Milwaukee Curling Club Breaks Ground in Ozaukee County

The  broke ground on Tuesday for its new facilities to be located on the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds.

The groundbreaking represents the county's committment to making the fairgrounds — located in Cedarburg — the "showcase" of the county, Ozaukee County Administrator Tom Meaux told the Ozaukee Press.

The Ozaukee County Board on July 6 approved the 50-year lease on a to be constructed by October 2012 — just in time for the Curling Club’s season, which runs from October to March. The building will be used as an exhibit hall for the annual Ozaukee County Fair and other community events during the club’s off season.

The reason for the move, according to club president Mark Conrardy, is because of the all the major upgrades and refurbishing needed to the club’s current home at the Ozaukee County Country Club in Mequon. The move to Ozaukee County happened 40 years ago when a fire destroyed the club’s Milwaukee facility. 

The approval for the new location for the club did not come easy, Conrardy said. It’s been a three year process . The remaining balance on the estimated $3.8 million fairground building will be paid with annual rents of $50,000.

Curling involves teams of four pushing 42-pound granite stones across ice playing fields into target areas, known as "homes," according to the Milwaukee Curling Club's website.