Brillion Community Center needs major repairs

A full version of this article appears in the July 31, 2025, print edition of The Brillion News.

By David Nordby

The Brillion News

BRILLION – The Brillion Community Center faces major hurdles in order to remain open long term, and City Council likely will have to face tough decisions about its future soon.

During Monday night's Committee of the Whole meeting, Department of Public Works Supervisor Andrew Maertz told City Council that the necessary roof repairs above the pool carry an estimated $393,177 price tag.

Inspectors recently examined the roof above the pool.

“What they found was the insulation is fully saturated,” Maertz said. “The only way it could get like that realistically was by not putting in the proper paper barrier when that roof was installed.”

“The thought was the roof was leaking, and after more investigation, it’s not so much a leak as it is condensation dripping from the roof,” Maertz added.

The pool area roof already had condensation dripping because concrete beams are on the steel roof, Maertz said.

“You already have condensation issues just because the cold concrete on the warm steel,” Maertz said, adding the insulation is also thinner than it should be.

Maertz described it as “not a good situation.”

The examiner told Maertz that it was a “seven out of 10” on the emergency scale.

“This is where I’m going to need direction from you all. This isn’t really like something that we can just talk about quick at the meeting. This is going to have to be a larger conversation,” Maertz said.

Alderperson Joe Behnke asked how the other sections of the roof on the building are.

“None of the roofs are in great condition. They’re all aged,” Maertz said.

The center was built in 1971. Roofs have been replaced along the way at various times.

Mayor Mike Smith asked Maertz what the number would be for repairs on the pool drainage system that also needs fixing. Maertz emphasized he has not gotten a number back on that, but it would likely not be under $100,000.

“We’re talking a healthy chunk of change between the two,” Maertz said.

The city puts in about $300,000 a year for the center from its budget and typically records a loss. Behnke noted that the city is also still paying off what was a $600,000 investment less than a decade ago. For years, the city’s financial situation was so dire that it was only making payments against the interest.

“This is a constant battle with the roofs on that building,” Behnke said.

When Smith temporarily pushed to disband the Parks and Recreation Commission last winter, the Brillion Community Center was a topic of conversation then, too. Alderperson Tim Hanson is the council’s representative on the commission.

“I said a couple months ago that that building was on borrowed time, one pipe away from having the pool go out, and between the pool and the roof and the HVAC and the kitchen stuff … I’m ready to demolish the building and just say, hey, if you want it, we’re going to have to build a new one,” Hanson said.