TEAM EFFORT
The general contractor for the University of Wisconsin-
River Falls Falcon Center for Health, Education, and
Wellness was Miron Construction. “The Daily Reporter,”
a statewide construction newspaper, counted the Falcon
Center and seven other projects completed by Miron
Construction among the publication’s “Top Projects” in
Wisconsin in 2017. Miron Construction has offices in
Neenah, Eau Claire, Madison, Milwaukee, and Wausau,
Wisconsin, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
CLEAR COMMUNICATION
Looking back on the three years of construction, Ayres
Project Manager Raivo Balciunas said his job turned
out to be making sure the path was clear so that team
members could get the work done.
“We had a lot of good people who really knew their
jobs,” he said. “Success resulted from everyone knowing
and doing their jobs, addressing concerns early, and
keeping the communication flowing.”
Braun remembers the first discussions of the need
to upgrade the university’s athletic facilities. In the
1990s the facilities were “what you’d expect to find in a
junior high today,” he said. In recent years, the several
hundred students enrolled in the university’s Health
and Human Performance program were going to eight
locations on campus for the specialized instruction the
program requires, including classes in an old facility that
once served as a cafeteria, Braun said. With the opening
of the Falcon Center, that instruction is centralized.
Athletic teams enjoy improved facilities, and all students
have access to improved recreational opportunities.
“We were fortunate to have good design, good site
engineering, a good contractor, good weather, and good
cooperation from students and staff,” Braun said. “To
have the Falcon Center in the ground and operating is a
real triumph.”
AyresAssociates.com
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