Search for new site for fleet repair facility continues in Wausau

Damakant Jayshi

With a west-side property that once housed Wausau Iron Works now out of consideration, city leaders this week directed staff to look into other options for a new site for the Department of Public Works Fleet Maintenance Facility.

According to a memo from the Public Works Director Eric Lindman to the Capital Improvements and Street Maintenance Committee, the owner of the 6-acre property at 1100 West St. reportedly declined to sell. The CISM committee will need to reevaluate sites previously proposed as well as possibly any new sites that may now be available, Lindman added.

Committee members, however, were not enthused about other options. Also, it was not clear if the owners of those other properties were willing to sell their land.

“None of these properties really jumped out at me,” CISM Committee Chair Lou Larson said. “It is sad. We offered the guy probably seven, eight times more than what he paid for it.”

“Way more than what it is worth,” Alder Lisa Rasmussen agreed. “It is just disappointing. I think we negotiated in earnest and we were fair with that.”

Rasmussen added she would like the staff to inquire more about the former Menards Plaza site on 28th Avenue, which the Department of Public Works has listed as an option. She said there were sound reasons why other sites previously proposed were not optimal.

Lindman said the Menards site is about 6 acres, the size that they are seeking. Rasmussen noted it’s a bit far for carrying materials back and forth but closer to the existing facility than other sites. Lindman said the site is likely for sale, but he will bring more information to the committee at a later date.

One site close to the existing facility is on Cleveland Avenue, but that parcel has generated significant pushback from nearby residents who want the land remediated. Residents have been asking for the property to undergo environmental cleanup to residential standards. That site, Rasmussen said, is not an option due to the opposition.

Another site considered is on Westwood Drive, but that property owner has plans for it.

Both the West Street and the Westwood Drive properties are among the eight sites that were under consideration. The CISM Committee eventually chose the former Wausau Iron Works property for the utility and engaged Barrientos Design to develop plans.

In August last year, Barrientos shared the design but the price tag was steep: over $25 million, significantly more than the initially estimated $17.36 million. No formal action was taken since the item was listed for updates on the DPW’s search for new fleet repair facility.