With about 100 people on hand, the ribbon was cut yesterday afternoon, officially opening the doors of the new BayCare Clinic Lakeside Campus in Manitowoc.
Located on the former Elks Club Property on the east end of Waldo Boulevard, this project has been in the planning process for around two years, as Mike Schmidt, the Director of Strategic Growth at BayCare explained while also acknowledging his partner on the project, Purchasing and Facilities Manager, Michelle Kropsie.
“From before the first shovel was put in the ground, all the way to us picking out the different flavors of coffee in the break room, we have been a team for the last two years,” Schmidt joked. “It has been a long two years, but without a doubt, Michelle has done the heavy lifting of every detail into this building and this facility, and we wouldn’t be here without her.”
Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels voiced his excitement regarding the development of the previously blighted property.
He said, “This is truly turning into a beautiful area of the City of Manitowoc to take advantage of our greatest asset, Lake Michigan just to the east of us.”
BayCare CEO Chris Augustine spoke of the future of the Lakeside Campus, which was kept in mind from the moment the planning process began.
“We have the ability to expand,” he told the crowd. “We own the land from the road to the roundabout. The building is made to be expanded, and I have no doubt that at some point in the future we will expand on this facility, and continue to provide care locally.”
As previously reported, BayCare will be offering orthopedics, podiatry, neurosurgery, and pain management at this location right off the bat, as with the Ophthalmologists in the area and Aurora’s physical therapy services moving in an estimated six months down the line.