Residents have been asking City Hall for more filters for their pitchers to deal with excess PFAS in their drinking water — but it turns out, the city already has some.
City leaders say 2,000 of the pitchers the city ordered have gone unclaimed, and the city’s Finance Committee directed staff to separate the extra filters to give them to residents needing them.
City Council President Becky McElhaney advised some caution, however; many residents told her they were never notified of their pitchers being available. Emails about the pitchers went to spam filters and some residents don’t use the internet.
But they can still get their pitchers by contacting the city, and if more filters need to be ordered, Finance Director Maryanne Groat says they can be ordered.
This week The Wausonian looked at the demise of a fire department in a small village in Portage County. Though it’s ordinarily outside The Wausonian’s coverage area, it serves as a cautionary tale about municipal neglect, and what municipal leaders are concerned about when they decide to merge departments.
What else in Wausau news?
Tuesday evening storms left trees and branches down throughout the city Wednesday morning. Further storms were expected Wednesday night, and Wausau Events canceled Concerts on the Square, including the indoor option, as a result.
City leaders approved hiring three more firefighter/paramedics to join the Wausau Fire Department. That’s part of a plan to ultimately hire 12 total firefighters. Why? Because the department hasn’t seen an increase in firefighters since the 1970s, while call volumes have doubled in the past two decades alone.
Wausau Opportunity Zone released new details on the upcoming project on the former mall site, but a construction start date has not yet been announced. The $44 million first phase of the project will involve housing built by T. Wall Enterprises. The full block, located south of Washington Street and east of Third Street, when complete will have 500 units of housing along with retail, dining and green space.
The United Way’s Ben Lee presented to the city council the recommendations of the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force that first met in November. Of the five recommendations, which include things such as child care payments and rent subsidies to low-income individuals, four of them involved using pandemic relief dollars.
A Weston man has been arrested after vandalizing a number of Wausau businesses. Police say Paul Kreft vandalized five Wausau businesses, including Angelo’s Pizza, Pearl Luvs Earl, Subway, Thrive Foodery and The Boys and Girls Club. Kreft is currently facing charges of disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property and bailjumping, according to court records. Kreft is currently free on a $500 signature bond.
Around the metro
Fat biking at Nine Mile Forest and Recreation Area appears nearly ready to go for next winter. The trails are being designed to avoid conflict with other users. Fat biking this winter will be considered a trial run to see how well it works out.
Marathon County tourism rebounded in 2021 compared to 2020, according to a new report from the state’s tourism arm. Tourism spending increased 20.5%. That lagged improvements statewide and neighboring counties. The chart below shows the comparison.
Entertainment
Thursday, June 16: A great brunch spot might seem like an odd spot for a classic car show; but then, considering that brunch spot is called The Filling Station, it’s actually kind of perfect. Come check out this casual car show starting at 3 pm at The Filling Station and enjoy their car show dinner special (see the link for the menu). Or bring your classic car down and win one of three categories. See the event page for more details.
Saturday, June 18: It’s pretty awesome to have some comedy options in the area again, and this spot at Mosinee Brewing Company will… well, hit the spot. (Hey, THEY’RE the comedians, not me.) The Brewery Comedy Tour brings some of the best working comics from New York, LA and other parts of the country to breweries around the country. $16, 8 pm, see the event page for more details and ticket info.
Sunday, June 19: It’s Father’s Day, so why not head out for a little run? If running is your thing, it’s hard to imagine a less scenic place than Willow Springs, which will host its Tour de Willows 5k Trail Run. It starts at 9 am, $30 includes a T-shirt and dairy goodies (oh heck yes!). See the event page for details and registration.
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the full listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
D.C. Everest Girls Soccer saw an end to their dominant run last week. The Evergreens lost to Eau Claire Memorial 2-1 last week. Eau Claire Memorial went on to lose to De Pere 3-1.
The Wausau Woodchucks are nearing .500 ball again after delivering a 2-1 loss to the Green Bay Rockers on Tuesday at Athletic Park. The Chucks held on with runners on for the Rockers to eek out the victory. They’re now 7-8 on the season. The Chucks were scheduled to host the Rockers again Wednesday but that game was rained out in Wednesday’s storms.
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