As Smet’s passion for renovating historical buildings becomes well-known in northeast Wisconsin, it only makes sense that when the Oconto County Historical Society needed a facility to store their antique collection of cars and carriages, they selected Smet. Thus, on a beautiful, sunny June afternoon, several society members and on-lookers were treated to a ground-breaking at the Beyer House Museum grounds, home of the new facility.
Smet’s Vice President, Shaun McKeefry said, “This project means a lot to us because I am a resident here in Oconto.” He noted that Smet will do an excellent job and we are pleased to be working in Oconto. “For being a small community, there are many volunteers here and I am amazed this community has so many amenities,” McKeefry said.
Dave Retzlaff, project coordinator for the Historical Society, said he had been working tirelessly for this day for three years. He thanked everyone for their efforts with the vehicle restorations, the Bond Foundation for their contribution, Stephenson Bank, the volunteers and Smet Construction for their efforts in value engineering. “Right now, my heart is pumping a little bit. Good thing the Fire & Rescue Squad is here on-hand.”
Oconto’s Mayor Bostedt thanked everyone for participating in the process and said, “It is a glorious day. We are making history here today by taking the first shovelful and we are also in awe of Dave, who has been restoring these antique cars and carriages in his spare time.” Retzlaff, who began restoring one carriage several years ago, now has half a dozen with several more restorations planned. The new facility will allow the historical society to feature additional vehicles and to hold tourism-related events appealing to car enthusiasts and bus travelers. “We remember the day when we wondered what to do. We now have a plan and nothing is impossible when you have a plan,” the Mayor concluded.
Whether you have a building in need of restoration, or a building planned to house restorations, give Smet a call. With our love of history, we are sure to come up with a plan that will work for you and your restoration project.
For more information:
Greg Polacheck Director of Market Development
[email protected]
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