$1 parking ramps and village administrator trouble | Wausau news
$1 parking ramps and village administrator trouble | Wausau news
The Weekly Wausonian for May 12, 2022
A fairly benign bit of housekeeping around the city’s deal with the Wausau Opportunity Zone around the mall redevelopment deal sparked a surprising bit of controversy.
Some city council members questioned a portion of the agreement that would allow WOZ, which is working to secure developers for the former Wausau Center site, to buy the two city parking ramps for $1 each should the city no longer want them.
A move to amend that cost to a fair market assessment was rejected by the majority of the council Tuesday evening. And the city’s finance director told the council they likely didn’t have much value anyway, since they’d probably cost more than $2 million to tear down.
But, WOZ Secretary Joe Mella said, the ramps are valuable to WOZ. If a potential developer were to build high-density housing, for instance, the parking ramp would prove valuable for those tenants.
Related to the mall redevelopment, city leaders expect to hear soon how much public funding has gone to the mall project, as well as how much private funding.
What else in Wausau news?
City leaders approved a one-year contract with FlashVote to conduct surveys for the city. The city sought the firm out as an alternative way to reach out to residents for input, since public input sessions were poorly attended.
The city’s Human Resources Committee approved a social worker position to work with the homeless. The position would be housed in the police department and would be funded with pandemic relief funds. The city’s finance committee and city council will still need to approve the position. Subscribers got much more detail on this situation this week:
A quick-acting police officer saved the life of a juvenile who appeared to try to jump off a downtown parking ramp. Police were alerted by the juvenile’s friend, who said their friend was suicidal. An officer was able to approach and grab the child before that person could jump.
Around the metro
The village of Kronenwetter met in closed session to discuss the village administrator’s performance. Village President Chris Voll told The Wausonian that the meeting was simply to get the new board members up to speed on the administrator’s performance reviews, but that more meetings could be coming. The news comes as a number of employees have left the village recently.
A Schofield Alder is now running for 85th Assembly. Kristin Conway announced last week she would run as a Democrat to challenge Rep. Pat Snyder. Snyder announced a month ago he was running for re-election.
Schofield plans to vacate its city hall. The village plans to move its staff into its public works building on Alderson Street. No timeframe was given for the move.
The Plover Starbucks workers voted last week to unionize, becoming the second Starbucks in the state to do so. The Plover workers announced in February their intent to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board will still need to finalize the vote.
Entertainment
Sunday, May 15: Tales Between Two Depots missed an obvious Charles Dickens reference in its naming scheme — but maybe A Tale of Two Depots in all fairness isn’t as apt as the current title. Anyway, this cool historical event looks at seven historic buildings between two historic railroad depots in the downtown area. Meet at the 400 Block and take a walk while you learn history. Noon-4 pm. Check out the event page for more details.
Saturday, May 14: The Short Pay Riders are a group formed around John Pearson, an excellent area musician with a deep voice like Johnny Cash/Nick Cave. Pearson’s album is excellent and you should check it out. Check out this Americana group live at CIAO starting at 8:30 pm. See the event page for more details.
Saturday, May 14: Looking to put some miles on that bike that’s been collecting dust in the garage? Or just looking for a cool bicycle event? This ride, called Take a Ride 2022, leaves out of Central Waters Brewing Co. with routes of 10, 30 and 50 miles. It has a sag wagon, water and snack stations, a drink cup for Central Waters afterward (hey, you gotta hydrate) and a t-shirt. And there will be a food truck on site. Check out the event page for more details.
Sports
Wausau West Boys Golf still holds first place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Warriors lead Wisconsin Rapids in the standings after coming out ahead on Leg No. 4 at Wausau East (Greenwood Hills) Tuesday.
The D.C. Everest Girls Soccer Team has yet to be defeated this season. The Evergreens hold an 8-0 record and first place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Evergreens defeated SPASH 8-0 Tuesday to keep its undefeated record. D.C. Everest has recorded six shutouts this season (meaning games in which the opponent failed to score any goals).
Wausau West will have a new Athletic Director next year. Jason Foster will take over the role, according to the Wausau School District. Foster has been the head football coach for the last six years and was named Coach of the Year by the Valley Football Association. He will take over for Brian Miller, who will serve through this school season.
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