WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Those who drive between Wausau and Rib Mountain using S17th Avenue may have noticed a change in the landscape this spring when Marathon County demolished the former cold storage building on West Street.
Administrator Lance Leonhard says the Board of Supervisors approved the move last year as part of its larger west-side master plan, which could lead to private new development in the area as part of the west-side master plan. “There’s a lot of little pieces that go into that and at each stage, the County Board has a great opportunity to continue to evaluate that plan,” said Leonhard.
The building was acquired by the county after it was damaged by fire several years ago. It sat adjacent to the highway garage and the county Emergency Management and Medical Examiner’s office. He doesn’t see any issues in moving the Emergency Management office. “That [would be] relatively easy. It’s a staff of two people. In fact, there are no real renovation or capital costs that will come with that. It’s just relocating existing equipment.”
The medical examiner’s office is part of a larger discussion that’s been going on for five years involving the potential creation of a regional morgue. Multiple counties have been involved in those talks to bring medical examination and forensic science services closer to home. Those talks are closer to the end than they are to the beginning. “We have a good plan and we’re hoping the state comes through with some funding and we’re hoping for funding from the federal government as well. If we can make that happen, [it frees up] another portion of that West Street that will allow the County Board to decide how they want to move forward.”
The county has also long been examining the possibility of moving the Wausau highway garage out of the middle of the city. Should all of those properties be vacated, Leonhard says it would then be up to the Board of Supervisors to decide what to do next. There’s no current timeline for when those last few pieces may fall into place.
Leonhard adds that the county is also in the final stages of moving its social services building from Thomas Street into the NCHC campus, which would then free up a parcel of land for possible redevelopment as well. There are also discussions about what to do with the offices located on River Drive, as those could be redeveloped as part of the City of Wausau’s South Riverfront Development plans.
Other topics Leonhard discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- County highway work
4:15- Possibility of increased shared revenue
8:35- Shrinking the county’s building footprint for increased efficiency
