Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Ethyn Peterson of Northern Concrete Construction Inc. works in an excavated area Tuesday as concrete pouring begins for the foundation of a new Prevea Health clinic in Shawano.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Greg Bielinski of Northern Concrete Construction Inc. works on pouring concrete Tuesday for the foundation of a new Prevea Health clinic at 1276 E. Green Bay St., Shawano.
Prevea Health has launched construction of a new Shawano walk-in clinic that could be serving patients in the area by next April.
Crews have cleared the former site of Anello’s Torch Lite restaurant, 1276 E. Green Bay St., and have started work on the foundation for the nearly 10,000-square-foot clinic.
Green Bay-based Prevea Health is branching out into Shawano County to improve services for customers throughout the region.
Prevea President and CEO Ashok Rai said construction has started without any hitches, and the health care provider has enjoyed a warm welcome from people in the Shawano area.
“We are very excited to be a part of the Shawano community,” Rai said. “Everyone deserves high-quality health care that is close to home, and we are honored to soon be able to provide our services to the Shawano area.”
Prevea operates more than 40 other locations throughout Wisconsin, including Pulaski, Gillett and Oconto Falls, but this will be its first venture into Shawano County.
Scheduled to open in April, the clinic will provide urgent care services until 8 p.m. on weekdays and until 4 p.m. on weekends. The clinic also will provide primary care services and specialty services to be detailed later.
The project is being managed by Rodac Development and Construction LLC of Green Bay.
Shawano zoning administrator Brian Bunke said the clinic has been nicely designed to fit well on East Green Bay Street. Once it opens, the health care facility could entice other new businesses to consider the surrounding area, Bunke said.
“It’s more of a draw down that way,” he said.
Plans submitted to the city show a clinic measuring 9,936 square feet with about a dozen patient exam rooms, a conference room, a lobby with a library/education studio, and about 50 off-street parking spaces.
The building permit indicates that the project is expected to cost $1.7 million, not including real estate acquisition.
Prevea Health began considering the site after Anello’s Torch Lite was destroyed by fire in December 2014. The restaurant owners rebuilt on an adjacent site, clearing the way for Prevea to redevelop the property, which also included a private residence.
The presence of wetlands meant state and federal regulatory reviews, but regulators approved Prevea’s plan to establish a large pond behind the new clinic.
The private residence was demolished, and crews began excavating the site in mid-July.
Northern Concrete Construction Inc. of Denmark had crews on-site this week to begin pouring concrete for the clinic’s foundation. Officials hope to have the main building exterior completed before the winter freeze.
Rai said crews have not encountered any unexpected issues or delays.
“We are off to a smooth start,” he said.