— Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Adri Sietstra Ground work construction at Briggs Woods Golf Course was in full swing Thursday afternoon. Peterson Construction is currently prepping the grounds near the clubhouse. Crews are using fill from what used to be the on-site driving range at Briggs Woods Golf Course.

Ground work construction has started for the future Briggs Woods Conference Center.

“Peterson Construction, who was awarded the contract, has been working really really hard to get the ground prep ready and the site ready for concrete,” said Kelly Haman, special events coordinator at Briggs Woods Golf Course. “Those are the first steps to the conference center.”

Crews are using dirt and clay from the on-site driving range to fill and grade the area behind the clubhouse where the conference center will stand.

“We were very very fortunate that we had a huge area of good clay-based soil to utilize for ground work fill,” said Haman. “It really saves us a lot of money not having to truck that from another source.”

When the filling process has finished, the driving range will be leveled off. According to Haman, the former range will be used for additional parking. This area will be a rock parking lot with plans to pave the lot in the future. If the additional parking is not sufficient for the conference center, they may look into shuttle services and utilizing some of the ample conservation properties located nearby.

“We’ve got ample places to park people,” Haman said. “It’s just making sure that they’re not so far away to walk to the center.”

Once the ground work is completed, then the ground must rest for 30-45 days before footings can be place and concrete can be poured.

“A lot of where we go from this point depends on Mother Nature,” said Haman. “Peterson Construction is hoping to do some concrete work this fall.”

From that point, workers will be waiting on the pre-engineered skeleton to arrive. Much of the later construction and timeline will depend on how much snow the area receives this winter.

Along with construction, Haman said that they are also finishing up policies for the center. This includes rental prices, menus and other imperative details. She hopes to release the policy information and pricing by Nov. 15.

“We’re working through those now to get everything set,” Haman said. “Hopefully in the next two to four weeks we’ll be able to release the information and let people go ahead and start pre-booking. There are a lot of people waiting for that information.”

As plans for the conference center began nearly two years ago, Haman is excited to see the progress happening at Briggs Woods. Individuals who visit the course will continue to see transitions throughout the next year as construction continues.

“Next year we’ll see the building going vertical and we’ll also see the landscaping starting to shape once they are completely done with ground breaking,” Haman said. “We’ll also start to get the event gazebo set and sculptures placed. It will be exciting to watch it all take place.”

For more information about the Briggs Woods Conference Center progress, contact Haman at kellyh@briggswoods.com or call the clubhouse at 832-9572.

Individuals can also contact Briggs Woods Golf Course General Manager Russ Appel at briggswoodsgolf@wmtel.net or Hamilton County Conservation board member Dennis Bahr. Bahr is the liaison from the conservation board to the conference center project.