcrash levels, a sure sign thatVerona continues to be a popularplace for families looking to ownhomes.

So popular, in fact, that cityleaders are starting to show con-cern that the city will soon runout of areas where homes can bebuilt.

The city saw 53 new homestarts since January, with themajority coming from the ScenicRidge and Cathedral Point subdi-visions. Verona had 46 new homestarts at this time last year and 36during the same time period in2012.

So far, the estimated value ofthe lots sold this year is around$30.2 million, according to citybuilding permit records.

The trend has been helpedby still-low interest rates, butdemand for apartments contin-ues to be high, as well, with oneproject singlehandedly meetingthe citys self-imposed cap of 50units per year.

As the city continues to attractfamilies looking for new homes,however, its running out of landto develop and will need to under-take an extensive planning pro-cess to add more.

Single-family homesBuilders had predicted a strong

2014, especially in Cathedral

Point, one of the newest subdi-visions in the city despite beingplatted in 2006. That subdivisionwas mostly dormant leading up toand through the Great Recession.

There was significant growthalong East Chapel Royal Driveand East Whispering Pines Wayin Cathedral Point. The exclusive-ly Veridian Homes subdivision

sold out of homesites in 2013,which allowed the developer to

start another phase of 32 sites onthe southern end of the neighbor-hood, Brian Simon, president ofoperations at Veridian Homes,wrote in an email to the Press.

The company started anotherphase along East Chapel RoyalDrive late last year in anticipationof additional growth.

The value of homes on lots sold

this year in Cathedral Point haveranged from about $177,000 to

close to $350,000, according tocity figures.

Just across Locust Street, Sce-nic Ridge finished its fourth of sixphases last year and had pre-soldnearly two dozen lots in the fifthphase. Lot sales in Scenic Ridgeaveraged around $321,000.

This past year, developer BrianMcKee said crews put in the final

phase of streets that will openup 26 new lots. Of those, 21 lots

have already been pre-sold, McK-ee said. More than two dozen lotshave contracts to start buildingstill this year in Scenic Ridge.

All the new construction onthe citys south side means betterroads need to be built to get there,and the two developers will sharein the cost of widening LocustStreet next year, with expansion

EVERY YEARwith the best plan in wireless.

UPGRADEyour phone

permonth4 LINES 10GB $140

Middleton6711 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave. , 608-831-1008

Verona600 W. Verona Ave. , 608-848-7600

Waunakee245 S. Century Ave. , 608-850-4555

Things we want you to know: New Retail Installment Contracts and Shared Connect Plan required. Credit approval required. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies (currently $1.82/line/month); this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Add. fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by svc. and eqmt. Offers valid in-store at participatinglocations only, may be fulfilled through direct fulfillment and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. $140 Price Plan based on $100/mo. 10GB Shared Connect Plan plus 4 lines with discounted $10 Device Connection Charges each. Retail Installment Contract required to receive discounts, otherwise regular DeviceConnection Charges apply. Other discounts available for additional Shared Connect Plans. Contract Payoff Promo: Offer valid on up to 6 consumer lines or 25 business lines. Must port in current number to U.S. Cellular and purchase new Smartphone or tablet through a Retail Installment Contract on a Shared Connect Plan. Submit finalbill identifying early termination fee (ETF) charged by carrier within 60 days of activation date to www.uscellular.com/contractpayoff or via mail to U.S. Cellular Contract Payoff Program 5591-61; PO Box 752257; El Paso, TX 88575-2257. Customer will be reimbursed for the ETF reflected on final bill up to $350/line. Reimbursementin form of a U.S. Cellular MasterCard Debit Card issued by MetaBank Member FDIC pursuant to license from MasterCard International Incorporated. This card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts MasterCard Debit Cards within the U.S. only. Card valid through expiration date shown onfront of card. Allow 1214 weeks for proce ssing. To be eligible, customer must register for My Account. Retail Installment Contracts: Retail Installment Contract (Contract) and monthly payments according to the Pa yment Schedule in the Contract required. If you are in de fault or terminate your Contract, we may require you to immediatelypay the entire unpaid Amount Financed as well as our collection costs, attorneys fees and court costs related to enforcing your obligations under the Contract. Upgrade your handset after 12 consecutive payments made on Contract. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Additionalterms apply. See store or uscellular.com for details. 2014 U.S. Cellular

Switch now and well

pay off your old contact.Valid for families

and businesses.

adno=370762-01

Turn to Housing/Page 8

Photo by Jim Ferolie/Special thanks to Oliver Himsel

Scenic Ridge (bottom) and Cathedral Point (above) are filling rapidly. There are few other subdivisions with any significant room for new homes, along with about 35at Hometown Grove (green spot at the top left).


6/12


We are planning for futuregrowth with additional services

for the Verona Community!Watch for Updates.

303 South Jefferson St., Verona, WI

(608) 845-6465www.fourwindsmanor.com

Four Winds Assisted LivingLiving services for those individuals support withMedications, Housekeeping, Meal Preparation, andPersonal Care. Adjacent to Four Winds Skilled Nursing,we provide a Continuum of Care should your loved onesneeds change, requiring a higher level of services.

Four Winds Skilled NursingA 60 bed Skilled Nursing Communitynestled in the quiet, residentialcommunity of Verona. Award winningactivities, Social Services, dedicatedNursing and ancillary Staff ensure ourresidents lives are achieving their fullpotential. Our primary goal is to mentorour residents growth and livelihoodthrough our Individualized Care services.

Therapy ServicesCaring and attentive Physical, Occupationaland Speech Terapists who will assist you

through every step of your recovery stage.We specialize in Orthopedic, Pulmonary,Cognition, Pain, Low Vision, Falls Reductionas well as other specific programs that will betailored to your needs.

Call to Schedule your Tour today!

adno=371142-01

BETTER CARE. BETTER LIVING.

IN OUR FIRST YEAR,

30,000 visitorscame to see whats brewing.

your turn!

our craft. our passion. your beer!

Hometown Brewery!

since opening our doors last November, visitors from

32 states and six countries have enjoyed a front row seat

as weve launched 12 new craft beers, expanded our

capacity, added to our brewhouse team and opened our

backyard bar. see what happens next drop in for a free

tour, awesome brews, an outstanding gift shop and

a chance to see all thats new with your hometown

brewery. theres a lot on tap for the future,

and we cant wait to share it all with you. Cheers!

wisconsinbrewingcompany.coma

dno=372496-01

Hometown Circle brings new businessesFour in strip mallsouth of Farm andFleet new to city

SCOTT GIRARDUnified Newspaper Group

For almost five years,the four outlots in front ofthe Farm and Fleet off EastVerona Avenue remainedempty.

But in the last year and ahalf, two have been filled,and another developer ismaking progress toward fill-ing a third.

It began with Dairy Queen,which opened in early 2013.Then, just over a year ago,plans for a Country Kitch-en-anchored strip mall infront of Farm and Fleet werescraped right before going tothe Plan Commission.

But a month later, thecommission heard a dif-ferent set of plans for thedevelopment. After plentyof discussion and a 4-3vote to send the plans ontothe council, the developerreceived a conditional usepermit from the CommonCouncil to move ahead.

That approval included anexemption from the citysVerona Avenue OverlayDistrict, which would haverequired the building to beoriented on a true east-westaxis rather than angled withthe road. That could havecreated parking lot issues

for the development, andlikely killed the project,

city planning director AdamSayre had told the commis-sion.

Construction began andfour tenants gained approvalover the next few months:

Quality Cellular, an OrangeLeaf Yogurt, Little CaesarsPizza and Brews Brothersrestaurant and pub.

Great Clips would laterjoin as a f ifth tenan t in the8,000-square-foot complexat 611 Hometown Circle.The first four tenants openedin June and Great Clips fol-lowed in early August.

That brought four busi-nesses new to Verona. Qual-ity Cellular, however, hadbeen here for years, butmoved from west to east onVerona Avenue, a signifi-cant step, marketing man-ager Rachel Perry told the

Verona Press in June.(This) is a million times

better, Perry said.Managers and owners of

the three food-based opera-tions all credited teamworkas something that helpedthem right after opening.

We are all hands-on own-ers, so weve all been herefrom the time they put thefirst screw in the wall, saidBrews Brothers owner SteveDay in June. We all justbecame very good friends.Were even looking at otherstrip malls together.

And soon, they could bejoined by another new res-taurant neighbor: Taco Bell.

The multinational Mexi-can fast-food chain broughtplans for a 2,000-square-foot location on HometownCircle to the city in August.

If approved, three of thefour outlots in front of Farm

and Fleet, which opened in2008, would be filled.

File photos by Scott Girard

Above, Brews Brothers features 48 beers on tap at HometownCircle. The restaurant and pub is joined by Little Caesars, GreatBlips, Orange Leaf and U.S. Cellular in front of Farm and Fleet.


7/12


Residential Plumbing Commercial Plumbing

Remodeling & Repair New & Existing

Plumbing Fixtures Garbage Disposals

Water Softeners & Heaters Well Pump Install

Power Sewer & Cleaning Mirrors & Glass Cutting

Window & Screen Repair

PLUMBING& GLASSSERVICE, INC.

845-7755221 S. Main St. Verona

helpis

ontheway!

MP#6973

adno=370980-01

SPRING 2015FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES

Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast Indoor Pool and Fitness Center

Complimentary High-Speed Wireless Internet Marriott Rewards

Outside and Underground Heated Parking Complimentary Airport and Local Shuttle

Convenient Meeting and Event SpaceFairfeld 100% Guarantee

613 WEST VERONA AVENUE VERONA, WI 53593 608-845-3000 faireldinn.com

adno=370770-01

A quietly busy year for EpicDane Countyslargest employerbegins construction

on new campusSCOTT GIRARDUnified Newspaper Group

While it may not havehad the splash of opening anew campus or auditoriumover the past year, Epickept itself busy with plansfor the future.

And construction, asalways.

The medical recordssoftware company, whichremains the largest pri-vate full-time employer inDane County, according toa recent In Business Maga-zine story, welcomed more

than 10,000 customers to itsrecent Users Group Meet-ing and reported more rev-enue growth in 2013.

To keep pace with itscontinuous growth andits approximately 8,000employees, it will soonhave two new campuses atits 800-plus-acre Veronaheadquarters.

Driving all of that growthis the continually increasingnumber of patients usingelectronic medical recordsthrough Epic software, upto 173 million in the Unit-ed States, or 54 percent ofrecords.

And the company isfocusing on more than justthe records themselves. Itsworking to use technologi-cal advances to improveits own software and hasbeen forming partnershipswith major companies likeApple to make health infor-mation more accessible forusers and increase commu-nication between patientsand their physicians.

Growing workforce,

growing needsAt this years UGM, the

company hosted around8 , 000 employees and

10,300 customers from 10different countries, nearlysix times the 3,300 employ-ees and customers thatattended 10 years ago.

That workforce growthhas continually outpacedthe companys buildinggrowth, and although chiefadministrative officer SteveDickmann said the ultimate

goal is for each employee tohave an individual office,many are still doubling up.

The company is simplyadding employees fasterthan it can build, despite

having two general con-tractors and several cranesworking nearly every daysince it broke ground inVerona a decade ago.

Over the past year, Epicgot approval for and beganconstruction on a diningbuilding and a fourth cam-pus, and it is getting readyto start a new parkinggarage for Campus 5, whichcity officials expect to seeplans for in the next fewmonths.

It also finished work onits 11,400-seat Deep Spaceauditorium, a building thathad opened for the com-panys annual Users GroupMeeting in 2013 but wasfar from finished. The com-pany completed meetingrooms this year and put thefinishing touches on it justin time for the 2014 confer-ence last week.

This spring it began workon Campus 4, or the Wiz-ards Campus, a HarryPotter-themed set of fivebuildings and a quidditchfield that is expected toopen sometime in 2015. Itsoverloaded dining building,Cassiopeia, is getting somerelief, as well, with a sec-ond building, modeled afterLondons Kings Cross Sta-

tion, under construction.More employees also

means a need for moreparking, so while it lookslike theres a giant hole inthe ground near the con-struction on the two build-ings, that will soon becomea 2,000-car garage.

Campus 5, known as theAuthors Campus, will beanother 1,500-office com-plex located on a piece ofland that had once beenplanned as a residential sub-division. In order to accom-modate it and the additionaltraffic, the city redesignedNorthern Lights Road and

had it curve east and thennorth, where it will meetthe soon-to-be-rebuilt NineMound Road.

Planning those changestook several meetings in2013 with neighbors, andone of the key decisions thatcame from those meetings

Photo by Jeremy Jones

The countys biggest crane collection sits atop Campus 4 the Wizards Academy as its being constructed.

Turn to Epic/Page 10

Photo by Jim Ferolie/Special thanks to Oliver Himsel

Epics growth turned inward toward the city this year, and Northern Lights Road had to be moved to accommodate it. The road, which pre-viously continued north before turning east to become Cross Country Road, now turns east in front of what will be Campus 5 before turningback north, where it will eventually connect with a reconstructed Nine Mound Road. The parking lot in the middle of the photo is temporary it was used as overflow for the Users Group Meetings last week and an earthen berm separates the road and neighborhood.


8/12


Cold Tap Beer

10 TVs Pool/Darts

Daily Lunch Specials

Homemade Soup & Pizza

Nightly Dinner Specials

Friday Fish Fry

Saturday Prime Rib

Saturday/SundayBreakfast

Check out our menu atwww.5thquarter.biz

161 Horizon Dr., Verona, WI 53593 (608) 845-9690Open Daily M-F 10am, Sat. & Sun. 7am

Like us adno=370441-01 608-845-8328

503 W. Verona Ave., Verona, WI 53593www.avenueautoclinic.com

Mon-Fri 7:00-5:30, Closed Saturday and Sunday

Avenue Auto is a Full Line Auto Repair Service Center

Pre-Winter InspectionFor Seniors

Friday, October 10, 2014 8am-12pmWe check your battery, radiator coolant,

oil level, tire pressure and more.

FREE

adno=370882-01

adno=370842-01

of the two-lane two bridgeover U.S. Hwy. 18-151soon to follow.

The city has been add-ing multifamily residentialunits, as well, pushing up tothe 50-unit-per-year cap setby the city two years ago. Inthe second quarter of 2014,76 units were approved inPrairie Oaks (including anallotment from last year)and are under construction.A later phase of 111 seniorhousing units could be builtas soon as next year.

Running shortVerona once had hun-

dreds of potential lots avail-able to builders, but sinceregional expansion ruleschanged in 2007-08, thenumber has been slowly

dwindling.While the economic

downturn after that reduceddemand, Verona kept build-ing and now has only about200 single-family lots left enough for about threeyears worth of homes. Inaddition to not having anynew subdivisions addedduring that time, Epic pur-chased all of Cross Pointlast year to build its fifthcampus.

Most of the remain-ing single-family lots arein Cathedral Point, withabout 35 newly approvedhomes in a small section

of Hometown Grove, 36 inScenic Ridge, a handful inWestridge and one in Haw-thorne Hills.

The city has added nonew residential growthareas in recent years otherthan part of the SouthwestArea, which provided forthe possibility of expand-ing west of Scenic Ridge

should that farm ever bepurchased by a developer.

It has recently begunworking in earnest on theNorth Neighborhood, a200-acre area on the south-west portion of CountyHwys. M and PD. But thatcould take months or evenyears to prepare.

Once the main planningprocess is finished, thecity will need to hold pub-lic hearings to add it to the

comprehensive plan, thenannex the land and submitit for approval to the Capi-tal Area Regional PlanningCommission. CARPC oftentakes a few months to ana-lyze and then approve newgrowth areas, and after thatapproval, the city can beginsubdividing it.

Rebounding economyRecent increases in mort-

gage rates might scare offsome buyers, builders said,but overall they are a signof an improving economy.

Interest rates jumpedabout 1 percentage point

l a s t s p r ing , bu t haveremained relatively steadysince then.

A 30-year fixed mortgagerate for a well-qualifiedbuyer is around 4.25 per-cent in Wisconsin, accord-ing to real estate websiteZillow.com. That marks anincrease from around 3.25percent in 2012.

Housing:City looking to

North NeighborhoodContinued from page 5

Unbuilt lots

Cathedral Point 207

Scenic Ridge 36

Hometown Grove 35

Westridge 6

Hawthorne Hills 1

Not Just a PharmacyShop our excellent selection of gifts

while we fill your prescription

Crabtree & Evelyn Products

Greenleaf Fragrances

Willow Tree and More(HSA cards accepted)

202 S. Main Street, Verona 848-8020

Check out www.myhometownrx.com

HoursM-F 9am-6pm

Sat 9am-1pm

ClosedSunday

adno=370444-01

Fairfield to open in late springHoliday Inn Expressmanagementcompany will alsorun new hotel

SCOTT GIRARDUnified Newspaper Group

If youre going to haveto compete in business, itmight as well be againstyourself.

At least thats the mind-set of Eric Lund, chiefoperating officer at S andL Hospitality, as the hotelmanagement company getsset to open its second Vero-na hotel next spring.

The Fairfield Inn andSuites will open next doorto the Holiday Inn Expresson W. Verona Avenue,

which is also managed byS and L.

Lund told the VeronaPress after a ceremonialgroundbreaking Sept. 17that another hotel was goingto come to Verona at somepoint, as Epic continues itsgrowth and sports complex-es in the city become moreattractive and heavily used.

E ven tua l ly ano the rhotel was going to cometo the (Verona) market,Lund told the Press. Sothe question is, do youwant to compete againstyourself or against some-body else? And I think ifyou want to protect yourown assets you competeagainst yourself.

He and current HolidayInn Express general man-ager Charlie Eggen, whohas won awards for theHoliday Inn, expect theFairfield, which is a Mar-riott hotel, to open a widerrange of customers to stay-ing in Verona.

The $5.5 million Fair-field, owned partly by Holi-day Inn Express owner

Lee Fischl of Fischl Con-struction, will feature 90rooms, nearly 2,000 squarefeet of meeting and eventspace, a 24-hour businesscenter and complimentarybreakfast. But the biggestfeature, Lund said, mightbe the more than 45 heatedunderground parking spots.

(The parking) will giveus a great competitiveadvantage in the Wiscon-sin winters that we havehere, he said during thegroundbreaking.

S and L director of mar-keting Aaron LaVoy saidthe Fairfield will get a dif-ferent general manager,

though Eggen is expectedto help out in some capac-ity given his success.

LaVoy also said someemployees might transferhotels or work for both ifnecessary, since they willall be employed by S and L.

Rendering courtesy S and L Hospitality

Construction on the new Fairfield Inn began earlier this summer.


9/12


Verona Area Chamber of Commerce

120 W. Verona Ave., Verona (608) 845-5777

In Verona

ExplorePlayStay

Verona Business Infogo to:

veronawi.com

Verona Visitors Infogo to:

visitveronawi.com

adno=370447-01

Construction has startedon the first flex building and

will be completed in 2014.Construction on the secondflex building and commer-cial building is anticipated tobegin in late 2014. The hotelwill most likely start con-struction in spring of 2015and will take 15-18 monthsto complete.

Epic Epic continues togrow and has approximately7,700 employees. The con-struction occurring at Epictoday includes constructionof the 1,500-office Campus4, a new 48,250-square-footfood service building, anda new 36,300-square-footcontractor annex building.

The city has also approvedplans for a 1,500-vehicleparking ramp for a futureCampus 5 and anticipatesplans for the Campus 5 build-ings to be submitted in 2015.

DowntownIn 2014, the city adopted

the Downtown Mobility andDevelopment Plan to guidefuture growth and transpor-tation improvements down-town.

As city staff are prepar-ing their 2015 budgets, theyare planning streetscapingenhancements to improvethe appearance of downtownand other improvements tohelp attract future develop-ment. The city is committedto the downtown and will beimplementing parts of theplan in the coming years.

Public works projectsAs Verona continues

to grow, the public worksdepartment continues to

ensure that citys streets andutilities are maintained andto plan new improvementsto accommodate growth.

The city is working withEpic and the Town of Vero-na on plans for the recon-struction of Nine MoundRoad to four-lanes in 2015.This project will include anew intersection with trafficlights at Nine Mound Roadand CTH PD.

In addition, the city contin-ues to work with the City ofMadison and Dane Countyon plans for the reconstruc-tion of County Hwy. Mincluding the intersection ofCTH M and CTH PD. Con-struction of this project isplanned for 2016 and 2017.

Fire and EMS StationIn recent years, the cityof Verona has made invest-ments in several publicfacilities that will serve thecommunity well for manyyears. One additional need-ed investment is for a newFire and EMS facility.

Construction began thissummer on a new station atthe corner of Verona Avenueand Lincoln Street, north ofthe existing station. The newbuilding will include admin-istrative offices, trainingfacilities and living quartersfor the city of Verona FireDepartment and Fitch-RonaEMS. The new station willbe operational by mid-2015.

As with other city facili-ties, this building has beendesigned to accommodatethe long-term needs of ourgrowing community.

In conjunction with theopening of the new sta-tion, the city is planning toinstall traffic signals at the

Verona Avenue and LincolnStreet. These signals willbe coordinated with the sig-nals at Verona Avenue and

Enterprise Drive and will beequipped with technology forthe pre-emption of the sig-nals to clear the intersectionwhen emergency vehiclesneed to leave the station.

Financial conditionThe City of Verona con-

tinues to provide many qual-ity services, including streetmaintenance and plowing,park development and main-tenance, senior services,building inspections, plan-ning, public safety, parksand recreation and libraryservices.

In addition, the city has

invested in the future byconstructing new facilitiesand investing in transporta-tion and utility infrastructureto accommodate our contin-ued growth.

I am proud that the Veronahas been able to accomplishall of this in a responsiblemanner and that we continueto maintain our very strongfinancial management. Asmayor, I will continue tosupport investments in ourfuture while limiting theimpact on the taxpayer andprotecting the citys long-term financial health.

I truly appreciate theopportunity to serve as yourmayor, and I encourage any-one with questions, com-ments or suggestions aboutVerona to contact me, mem-bers of the Common Coun-cil, or city staff.

Jo n Ho ch ka mm er ha sbeen the mayor of Veronasince 2006.

The Seventeenth

RadishAddress:901 Kimball Lane,

Ste 1300

Principal Owner:AllisonPlumer

Opening Date:June 16,

2014Number of Employees:3Full Time plus special instruc-tors

Charity:Will be offering anumber of free/scholarshipclasses each session begin-ning in 2015

Verona Connection:Myfamily lives, works and goesto school (a daughter inVerona 4k and another futureWild Cat who is now 2) inVerona!

Business Focus:We createa fun learning environmentwhere children ages 1-5 par-ticipate in wide range of art,science, music, dance & sport

activities. Our schedule offersflexible drop-off classes, par-ent/child classes and openplay, as well as special events.We also have a small selectionof quality childrens productsfor sale and host baby show-ers and birthday parties!

Whats special about yourbusiness?We are a uniquelyflexible alternative to tradition-al child care where children asyoung as 1 and parents expe-rience the benefits of a drop-off, teacher-led group learningexperience on a just about anyschedule.

Make up by Francesca

Principal owner or leader:Fran Johnson

Opening/arrival date:March 2014

Number of employees:1plus freelance makeup artistsand stylists for photo shootsand special events.

Charity connections/plans:Wisconsin Breast CancerCollation, Make up servicesto DAIS (domestic abuseintervention services) fashionshow each year. JDRF fund-raiser events.

Verona connection:Isaw the need in the Verona/ Madison area to provideservices to women includingspecial event make up, everyday make up application, les-sons to young teens, lunchand learn sessions for busyadults as well as teaming withThe Purple Goose for head totoe styling. Whether updatingyour seasonal wardrobe ofhelping women get their groveback, were here to help!

Business focus:GloMineral makeup for sale.Make up applications forweddings, special events andprivate consultations.

Whats special about yourbusiness? On location or instore make up services forbride and parties. Boutique

setting VS impersonal depart-ment store experience at orbelow department store pric-ing.

Advance Auto PartsAddress:512 W. Verona

Ave.

Principal owner or leader:Advance Auto Parts

Opening/arrival date:October 2013

Number of employees:10at our location

Charity connections/plans:JDRF

Verona connection:Toprovide automotive parts ser-

vice better than anybody else.

Business focus:Auto Partsto retail and commercial cus-tomers.

Whats special about yourbusiness? We are the largestautomotive parts chain in thecountry.

Brews Brothers PubAddress:611 Hometown

Circle Suite 104

Principal Owner:Steve Day

Opening Date:May 29,2014

Number of Employees:20

Charity connection/plans:A few times per month, acharity reaches out to us. Wehelp as often as we can. Mostrecently, weve donated giftcards to help a walk/run can-cer benefit.

Verona connection:Werehere because Verona hadnothing quite like BrewsBrothers Pub. Were becom-ing attached to this communi-ty and getting involved in localschool sports and events.

Business Focus:BrewsBrothers is Classy/Casual.You can enter, sit at a low orhigh table, relax on the patioor sit at the bar. Your mealis always fresh! Meat grounddaily ensures a quality burger.Guests come here to enjoya good meal, relaxed, cleanatmosphere and perhaps abeer or five. Servers oftenopen guests eyes to styles ofbeer they never thought theydtry!

Whats special about your

business? We focus on qual-ity not quantity. We workhard to ensure guests arewelcomed and receive thebest service! One employeesaid, Everyone Ive met hereis pretty awesome! The vibein here is great. Everyone isinvolved with the success ofBrews Brothers. The cooks,servers, managers and ownerare all hands-on in creatingrecipe items, decorating andmaking up fun events like ourupcoming Eve of Eve party.

Wisconsin Brewing

CompanyAddress:1079 American

WayPrincipal owner or leader:

Carl Nolen President/CEO,Mark Nolen CFO, Kirby NelsonVP Brew Master

Opening/arrival date:Nov.1, 2013

Number of employees:11full time, 20+ part time

Charity connections/plans:Host site for many charityevents in the greater DaneCounty Area

Verona connection:loca-tion & community support(including City Government)

Business focus:ProductionBrewery, Tour Center and

Event Center

Whats special about yourbusiness? Community orient-ed facility for local family andfriends to visit. We have hadover 30,000 visitors (project-ing 50,000 year one) comingfrom 32 states in America and

6 foreign Countries. 50 per-cent of the Wisconsin visitorscome from outside of DaneCounty.

Orange LeafAddress:611 Hometown

Circle

Owner:Joe and RitaKlinging

Opening Date:June 11,2014

Number of Employees:14

Charity: We do a 20percent of sales on a char-ity night. Orange Leaf has acorporate charity, Share OurStrength (No Kids Hungry).

We do a fundraising inSeptember for them. We havealready done charity nightsfor two local schools since wehave opened.

Verona connection:Weare here to be a member ofthe community. We want tovolunteer and have charitynights for all the non profitorganizations and schoolshere in Verona.

Business focus:Focus inon Frozen Yogurt. We make itall in house.

Reinen Beyler

Chiropractic, LLC

Address:115 Enterprise Dr.Principal owner or leader:Dr. Steven Beyler and Dr.Joseph Beyler

Opening/arrival date:Jan.1, 2014

Number of employees:3

Charity connections/plans:Chamber of Commerce,Several other charities aroundtown.

Verona connection:Grewup in the area and attendedVerona area schools.

Business focus:Chiropractic Care, MyofascialRelease and other Soft TissueTechniques, Weight Loss

Whats special about yourbusiness? Family businesshelping people through chiro-practic for 3 generations.

Little Caesars PizzaAddress:611 Hometown

Circle

Owner:Joe Vancik

Opening Date:June 3, 2014

Website:littlecaesars.com

Great ClipsAddress:611 Hometown

Circle

Owner:Jeff Madson

Phone:848-2330

Opening Date:August 2014

NB

File photo by Scott Girard

Advance Auto Parts opened last October at 512 W. Verona Ave.

VASD planning land purchasesSCOTT GIRARDUnified Newspaper Group

Since last years VeronaProgress, the Verona AreaSchool District made somebig news with a major landpurchase.

But theres likely moreland acquisitions coming,and voters can expect tohave a say on the April bal-lot as enrollment continuesto increase around the dis-trict and schools near theircapacities.

VASD superintendentDean Gorrell recently toldthe City of Fitchburg Com-mittee of the Whole that he

expects three or four pur-chases to be on the springelection ballot, with around130 acres of land total.

That includes the WestEnd land, which the schoolboard voted in May to pur-chase for $3.4 million. The

original plan was to go to aNovember referendum forthat and another piece ofland, Gorrell told the Pressat the time, but contingen-cies on that land and aninability to finalize otheragreements prevented thatfrom happening.

T he l and purchas escome as the district hasseen continued growth,

though preliminary num-bers for this year are notat the triple-digit level ofthe past few. Still, enroll-ment is nearing or surpass-ing capacity at schoolsaround the district, basedon capacity estimates done

within the last few years.What is yet to be deter-mined, however, is whatschools the land would beused for if purchased.

The district created aFuture Schools Commit-tee in 2014 to tackle thatquestion and look at theoptions, including differ-ent grade distributions or acharter site.

Mayor:City working on Nine Mound RoadContinued from page 2


10/12


the high school and Bad-

ger Ridge/Core Knowledgeschools.The long-term switch to

a larger intersection likelywont happen for more thana decade, but short-term traf-fic and parking solutions,such as time-of-day parkingrestrictions, could happen inthe next few years.

Land useIn addition to moving

traffic through the city, thedowntown plan aims toguide land use and potentialredevelopment projects.

The plan calls for a moreintegrated theme through-out the downtown withmore unified streetscapesand building setbacks.

The plan includes guide-lines for architecture andthe use of materials, includ-ing a suggestion of brickpavers in crosswalks. Thelook is designed to createmore of a downtown feel,with wider sidewalks, brickterraces and black street-lights in front of two- orthree-story buildings.

Within the core area roughly a few blocks ineach direction from theFour Corners intersection some properties would beup for redevelopment, with

new buildings being builtbetween two and three sto-ries high. It would call fora mixture of residential,commercial and greenspacewith some restricted park-ing and uniform streetscap-ing. Common parking areasare also part of the plan.

Further out, the gate-way areas outside the corewould have buildings as tallas four stories and entry-ways that would clue visi-tors that theyre enteringthe downtown area.

MSA p lanne r J a s onValerius repeatedly saidthis type of redevelopment

will occur organically over

time, rather than by havingthe city drive the projects.

None of these ideas arelikely to be accurate predic-tions of whats going to hap-pen because this is going tohappen by a private-sectorinitiative, Valerius said.These are just ideas forwhat could happen.

Valerius said the redevel-opment would likely occurafter a couple decades, andthe ideas in the plan couldserve as guidelines if peo-ple see something they like.

Valerius acknowledgedthat the city could take arole in encouraging someprojects, possibly throughthe use of tax-increment

f i n a n c i n g a n d / o r t h e

purchase of properties.The Common Council

has shown recent inter-est in turning some of theplans suggestions into realprojects. In late August, theCommittee of the Wholeagreed that making a fewhundred thousand dollarsworth of improvements tothe streetscape would helpshow developers that thecity is serious about makingchanges downtown.

City staff have beenwork ing wi th a l and-scape architect to developdetailed plans for the down-town core streetscapes,terraces and lighting withhopes that some work will

be completed in 2015.

is a large earthen berm thatseparates the road and theneighborhood.

Business sideThe reason for all that

construction is the com-

panys growth, somethingthats been a constantat Epic for years, eventhrough the Great Reces-sion. The companys annu-al revenues were $1.65billion in 2013, Dickmanntold the Verona Pressrecently, up from the $1.5billion in 2012 and wellabove its $1.1 billion in2011.

Helping to drive thatgrowth is innovation inthe companys uses of itsMyChart system forphysicians and patients,recently adding the abilityfor patients to follow theircare on a tablet.

But that tablet use isnot the only way Epic isadapting to technologysever-increasing presence indaily life.

Epic furthered its rela-tionship with Apple thisyear to develop a newHealthKit platform thatwill debut with iOS 8, thenext operating system forthe tech giant, accordingto various media reports.The goal is for users tohave access to their healthinformation on their smart-phones and share thatinformation with their doc-tors, according to a June

article from Forbes.

For a company built onits records, and unlikely toacquire any others, as CEOJudy Faulkner reiterated tothe audience at this yearsUGM, the most importantstat is likely the 5 mil-lion Epic-to-Epic medi-cal record exchanges per

month.

B u t i t s t h e o t h e r556,000 Epic-to-non-Epicrecord exchanges the com-pany will look to makeeasier in the next year,Faulkner said. In addition,the company continues todeliver as many custom-izable options to its own

users as possible.

adno=370764-01

Epic:Business growth drives expansionContinued from page 7

Photo by Jim Ferolie

Some of the 10,000-plus Epic customers at the 2014 UsersGroup Meeting walk around the campus between sessions.

Downtown:Plan aims to guide land useContinued from page 3

Photo by Jeremy Jones

The Ice Cave is one of the meeting rooms in the Deep Spaceauditorium Epic completed since the building opened last year.

and presented a preliminaryplan to the council in Feb-

ruary and a more completedraft in June, alders andthe mayor took some timeto debate the merits andcosts of certain aspects ofthe project before sending itout for bids.

The city used a morecomplex bidding processthan in previous projects,with a construction man-ager overseeing around 30

subcontractors, rather thanpicking a general contractorand having a staff memberoversee it.

A l d e r s e v e n t u a l l yapproved an eighth appara-tus bay, as well as a base-ment. Other items like bi-fold doors ($349,000) for therear of the apparatus bays,where the trucks return, anda fire pole ($40,000) weretargeted for cost-cutting ata later council meeting, butwere eventually included.

Cost-saving measures

like a different type of roofframing and geothermalpiping were used to bringthe total bill down by abouta half-million dollars with-out sacrificing aesthetics orfunctionality.

But overall, bids came inhigher than originally antic-ipated. Contract managerBill Pennoyer put some ofthe blame on a bad market,explaining that it was hardto find qualified biddersbecause many contractorsare too busy right now.

Fire Station:Bids higher than expectedContinued from page 2

Photo by Mark Ignatowski

Construction on the new 42,000-square-foot, $10.5 million fire station has begun. The station isexpected to be completed in 2015.

The citys downtown plan features several areas targeted for rede-velopment, such as the Hometown Junction corner, bounded byEllis Construction and Miller and Sons.

Photo by Mark Ignatowski

The historic Matts house is on an area targeted for redevelopment.


11/12


with different projects,Reinke told the VeronaPress last week. Its goingreally good.

Years of planningIts been a long wait for

Reinke, but even longer forthe city, which pegged thearea for industrial growthin the 20th century andapproved a tax-incrementfinancing project plan forthe area (including the adja-cent Verona TechnologyPark) back in 2000, when ithad another owner.

Reinke and municipalleaders finally agreed on avision in 2009, and the twosides since have been work-ing on getting the area readyfor development. A 2011TIF agreement went througha round of modifications toaccommodate constantlyshifting timelines and expec-tations, and during that pro-cess, Ald. Mac McGilvrayspent nearly a year help-ing Reinke (while abstain-ing from votes) through thelengthy state certification pro-cess that earned the develop-ment the shovel-ready title.

That Certified Sites pro-gram listing finally camethrough in early 2013, andit wasnt until a year agothat utility lines were laidunder what is now Lib-erty Drive, right about thetime that first flex buildingearned city approval.

Nothing happened overlast years absurdly long,

cold winter, but since thisspring, development ofwhat Reinke calls a half-a-billion-dollar creation hasbeen in high gear.

The first building brokeground in April and a sec-ond got approval in July along with a small stripmall on County M and theHyatt hotel and brokeground earlier this month.The retail s trip mall isexpected to break groundwithin the next few weeks.

The retail building, whichis filled on the bottom andalmost set on the secondfloor, could be started with-

in the next couple of weeks,said KSW Constructionpresident Dean Slaby, whohas handled all the broker-ing of the site so far. KSW,which will be the first ten-ant in the first building, isdoing all the general con-tractor work, as well.

Were going to try to getall that in place and buildthrough the winter, Slabysaid.

Huge hotelThe hotel is much more

complicated than mostbuildings, with Hyatt cor-porate approvals requiredon the design and firm con-tractual obligations regard-ing the release of informa-tion. But the biggest thingthat will prevent it fromstarting before next springis how busy contractorsaround the county are.

It was deemed that itwould cost millions of dol-lars more if we acceleratedit, Reinke said.

Reinke said the hotel a231-unit combined HyattPlace and Hyatt House stillneeds a management compa-ny and that hes been visitingwith those over the past fewweeks. Once that company isselected, it could have some

input on the final design ofthe hotel, which will affectthe construction documentsneeded before the hotel goesout for bids this winter.

The management com-pany is going to have alot of say on those typesof things, Reinke said.Theyll want to tweak.

He said contractors arealready moving dirt on thebase of the site to prep it.

With that and the newFairfield Inn, which finallybroke ground last weekmore than a year after get-ting city approval, the citycould triple its number ofavailable hotel rooms by2016. And between thehotel and the other projectsin the park, Reinke saidthere will be hundreds of

jobs coming to the park inthe next couple of years.

Though the hotel is themost spectacular part ofLiberty Business Park atthis point, the rest of thesite is developing quicklyand bringing a wide varietyof retail and commercialofferings.

I t s f l e x b u i l d -

ings already have sevenannounced tenants and fiveothers that are negotiatingleases more than there arespace for. Slaby and Reinkehave both suggested a thirdflex building likely will beon the way soon.

Those flex buildings aregenerally complementarycommercial operations thatdo some retail but dont relyon drive-by traffic, suchas countertop maker Bad-ger GraniteWerks, kitchenremodeler Vineyard ChicKitchens and window cover-ing supplier Budget Blinds.

Its new retail building is

supposed to break groundnext month with two restau-rants, a martial arts studioand a set of offices. AndSlaby said he is workingwith several other potentialretail tenants for spots ring-ing the hotel.

Wed like to fill up thatfront commercial side andwork our way back (towardWhalen Road), Slaby said.

Reinke, who spoke withthe Press between appoint-ments for potential ten-ants, said an office buildingeast of the retail buildingapproved on Hwy. M isalso likely to be on the PlanCommission agenda before

the end of the year and thatalready there is enoughdemand that another half-dozen buildings are lookinglikely over the next year.

In a hurryThe quick growth is

not only what city leadershoped for, its essentiallywhat they mandated.

Three years ago, the citycleared the way for theparks first constructionby approving a developeragreement with a $6 millionTIF package.

Only $1.7 million of thathas been spent so far, withthe city installing utilitylines along Whalen Roadin 2011 and then reworkingthe deal in 2012 to changethe collateral and adjust thefinancing structure. A sepa-rate developer agreementwill be required to extendLiberty Park and the utilitylines to Whalen Road, cityadministrator Bill Burnsexplained last week.

Liberty Park needs to gen-erate property value quicklyto avoid tax penalties in itsdeal with the city, which

requires $16.6 million inincreased taxable value known as increment by itsnext valuation date, Jan. 1,2015. The change in the landvalue from agriculture willaccount for some of that, butclearly there will be a short-fall, meaning essentiallyReinke will pay taxes onbuildings that dont exist yet.

But the timing is closeenough, he said.

Im beyond comfortablewith the amount of projectsweve got, he said.

And the hotel could be

enough almost by itself tomeet the rest of the bench-marks. Slaby estimated itwould cost between $15 mil-lion and $25 million to build,which would put the devel-opment past its guidelines for2016 (still $16.6 million) andpossibly even 2017, which is$23.8 million.

But the more quickly itgrows, the sooner it willneed further road and utilitywork, which will cost moreTIF money and again raisethe stakes.

But Reinke and Slaby con-tinue to think big, anxiouslyawaiting when the city canexpand the TIF district toinclude the eastern half of thepark, where heavier industri-al companies are more inter-ested in going.

That will require the clo-sure of the Epic TIF district,TID 7, which put Veronawell past the thresholdwhere it cannot create newdistricts or even expand oldones. That closure is antici-pated at the end of 2015.

Once that land is openedup, Reinke still holds outhope for a campus user,one that might find Liberty

Business Park on the stateslist of Certified Sites, need-ing 50-100 acres.

Its definitely still in thethought process regardinglot selections to make sureyou leave (enough space),Reinke said.

OK HEATING AND AIRCONDITIONING, INC.

161 Horizon Drive, Ste. 105, Verona

(608) 845-8494

High-efficiency furnaces and maintenance programscan help you save energy and save you money!

FREE

REPLACEMENT

ESTIMATES

24 Hour Emergency Service

Free Replacement Estimates

Rebates on Qualifying Equipment (for limited time)

Financing Available on Equipment Replacement

adno=370951-01

608.575.3290

[email protected]

Dawson

TeMarketIsActive...

CallMeoday!

27 Years ofExperience!

Serving Verona Home Buyers & Sellersadno=370955-01

Liberty Park timeline1998:Area master planned for industrial

2000:TIF project plan created

2002:Continental Properties proposes retail, then DavidReinke purchases it

2007-08:Reinkes retail plans fail to advance

2009:City annexes land

2010:CARPC approves expansion, city approves indus-trial plan

May 2011:Council approves TIF deal

Spring 2012:City extends utility lines to park alongWhalen Road

October 2012:Council revises TIF agreement

Fall 2012:First earthwork stormwater pond and LibertyDrive

March 2013:Liberty joins states Certified Sites program

September 2013:City begins installing utility lines underLiberty Drive

April 2014:Groundbreaking for first building

July 2014:Approval of three more buildings, includinghotel

September 2014:Groundbreaking for second building

Tenants

Announced

Hyatt Place/Hyatt House hotel (new)

Badger GraniteWerks (Verona)

KSW Construction (Fitchburg)

Commercial Recreation Specialists (Verona)Salvatores Pies (new, Sun Prairie)

Zerorez Madison (Verona)

Infusion Mixed Martial Arts (new, Mount Horeb)

Cooper Plumbing (Verona)

Budget Blinds (Madison)

Vineyard Chic Kitchens (new, St. Charles, Ill.)

Freshii (new, Toronto, Canada)

Liberty Park office (new)

Negotiating

Flex 1: Unannounced 2,500-square-foot user

Flex 2: Unannounced 10,000-square-foot useror three smaller tenants (which could go in a newbuilding)

Retail building: Attorney, mortgage company, titlecompany

Liberty:Hotel will likely help developer meet $16.6 million TIF obligations by 2016Continued from page 3

The four approved buildings on the Liberty Park site.

It was deemed

that it would

cost millions of

dollars more if we

accelerated it.

David Reinke, on the

hotel starting in 2015


12/12

2014 verona progress

Documents