Community members are invited to attend a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on the Learning Center at Lac Lawrann at 4:00pm, Tuesday, April 3 at Lac Lawrann Conservancy, 300 Schmidt Road in West Bend.

“This will be a monumental day for the conservancy and for community members,” said Paul DeChant, president of Friends of Lac Lawrann, a volunteer nonprofit organization that manages the conservancy for the city. “This project is the result of decades of work by many dedicated volunteers and truly is cause for celebration. The Learning Center will be a tremendous asset to the community for years to come, and we hope many community members will join us in marking this great day.”

The 3,200-square-foot, two-story Learning Center will be the first year-round facility at the 136-acre conservancy.

Friends of Lac Lawrann is spearheading a $1 million fundraising campaign for the Learning Center. A public portion of that campaign will be unveiled during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Learning Center, designed by Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Milwaukee, will have a rural, rustic appearance. It will include a 75-person classroom and activity area with windows filling most of three walls and will provide kitchen, gathering area and storage space on the main level, and 1,500 square feet of unfinished space on the lower level. Restrooms will be accessible from outside, providing year-round use for the conservancy and the adjacent Eisenbahn State Trail.

The Learning Center will provide space for more classes and activities throughout the year. It will also be available for rental use.

Lac Lawrann was founded in 1979 when Lawrence and Ann Maurin donated the conservancy to the city.

For more information on Lawrann Conservancy or to contribute to the capital campaign, call Naturalist Kate Peterman, 262-335-5085, or go to the website, www.LacLawrann.org, or Lac Lawrann’s Facebook page, where construction updates will be posted.