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HAYWARD, WI — For decades, the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Tribe, located in Wisconsin, has faced declining access to healthcare. Members of the tribe have struggled with heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and chronic diseases, many of which are preventable.
At last, an answer has developed in the form of a gleaming new facility in Hayward. It represents a nearly-$60 million investment in the healthcare future of the local Chippewa Indian community.
The new, 75,000-square-foot LCO tribal health center will replace two aging facilities elsewhere on the LCO reservation. The facility enables comprehensive health and wellness services to be provided in one state-of-the-art location with the ability to accommodate more than 77,400 annual patient visits.
Dr. Gary Girard, the former director of the LCO Community Health Center, who helped develop the plans for the new facility said, “The new building [makes it possible] to double the number of patients served annually.”
The new health center houses medical and dental clinics, a pharmacy, behavioral health services, substance use disorder recovery resources, a chiropractor, an optometrist, a podiatrist, a clinical lab and a dedicated space for medical imaging.
LCO Secretary-Treasurer Bill Trepanier said, “The Community Health Center—with its level 4 ambulatory bay [to provide emergency care], and a host of preventive medical, mental healthcare and dental care is a beacon of innovation and resilience, reflecting not just the spirit of our community but the enduring strength of our people across Indian Country.”
Roseville, MN-based Woodstone, Inc. won the contract as the facility’s general contractor. The company is a leading national Native American-owned construction firm with a diverse offering of services and expertise. The firm specializes in a wide range of projects such as hospitality, healthcare and gaming work; multifamily, senior care and educational facilities.
Jonathan Scott, Woodstone project manager, said of their work at the LCO healthcare facility, “We were hired by LCO to help them with their vision for a new healthcare facility that would replace the existing and outdated facility they previously used.
“This new facility includes a very sensible and functional design, with optimal year-round comfort. In addition to the other services mentioned, it includes space for urgent care, a pharmacy and radiology,” added Scott. “We teamed up with Brunton Architects and Engineers to design the building; we also worked with key members of the tribe to assure their design needs were met. Our collaborations brought their vision to life. The results are a beautiful multi-functional healthcare facility that will serve many generations.”
Plumbing & Mechanical Systems
KBK Services, Inc., based in Ashland, WI and with offices in Medford, WI, was tapped by the general contractor, Woodstone, Inc., to install all plumbing and mechanical systems.
KBK, begun in the 1940s, provides a wide range of plan and spec, and design-build commercial and industrial work—from backflow testing and breadth of hydronic and HVAC installation and service work to welding fabrication—while specializing in educational, hospitality and healthcare work.
“This job was well within our wheelhouse,” said Shawn Lund, KBK Services project manager. KBK Services is a full-service, non-union plumbing and HVAC contractor. “We typically work within the state of Wisconsin but have licenses in Michigan and Minnesota. We employee roughly 50 plumbers, pipefitters and sheet metal workers.”
KBK crews began their rough-in work in May of 2023, and closed out their responsibilities by Christmas ’24.
The LCO facility’s hydronic heating and cooling system is a two-pipe design, with all of the cooling, and much of the heat distribution served through fan-coil air handling units (AHUs) coupled with 4-inch to 12-inch single-duct Titus VAV boxes.
The exception is a substantial network of in-floor radiant heat installed for exterior rooms along the North wall. “Those areas are slab-on-grade, with no basement level below them,” explained Lund. “Winter months can be brutally cold in Hayward [WI], so the addition of radiant heat provides full assurance of comfort for those interior spaces event when winter is at its worst.”
Lund explained that equipment specifications for the heating and chilled water systems were made by Brunton Architects and Engineers, based in North Mankato and Minneapolis. A 186-ton Daiken chiller was chosen as the source of chilled water, serving two large air handling units and 68 area-specific terminal units. Connected to the AHUs for provision of heat are two 1500 MBH Riello boilers. Year-round comfort is achieved with hydronic flow managed by four Taco SKV Series (model 4007D) SelfSensing vertical in-line pumps connected to Danfoss VFDs.
Pump Smarter, not Harder
“SelfSensing with ProBalance pumps can be run in a constant-flow mode when governing primary chiller and boiler circulation—just as they’ll do at this facility,” added Lund. “Or, they could be applied to provide variable flow mode for secondary pumps, and constant pressure mode for booster pumps. A key advantage is efficient and accurate system balancing.”
Pump performance curves are embedded in the Danfoss VFD controller’s memory. During operation, pump power and speed are monitored, enabling the controller to establish the hydraulic performance and position in the pump’s head-flow characteristic. This allows the pump to continuously identify required head and flow at any point, providing accurate pressure control without the need for external sensor feedback. With built-in diagnostics, the VFDs (variable frequency drives) continuously monitor the system and provide early warning alerts, reducing downtime and enhancing system performance, important for a health care facility.
ProBalance pinpoints true system resistance without inducing false head, balancing internally and automatically. This means lower installed cost, no errors in setpoint, and a simplified construction schedule.
The pumps include automatic alerts for no-flow, dry-run and end-of-curve operation, and are electronically protected for overload and locked rotor conditions. SelfSensing SKV pumps—like those used for this job—are available in sizes from 1.5 hp to 60 hp (Taco’s SKS line is available from 1.5 hp to 250 hp).
“A real benefit for us, as installers, is that these pumps offer the ability to see all facets of system performance,” continued Lund. “And, if adjustments are needed, they have the ability to easily balance pump curves to precisely fit system resistance. This greatly reduces system balancing and commissioning time while moving that capability to the installer, instead of an expensive add-on control or commissioning agent.”
Previously, commissioning agents would need to invasively insert differential pressure sensors at a furthest point from the control VFD to accomplish flow metering, in addition to requisite programming, hardware and wiring—all at substantial cost.
“For building owners, this means custom integration with dramatically reduced installed cost, greater system intelligence, and continuous monitoring and control of system performance, and energy management for the life of the building,” added Lund.
SelfSensing pumps do not require sensors installed in the pipe and come with the VFD factory-tuned to that specific pump model. Pre-programming of the Danfoss VFDs to precisely control pump speeds and match system demand means the facility’s HVAC system operates at peak performance, delivering reliable comfort while minimizing energy use.
To simplify installation further, the drives are factory-wired and mounted directly to the pump or can be alternatively wall-mounted, depending on the mechanical room design.
“With SelfSensing pumping, there are no holes in the pipes for tubes or taps connecting remote, differential sensors together with the pumps,” said Richard Medairos, Director of Commercial Training at Taco. Self-sensing pump system design offers superb accuracy for variable flow, higher energy efficiency, lower installed costs and improved system stability.”
“This is one we can take pride in,” said Steve Kohn, Fluid Handling, who helped with specification of the pumps. “We formed a great design team, with the goal to deliver a hydronic system, with radiant delivery in primary patient rooms, worthy of the facility’s noble cause: first class healthcare for the Chippewa Indian community of Hayward. We’re confident that we’ve ensured reliable, energy-efficient, sustainable system operation for generations to come.”