Author: ayres

What Does Brownfield Redevelopment Cost? Right Question Is ‘What Does It Pay?’

If you have a blighted area in your community, you can view it as a liability, or you can see it as an opportunity. That brownfield is probably shouting “ugly, ugly, ugly!” to all who drive by, but it might also be whispering “location, location, location.” Communities that can see beyond the scars and understand… Read More »

Quality Engineering Leaves Area Around Deluged Dam Safe, Not Sorry; Inspection Follows

There’s nothing like a flash flood to illustrate the value of professionally designed dam components … and the value of timely inspections to make sure floodwaters have not left the dam compromised. It didn’t take long for the Village of Strum’s new Crystal Lake Dam flashboards to prove their effectiveness. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources… Read More »

If You Build a 240,000-Square-Foot Grocery, They Will Come (But Put Up Traffic Signals First!)

A large retailer is coming to town, building on a highly visible plot of vacant land. What do you do to get the customers there? That’s the question officials in the City of Altoona, Wisconsin, needed to answer this summer. The new retailer is Woodman’s Market, a grocery superstore of 240,000 square feet – more… Read More »