Promote Pulaski Meets Again To Discover "Measure Twice and Cut Once" is a Sure Thing

Measure twice, and cut once. Words I can clearly hear my dad saying. Meaning that you should take your time and do your research and details before you start any project. After five hours of deliberation at Keller today, we called it quits on a Friday afternoon. We completed a lot, however, we still have a lot to do before the discovery process is complete.

Summarizing what was discussed today would be the preliminary details of space and usage for the entire first floor of the Barnyard Estates. This information that we completed today, will be enough for a conceptual design, or a bubble diagram that we should be able to have for a July 10th meeting with a tentative partner or financial contributor. However, there are several of us that have some homework prior to completing this information.

Not only did we discuss building, room, and even workspace build-out specifications, but we brainstormed ideas about how we would bring in potential partners. The question was how do we intend on presenting our ideas? What ideas or incentives can we bring to the table that would excite them. A cultural center or space was mentioned, specifically, Valley Queen Cheese Factory in South Dakota. They have a heritage center on Main Street in Milbank. The heritage center and cheese shop invites visitors to take a step back in time and learn about the founding and 91-year history of the company. A cultural or heritage center could be a space in the Barnyard Estates (possibly the wine and cheese/retail space) that creates a wall or an area to tell the story of Belgioioso, a company that was founded in 1979 by Errico Auricchio, whose great-grandfather was a cheese manufacturer in Italy. Auricchio started the first company in Denmark, Wisconsin. Another concept was the Cheese Counter and Dairy Heritage Center in Plymouth, Wisconsin, another road trip is planned to tour this facility and research ideas in the nearby future. 

Signage was discussed and determined that a monument-type signage with a simple digital sign underneath would be the plan. The individual businesses inside would have signage within, but would we would need to develop a structure or guideline for that. We also discussed something unique to the landscape, like a silo (with logos on it.) or even a large monument like a cow, an egg, or a large piece of cheese that would attract tourists to the Barnyard Estates. Could this also be a potential naming rights space? Absolutely. At the last meeting, a grainery-style gazebo would be important for the outdoor seating area. A couple of images below, just for visualization purposes.

As a group, we believe that one more discovery meeting will be needed to complete the first phase of this process. A meeting date will be determined this week. Keller will work on finishing the conceptual design before July 10th. Until then, we all need a little rest and relaxation from this extensive meeting. LOL, then we'll recharge and keep moving forward.

Discovery Meeting with Keller Structures Nearly Complete

On Friday, June 16th, 2023, Promote Pulaski members spent the entire morning at Keller, Inc. in Kaukauna for a Discovery Meeting on the Barnyard Estates Project. Some members also participated virtually. Keller has been in business since 1960, definitely a plus for the project at hand. Their longevity in the industry proves they will be a valuable asset to the Barnyard Estates and the community of Pulaski, Wisconsin.

In this discovery meeting - there were questions, questions, and more questions. Greg along with Jeremy from Keller led us in our discussion of the Barnyard Estates project.

We determined the overall look of the barnlike structure will be somewhat intertwined with a rustic and modern appearance - definitely more than 50% rustic. Lighting, building flow, what we liked about the first design, what we didn’t like, bathroom facilities, building materials, parking, capacity, and purpose of the rooms - it was all about details. Honestly, we had no idea how much was put into the building process.

This Friday, June 23rd, we return again and finish the discovery process, specific details about each of the spaces will be discussed.

The steering committee is a work in progress. We have a few new people on board that haven’t quite gotten their feet wet in the project and for a good reason. Our main goal is to finalize the building project details now that we’ve determined Keller Structures will be a partner in the project. Once these project details are finalized we’ll have a better grasp on what the total project will cost, therefore a better understanding of the direction we will need to take with financing and fundraising. As an example, knowing the square footage cost will help us with a formula for naming rights so that when we approach our corporations and private individuals we can provide actual numbers.

The Keller communication process so far has been nothing short of amazing, so we are anticipating for the most part “smooth” sailing in working with them. They are super excited to be working with us, and as a partner, they have committed to being part of the fundraising campaign process, where they intend on being present and providing guidance and will share their expertise along the way. What else could you ask for? For more information on Keller visit the website. at https://kellerbuilds.com/

Thank you to the Promote Pulaski Board Members that have been participating in the discovery meeting. We appreciate all that you are doing! #kellerbuilds #promotepulaski #barnyardestates