West Allis DPW Facility
Complete electrical construction for the City of West Allis public works campus.
Project Overview
Complete electrical construction for the 310,000+ ft² West Allis DPW campus, including main service and distribution, repair- and wash-bay wiring, and high-efficiency lighting for office, IT, and site infrastructure.
At more than 310,000 square feet, the West Allis Department of Public Works campus is the largest project in our projects portfolio. WIL-Surge Electric delivered its complete electrical construction, and the work was publicly bid, like much of the municipal work our crews carry out across Wisconsin.
- Location
- West Allis, WI
- Owner
- City of West Allis
- Size
- 310,000+ ft² campus
- Procurement
- Publicly bid
- Our scope
- Complete electrical construction, including high voltage
- Market
- Municipal
Scale & Multi-Trade Scope
A campus this size runs on a lot of power. Our in-house crews delivered the main service and power distribution, including high voltage distribution, that carries power across the campus.
Inside the buildings, the scope covered wiring for the repair bays and wash bays and high-efficiency lighting for the offices and IT spaces, with lighting extending to the site infrastructure around them. Carrying every part of that scope with our own crews is what a project of this scale asks of an electrical contractor.
Electrical Planning for a Public Works Campus
A multi-building public works campus asks different questions than a single garage. Power has to reach administrative offices, IT spaces, repair shops, wash bays, and storage buildings spread across a large footprint, and every one of those areas needs dependable service.
In general, larger campuses rely on high voltage distribution to move power efficiently over longer distances, with transformers stepping it down closer to the buildings and equipment that use it. That approach keeps voltage drop in check and gives owners more flexibility to serve new buildings or loads as a campus changes.
IT spaces deserve their own attention. Server and network rooms generally benefit from dedicated circuits, room for future equipment, and a clear plan for keeping essential systems running during a power interruption.
Operating & Maintaining Campus Electrical Systems
The larger the system, the more its long-term care matters. Switchgear, transformers, and distribution equipment on a large campus represent a major public investment, and owners get the most from that investment with regular inspection, testing, and preventive maintenance.
Safety is part of the same plan. An arc flash study and clear equipment labeling help facility staff and outside contractors understand the hazards at each piece of equipment before they work on it, and keeping those studies current as the system changes is a good habit for any public owner.
Lighting across large work areas is also a major operating cost. High-efficiency fixtures paired with occupancy and daylight controls can cut energy use in bays and offices that aren't occupied all day, and those savings add up quickly across hundreds of thousands of square feet.
Related Services
The West Allis DPW campus anchors our work in the Milwaukee metro. See our commercial electrical contractors in Milwaukee, or our municipal and sports facility contractors page for public works facilities, parks, and public buildings. For another public works facility, see the Pewaukee DPW garage.
Have a project like this one? Request a quote, or browse all our projects.
Have a project like this one?
Preconstruction support, budgeting, and design-build expertise, from a partner who self-performs the work.