Wayne Schlotfeldt, President of Schlotfeldt Engineering, and Gary Anderson, with Skott & Anderson Architects, were present to answer questions about the project and visit with community members.

“The architects have been working hard on a weekly basis and we finally came up with a final plan, so we wanted to unveil that to the public so that they could see it,” said Russ Appel, Briggs Woods Golf Course Superintendent and General Manager.

“Tonight’s really going well. We provided the conceptual 3-D renderings and site plan, as well as the project itself,” said Schlotfeldt. “We’re providing a public conference center with 11,520 square feet which will provide a capacity of 350 people for the events that will take place.”

“This is when we are unveiling our final plans -there’ll be tweaking that will be done to it- but as far as the scale of the building, size of the rooms, all that kind of stuff,” said Kelly Haman, Briggs Woods Special Events Coordinator.

The projected plans for the Briggs Woods Conference Center are pictured above. These plans were available for viewing Wednesday night at Briggs Woods Golf Course clubhouse during the Briggs Woods Conference Center launch.

According to Haman, the new building will feature three different meeting rooms, which can seat 203 people, 165 people, and 183 people respectively.

“The walls can also be opened up and we’ll be able to seat 350 to 400 people when it’s wide open,” Haman said.

According to Haman, the Briggs Woods Conference Center will cost an estimated $2.2 million dollars.

“Construction costs, we’re estimating and we’ve got a nice buffer in there as well, but it’s estimated at $ 2.2 million,” said Haman.

According to Appel, funds for the conference center must be raised through donations and grants.

“We’ll really kick into some high gear now as far as raising the funds to build it, because it has to be one hundred percent paid for between donations and grants,” said Appel. “We’re hoping this will be the kick-off for that and that we’ll get very aggressive with the fundraising in the next couple of months and hopefully get it all raised.”

According to Haman, fundraising efforts are gaining momentum.

“We’re doing very well. Right now we have a couple very large grants in the works that we’ll hear back on in the next three to four months. Those are worth about $900,000 combined,” Haman said. “We have several smaller grants also.”

Haman noted that the estimation of money raised through donations is in the six-figures with more donations being received at the launch.

“Fundraising, donation-wise, we’re at right around $600,000,” said Haman. “We’ve gotten some nice donations tonight already. It’s fantastic.”

Haman is excited about the benefits that will come with the newly constructed building.

“I’m excited for everything. Having space to do what we need to do, having a proper kitchen to work out of, being able to be indoors,” Haman said.

The conference center will be a separate structure from the clubhouse, according to Appel.

“We’ve had a lot of changes from our original plans with the conference center. We’ve been all over the board. It was going to be attached to the clubhouse , and then we just decided we’re going to separate it,” said Appel.

According to Haman, the conference center will provide a better experience for both the employees and individuals/groups/businesses who use the facility in the future.

“We have a great outdoor space planned for the conference center, but it’s outdoor space in addition to the indoor space where before, we were all outdoor space. Irregardless of rain, wind, and thunderstorms so this will be fantastic,” said Haman.

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful building,” said Haman. “Our architect, Gary Anderson, and engineer Wayne Schlotfeldt, they’ve designed an absolutely beautiful building.”

Haman hopes to begin ground preparation early this spring.

“Right now we are still working through the fundraising process and the design process with the architect and engineer, so we’re guessing about four months from now we’ll probably be going through the bidding process,” said Haman.

“Since it is a pre-engineered metal building, we’ll have to order that, so we’ll probably be looking at this fall for starting construction,” said Haman.

“I’m very pleased with the turnout tonight. I think we are going to have a facility that’s fantastic and I think the community is really going to be proud of what they have,” Appel said. “We hope to draw a lot of people from out of town and help stimulate the economy of Webster City, not just Briggs Woods.”

Anyone interested in donating or learning more about the project can call the Briggs Woods Golf Course at (515) 832-9572 and ask for Appel or Haman or contact the Enhance Hamilton County Foundation.