July 7, 2026 – West Bend, Wi – On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at 4 p.m. the Washington County Building Project Committee will meet to discuss the remodeling project at the Washington County government building, 432 E. Washington Street. The 2023 Washington County Master Plan carried a price tag of $83 million.
Tuesday’s meeting on the multi-phase renovation will focus on signage. Washington County Supervisor Brian Krebs was questioned about the sign facing Highway 33 recognizing the Herbert J. Tennies Government Center. That sign was dedicated in March 2016.
More than 150 people gathered on the front lawn of the Washington County Government Center that Tuesday afternoon in 2016 to pay tribute to County Board Chairman Herb Tennies for his 50 years in office. Dignitaries included Gov. Scott Walker, Justice Annette Ziegler, Mayor Kraig Sadownikow and the list goes on.
Check out the video of Herb saying ‘Thanks.”
Krebs said he was unaware that the building’s honorary name would change.
Krebs believed the change is more closely tied to the relocation of the building’s primary public entrance. The public will no longer be able to enter through the west side of the building.
“What was the original main entrance, that’s gone away because that becomes a room inside the building, like a staff room,” Krebs said. “I don’t know if the signage is being relocated… or if it’s actually being changed to a different size and configuration.”
Below is the signage page in the agenda packet for Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Krebs said the signage project and relocating the public entry is part of a much larger long-range campus plan intended to improve public access, security and eventually consolidate county services on the north side of Highway 33.
Earlier estimates for some of the renovation have been reported around $8 million, though Krebs said he believes the total may be higher after contingency funds were used during earlier phases.
“On the first two phases, they used up most of the contingency money, both through unexpected costs to the project, but also there was what I call meeting scope growth, primarily related to the card-reader and security network,” he said.
Under the renovation, the current western entrance will become an employee-only entrance. Visitors will now enter through a shared public lobby on the east side serving both the courthouse and government center.
“If you look at the configuration of where the departments and offices are shifting, that’s all shifted over to that entrance, which is what our long-range campus map plan had called for,” said Krebs.
He added that expanding parking on the east side also supports the new traffic pattern.
Krebs said building security was one reason for consolidating public entrances.
When asked about recently installed security bollards, Krebs said he could not recall the specific cost.
“I don’t remember what that line item was, but I’m sure it’s always more than you want it to be or think it would be,” he said.
Krebs said discussion is expected later this year regarding the future of the Public Agency Center (PAC) across Highway 33. Whether the building is renovated or replaced will ultimately be decided by the County Board.
Krebs estimated a replacement facility has previously been discussed in the $40 million to $50 million range.
According to Krebs, concerns about the PAC extend beyond its age.
“A lot of leaks,” he said. “There’s just a lot of… lower-quality construction from just based off of when that building was built and how they chose to build it.”
Krebs said relocating departments north of Highway 33 would eliminate the need for employees to routinely cross the highway and could eventually allow the county to return the south-side property to taxable status.
“If they do go with the campus plan, that would vacate all the county departments off the south side of 33,” he said.
He said the decision ultimately comes down to balancing maintenance costs against replacement.
Krebs added that the government center work is only one component of a broader master plan for the county campus that has evolved over several years and will require additional County Board decisions before future phases move forward.
Tuesday’s meeting at 4 p.m. is at the Herbert J. Tennies Government Center – Room 1019. The meeting is open to the public.
