Whitewater: Community Engagement Center holds ‘soft’ grand opening

By Kim McDarison

A “soft” grand opening was held Thursday at the Community Engagement Center (CEC), Whitewater.

The building, 1260 W. Main St., which is often referenced by residents as “the purple building,” due to its distinctive exterior, is operated by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and tenants, coordinators and volunteers at the grand opening were eager to make people aware of the amenities and services inside, all of which are available to the public. 

Among volunteers on hand Thursday to greet and inform the public was CEC advisor and team member Meghan Williams, who explained that while the facility is privately owned, UW-Whitewater leases the space with an option towards ownership. Operations inside the building are managed with UW-Whitewater oversight, she said. 

The university opened the CEC in 2019, Williams, who is an audit liaison at UW-Whitewater, noted, and a grand opening event had been planned for March in 2020. Then came COVID, she said. It put a hold on grand opening plans. 

“The purpose of today is to open the Community Engagement Center to the public and let them know we are a place with space to rent for events. We are inviting the public in to see what is here,” she said.  

“Post COVID, we decided to have a soft grand opening,” she said, adding that the CEC team set a goal of having 100 people tour the building. The event opened at 4 p.m., and by 4:30, she said, some 50 people had arrived to check the place out. With the event planned to receive visitors until 6 p.m., Williams said she was very optimistic that the team would meet and even exceed its goal. 

“When people come in, they are surprised at what’s here and they are surprised at what’s available to the public, Williams said.  

The center is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

“We accommodate evening and weekend events,” Williams added. 

Currently, she said, the building is staffed with two student workers, and plans call for the addition of a CEC manager. 

Among activities available during Thursday’s opening was a guided building tour. With a small group assembled, Maureen Quass, a project coordinator at UW-Whitewater, began the tour in the building’s onsite print shop. 

As the group moved through the halls, tour participants were encouraged to stop and walk inside the various spaces. 

According to a printed brochure, the building offers some 11,000 square feet of newly renovated space, which includes 12 flex spaces, some of which can accommodate groups up to 200 people; board meeting rooms; training and classrooms; a commercial catering kitchen and even an art gallery. 

Among those on hand to answer questions and give tours was Molly Fuller, who serves as a member of the CEC advisory board and was volunteering her time during the open house. 

Inside the Community Engagement Center Gallery, Fuller pointed to a collection of 2D and 3D art pieces, some of which were made as prop and costume contributions for a theatrical production titled: “She Kills Monsters,” which, the exhibition brochure noted, was the creation of Qui Nguyen and focuses on “overcoming adversities and defeating the inner dragon, a subject matter that is larger and seemingly more powerful than the self.” 

According to the printed exhibition program, the “monsters” are the work of Eric Appleton, a professor of scenic design. “Head pieces” are the work of Marshall Anderson, professor emeritus of costume design, and selected prop and costume pieces are the work of student designers Abby Lezama-Smith and Lydia Oestriech. The UW-Whitewater theatrical production was directed by Sara J. Griffin. 

Other pieces included in the exhibition are from the UW-Whitewater permanent collection and span a broad range of mediums. 

The building further boasts a Co-Working Cafe, which features open work and collaboration space, individual workstations, conversation nooks and more. 

Finding opportunity from within the commercial catering kitchen, which is available to rent or to support an event, Fuller said, is Nordskov, a company that makes Nordic style craft coffee. 

Owner Ryan Rouse said he began the business with his partner, Sheryl Rosa, and they have been operating from the kitchen in the CEC since March. The company brings in raw green beans from all around the world, he said. 

“We do 100% of our business from here,” Rouse said, adding that services within the building, like the print shop, make it easy to take care of many of his business needs right inside the center.  

According to information on the company’s website, only a few micro batches are roasted each week. Coffee can be picked up at the CEC and the company participates as a merchant at the Janesville Farmers Market. 

More about the company is found here: https://www.nordskovgoods.com. 

Advocating the use of the CEC kitchen, Rouse said: “I would love to see more businesses in the area and this is an efficient way to do it.”  

Other community members on hand at the grand opening included Whitewater Common Council President Lisa Dawsey Smith who was passing out literature and answering questions. Dawsey Smith said she was participating as a Downtown Whitewater, Inc., volunteer. The organization works at “spearheading community efforts to re-energize and enhance our historic downtown,” according to its website. 

Also helping out was Executive Director of the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce Kellie Carper. 

Among those greeting guests with Warhawk enthusiasm was “Willie Warhawk,” who charmed visitors and posed for photo ops. 

For more information about the CEC, and inquiries about room rental fees and services available to the public, visit: uww.edu/community-engagement-center. 

Following are photographs from Thursday’s open house.