For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD — The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Everett Roehl Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Center at UW-Marshfield/Wood County will be at 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 13. Refreshments will be served in Gallery 450 in the Helen Connor Laird Fine Arts Building immediately following the short program. Parking is available in the Fine Arts Building lot. The ceremony will take place outdoors near the fine arts building. In the event of rain, all activities will be held in the commons. The public is invited to attend.

The event will include brief remarks by the following speakers:

—Steve Wildeck, vice chancellor, Administrative & Financial Services, UW Colleges.

—Doug Machon, chairperson, University Commission: UW-Marshfield/Wood County.

—Donna Rozar, president, University Foundation: UW-Marshfield/Wood County.

Contributions of $1 million each have come from Wood County and the city of Marshfield, and the remaining funding is through private donations. The capital campaign has raised $5.6 million to date for the building and renovation project.

“We are extremely grateful for the generous support we’ve received from the Wood County community,” said Roxie Wetterau, University Foundation executive director. “Due to an exceptional gift from Everett Roehl, founder of Roehl Transport of Marshfield, the building will be named the Everett Roehl STEM Center.”

Donations of any amount will be accepted throughout 2016 as the campaign continues to raise funds for the renovation phase of the project.

The Everett Roehl STEM Center is a two-story, 17,000 square-foot addition to the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus. Located between the Clark Administration and the Laird Fine Arts buildings facing West Fifth Street, the facility will house new chemistry, microbiology, and other labs. After the new building is complete, renovations are planned for the existing Aldo Leopold Science building, including adding distance between education classrooms and an engineering lab.