PHELPS — Town leadership, community organizations, local residents, and even Gov. Tony Evers gathered last Friday to celebrate a 30-year vision realized: the grand opening of the new $5.6 million Phelps Community Center.

The state-of-the-art, 14,000-square-foot facility, which was officially unveiled Sept. 4, consolidates multiple civic offices into a single hub designed to be the heart of the town, housing town offices, the library, chamber, and many community-minded gathering spaces and amenities.

Town Supervisor Dave Selby indicated that the need for and importance of a community center was identified back in the mid-1990s. The town began setting aside reserves at that time, and was able to build up $375,000 over the years.

That early foresight laid the groundwork for what would become the town’s cornerstone. However, the path to completion was marked by fiscal hurdles, detailed planning, and a massive state grant that saved the project.

In 2021, the town formed a committee to design a facility for modern community needs. The committee benchmarked other Vilas County town halls in St. Germain, Boulder Junction and Arbor Vitae to identify standard best practices. They concluded a successful facility required a large multi-purpose hall, a warming kitchen, adequate board meeting space, teleconferencing equipment, secure document storage, library computer stations, and clerk and chairperson offices.

The committee hired Blue Design Group in mid-2022 to draft a conceptual floor plan. Architect Steve Jamroz worked with local leaders to transform those requirements into a preliminary design estimated at $5 million.
While citizens supported the concept, the proposal met an obstacle in October 2022 when voters soundly rejected funding such a large project.

“Phelps citizens supported the idea, however, the tax impact of financing over $4.6 million was rejected by the voters,” Selby said. “The project was put on hold as the committee searched for grants and low-interest loans that could make the project financially viable.”

The breakthrough came in 2024 when the town retained Robert E. Lee engineering to assist in navigating federal and state funding. Engineer Gayle Lindenberg identified a Flexible Facilities Program (FFP) Grant, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and targeted at small-town infrastructure.
Lindenberg helped draft the application in early summer 2024. The effort gained crucial backing from local legislators, with letters of support submitted by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, State Rep. Rob Swearingen and State Sen. Mary Felzkowski.

In October 2024, the town received a call from the office of Gov. Tony Evers announcing they had been awarded the maximum grant amount.

“In October 2024, we received a phone call from the Governor’s Office informing us that we were awarded the full $4.25 million amount that the grant allowed,” Selby recalled. “This enabled us to present the project again to Phelps citizenry and it was approved, almost unanimously.”

With funding secured, detailed design work proceeded through 2025. Hoeft Construction, an Eau Claire-based general contractor, won the bidding process. Crews broke ground in August on the existing town hall and Eleanor Ellis Phelps Library site, and the outdated previous building was razed.

Stepping up support

The project was very much a community effort. Local resident Jean Petrick, owner of Imagine This Interior Design, donated more than 50% of her design hours.

“Jean Petrick was retained to provide a professional touch to our color selections and design choices,” Selby said. “Her involvement truly made the new community center a warm and aesthetically pleasing environment for citizens to gather in.”

Simultaneously, a local fundraising campaign was launched to offset the remaining loan balance and pay for amenities not covered by the grant, successfully raising more than $161,000.

Building the center required meticulous coordination. Town Clerk Sheryl Ward, alongside Lori Reschke and Lindenberg from the engineering firm, spent months tracking expenses by category to submit documentation for FFP grant reimbursement. The effort paid off, and Hoeft Construction completed the facility on time and within budget.

The finished facility combines the town offices, the Eleanor Ellis Phelps Library and the Phelps Chamber of Commerce into one modern space.

“The new community center will be a hub for activities in the Town of Phelps,” Selby said. “Where we used to use six or more spaces for community events and town meetings, we now can use one.”

The new center features a large event hall that can be split into three smaller rooms. Accompanied by a warming kitchen with a service counter, the hall offers banquet seating for 168 people and event seating for 234. All rooms are equipped with screens, audio systems and teleconferencing setups.

The building also pays tribute to the town’s heritage. The spacious Main Street hallway is lined with 30 floor-to-ceiling logs highlighting Phelps’ early logging history, alongside comfortable chairs, small tables, historic photographs and a large fireplace.

The expanded Eleanor Ellis Phelps Library now offers a private teleconferencing space for virtual meetings and a cozy reading nook near a beautiful fireplace.

Community programming is already scheduled. The Vilas County Aging and Disability Center will offer health and wellness programs, Medicare consulting and community blood drives. Future plans include senior meals, a telehealth partnership with the Lac Vieux Desert Health Center and educational classes through Nicolet College.

“This building will truly be the cornerstone of the community,” Selby said.