By Shereen Siewert
Crews next week will begin demolition on the now shuttered Wausau Center mall, according to a news release.
Fences will start going up around the mall on Monday. Crews will begin work on the former Sears building on Washington Street and will move west throughout the summer, ending at the J.C. Penney wing of the mall.
Most demolition will happen in the evening from about 7:30 p.m. to midnight, according to the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce. Parts of Washington Street will be closed as necessary while demolition continues.
City officials in Wausau are mulling whether to turn that portion of Washington Street into a two-way roadway with a bike lane when enough demolition makes that possible. The current section of road is one way.
Both parking ramps will remain open during all phases of the demolition and HOM Furniture will also remain open.
The 424,000-square-foot mall spanning eight city blocks, which opened in 1983, closed down April 5 after being sold to Wausau Opportunity Zone. The Wausau City Council in November approved a proposal to spend $4.7 million to help the group fund demolition and redevelopment of the space.
