For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: April 14, 2021
New auditorium to be completed in early May
Fennimore -
Anyone who walks onto the Southwest Wisconsin Technical College campus in mid-May will see a new auditorium. After walking in the main entrance in the College Connection building and past the new bookstore, the auditorium will be located a short distance down the hallway, formerly room 413. When finished, the auditorium will hold approximately 400 people without COVID-19 precautions or 125 according to COVID-19 protocols. Substantial completion is planned for May 7, with full completion on tap for May 17.
“This new space will provide for a variety of important events and will be a hub for our students, faculty, staff, and the community,” said Dr. Jason Wood, Southwest Tech president.
Jeff Keuter (left), project manager with TRICON Construction Group; Josh Bedward (center), Southwest Tech facilities manager and Dan Imhoff, director of facilities, safety and security at Southwest Tech, look over the auditorium blueprints.
Planning started two years ago, in response to options for a larger meeting space on campus. Facilities employees met with the Facilities Master Plan Project Team and it was suggested that room 413 be renovated into an auditorium. “As we dug into that project we realized that it was probably our best option to create a larger meeting space on campus,” said Dan Imhoff, director of facilities, safety and security at Southwest Tech.
Auditorium design began in March 2020, just prior to when the COVID-19 pandemic made its way to Southwest Wisconsin. “When those meetings are normally held on site and face-to-face we needed to transition and went virtual,” said Imhoff. “It was an interesting concept and we learned a lot.”
Designs were completed in October 2020 and construction began in January.
“The auditorium will be a universal space,” said Imhoff. “It will allow for larger class lectures, student activities, events hosted by outside organizations, student orientation and fall graduation, among other activities. Even with COVID, it gives us some flexibility.”
The audio and video elements in the auditorium will be state-of-the-art. The new presentation and conferencing system will be integrated and have the ability to record and stream. Two high-definition cameras will be mounted in the room. The capability to simultaneously stream an event via Facebook Live or YouTube will be available, upon configuration. All backbone video switching equipment will be able to transmit and display current HD content and 4K/UHD with compatible equipment, if desired, in the future. Presenters will have the ability to operate audio and video elements from the stage via a touch panel. “We wanted to make this a full-service space and utilize the latest technology,” said Heath Ahnen, director of Information Technology Services.
Currently, the Lenz Center is the main conference space on campus. That area is included in phase three of the college’s interior remodel plan, scheduled for renovation in 2022-23. The cafeteria is also included in that plan.
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |
