Newport Celebrates Its Unique New Building in 2008!

Newport State Park was initially purchased from the Hotz family and others in 1965. The state built the metal “garage and shop” in the 1970s along with the small “contact station”. The Newport Wilderness Society (NWS) was founded in July 1985 and has funded several space renovations in the “shop” to make a primitive nature center and interpretive area. Park staff and the NWS have been working to get an appropriate Park Office and Interpretive Space for over 20 years.

After years of waiting, and with the help of Senator Fred Risser and Governor Doyle, a new “PEVS”, park entrance, office and visitor station, and a “NIC”, nature interpretive center, was approved in the 2005-2007 Wisconsin Biennial Budget. The state used $480,000 from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and the NWS raised $180,000 to add the NIC to the building and an additional $50,000 to outfit the NIC with state of the art interpretive equipment and quality furniture.

Dorschner Associates of Madison was hired as the Architect/Engineer for the project in late 2006, bids for the project were announced in 2007 and B and K Builders of Marshfield was awarded the bid to be general contractor in May 2007. The building was actually started on July 9, 2007 and will be completed by February 2008 with the move in from the “old” office. By March the new building should be in full operation.

The “NIC” includes the “Hotz Wilderness Room” with its storage space. The room will accommodate 42 chairs for programs which can be shown through a new projector as DVDs, video tapes, power point or other computer programs. Even slides can still be projected on the new large projection screen. A high quality interactive touch screen computer will allow visitors to see programs about the Park, it’s facilities, history and natural wonders. The walls and cabinets of the room will contain displays about the Park and maps. There are 8 folding tables for use in the room as well.

The new NWS/Naturalist office, adjacent to the Hotz room will include an extensive reference library and desks for the Park Naturalist and the NWS.

Fine art and photography of Newport State Park will grace this new building as well.

The NWS funded “NIC” includes 1200 square feet of space. The “PEVS” has 800 square feet which contains the new restrooms (new well and septic system installed at the site), a large entrance atrium and customer service area, a new drive-up window, and the Park Office. The building has a very unique design. The exterior surface has a durable cement-fiberglass siding and shingle look of the original type of wood materials used in the 1880s in the village of Newport. The modern material has the advantage of being fireproof and not needing to be painted.

The NWS Board will be working diligently on helping the Park expand programming within the Hotz room and outside in the Park. Many volunteers from the NWS will be needed to act as guides and interpreters of the Park in the Hotz Wilderness Room .

All of you who helped fund this building should be very pleased with your contribution.

Take a look this Spring! Be sure to put Saturday, July 26, 2008 on your calendar to attend the NWS “official” celebration of the building.

Dr. Bill Scheckler

President, NWS

January 5, 2008

Madison Wisconsin