By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — Talks are continuing for a possible downtown theater, two months after a previous theater proposal fell through, city officials said this week.
Members of the economic development committee in November directed city staff to continue exploring the idea of a theater. Then, Economic Development Director Chris Schock said he planned to present final options for the theater in December, with construction beginning in 2018.
The matter did not appear on the December meeting agenda, but Schock said “positive discussions are ongoing.”
“Micon has been in discussions with potential partners,” Schock told Wausau Pilot and Review.
The theater would be located in the former Sears space at the mall, a property the city purchased early last year for $650,000. An earlier development agreement between Micon Cinemas and the owners of Wausau Center mall officially fell apart this fall, despite months of negotiation between the two entities.
“The city doesn’t want to own the Sears building and keep it off the tax rolls any longer than we need to, but we also need to make sure we’re seeing the best deal possible for taxpayers,” Rasmussen said at the meeting.
