No matter who you ask, Tuesday’s groundbreaking of The Dorr Hotel in Sister Bay was a long time coming. Officials from the Village of Sister Bay, Door County Economic Development Corporation, Sister Bay Advancement Association, and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation were among those present for the first shovels of dirt on the site of future 47-room boutique hotel. Speaking to the crowd during the ceremony, developer Chris Schmeltz talked about his Door County roots that led to three years of work to make The Dorr Hotel a reality.

It has been even longer for Village of Sister Bay President Dave Lienau, who has been waiting for a replacement of 45 hotel rooms in the downtown for 10 years and something to be built on the site itself for close to 15 years.

The dose of winter weather earlier this week will limit what can be done this month, but construction on The Dorr Hotel expect to begin in earnest in the spring.