Ice rink in hot water | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of March 20, 2025

The ice rink at Marathon Park is in hot water without some needed repairs, the city’s parks director says.

And those repairs could cost nearly $1 million.

The county’s HR, Finance and Property Committee last week approved spending money to fix the ice rink; but broader concerns over the rink’s future remain.

The secondary rink at Marathon Park opened three weeks late this season because of needed repairs and at one point parks staff weren’t sure if it would open at all, said Parks Director Jamie Polley. The secondary rink is 40 years old and the main rink is 50 years old. Youth hockey, Wausau East and Wausau West, and the Wausau Cyclones play at the ice rinks.

Repairs are likely to cost more than $900,000. The committee approved the repairs, which then must go to the county board.

But the future is less certain. Polley said the repairs should keep the ice rink running for a few more years, but long term the county board will need to decide whether or not to “stay in the ice business,” which will mean a new arena. The county used money from FEMA to study what a new ice rink or a revamped ice rink could look like if they also contained a safe room - safe rooms are a priority for FEMA which could be a unique way to get a grant for a new ice arena. And, being open year-round could help the county collect more revenue on the arena that it currently misses out on being closed half the year.

Committee members were interested but said any new facilities would need fundraising buy-in from user groups using the facility.

Readers this week also read about the Wausau School District’s referendum ask coming early next month:

As well as Mayor Doug Diny weighing in on the ethics board situation along with a copy of his response to the board (and we have someone working on a response too):

What else in Wausau?

Wangard unveils new Riverlife project: Wangard Partners has a new project for the Riverlife area. The company was given a development option on the Riverlife area south of the current Riverlife Apartments last year. The developer says they plan to build two apartment buildings with a total of 144 units, plus a clubhouse. The Plan Commission approved the plan but a representative of Cloverbelt Credit Union across the street expressed concerns about traffic, saying it’s already getting congested on some days. She worried the traffic would get worse with the apartment’s driveway exiting close to the First and Fulton streets intersection.

City could partner with NTC for new fire training tower: City leaders are talking with NorthCentral Technical College about partnering on a new training tower for the fire department. According to Wausau Fire Chief Jeremy Kopp, NTC has put money aside in its 2025-2026 budget for a potential facility, and the city in the partnership would supply the land. The tower could be rented to other departments, serving as a potential revenue source for the city. Right now, Kopp says, there are no facilities in Marathon County for that type of training, and having that type of training could improve the department’s ISO rating. Kopp at the city’s infrastructure committee said he would bring back three options for potential properties.

Wausau man facing 8th OWI charge: A Wausau man is facing his eighth OWI charge after a restaurant worker noticed his condition and called police. Steven Podeweltz, 60, of Wausau is being held on a $15,000 cash bond after being arrested March 8. According to police reports, Podeweltz revved his engine outside the unnamed fast food restaurant before coming inside. A fast food worker noticed him stumbling and slurring his words. The worker called police who ultimately arrested Podeweltz after he left the restaurant.

Special event fee passes committee: The city’s Public Health and Safety Committee gave the OK to a $1 fee on ticketed events requiring city resources. The fee only applies to ticketed events and does apply to free tickets as well (such as sponsored blocks or other tickets given away). It does not apply to free events such as Concerts on the Square. The fee was discussed as part of the 2025 budget process, part of a way to achieve the 2% increase Mayor Doug Diny called for.

Police chief says homeless individuals told him they want more accountability: Wausau Police Chief Matt Barnes told the city’s Public Health and Safety Committee that one theme emerged from his discussions with the city’s homeless and those who had been homeless recently: They want more accountability. “The answers I received surprised me,” Barnes said after he interviewed several homeless and formerly homeless people. Referring to the current services around the homeless: “Every single person said they felt that if there was more accountability, they would be farther along in their journey out of homelessness.” The comments came as Barnes discussed the request for proposals for a new homeless shelter that the city and county is partnering on. He highlighted other challenges, like someone working on sobriety needing to sleep next to someone who is drunk, or women not feeling safe in the shelter. The city will get proposals for the new shelter by the end of the month.

Around the metro

Error leads to delay in county taking Schofield mobile home park: An error in the delinquent tax letter sent out to the owner of the Northern Communities Mobile Home Park owners means a 90-day delay in the county taking the park. Marathon County’s attorney Michael Puerner said he noticed an error in the letter from the treasurer’s office and recommended they send out a corrected version to the owner to make sure there are no complications. Puerner told The Wausonian that the letter contained the tax foreclosure process and not the tax deed process, and did not explain that the property would be taken by tax deed at the end of the process. That means the owners have another 90 days to pay the costs. But, he says, the county has been able to work with WPS and is able to start remediating the property. The county also plans to put a special assessment for the cleanup costs on the property before claiming it via tax deed at the direction of the county’s HR, Property and Finance Committee.

County hoping Astia clinic partnership will save taxpayers: A new partnership with Astia Health is going well, says Human Resources Director Molly Adzic. Adzic says feedback has been positive since county employees started seeing one of two Astia Clinics for many basic health needs, and now an onsite clinic at the county’s Lakeview Drive Campus that opened in February. The aim, Adzic explained last week, is to drive insurance costs down as the clinics are utilized. So far more employees are attending the clinics than they had under the previous plan - from an average of 76 per month to over 100 visits per month. Administrator Lance Leonhard says he’s gotten positive feedback from employees as well.

Business

City working on getting back Jalapenos’s liquor license: Jalapenos announced it had closed in mid-February, but The Wausonian prior to that reported that the business had been closed for weeks. Now city leaders are working on getting the business’ liquor license. The city’s Public Health and Safety Committee will now summon the owners of Jalapenos to inquire about the license since they haven’t voluntarily surrendered it or explained whether they plan to remain open or not.

Bull Falls Brewery owners unveil new plans for space: The city’s Plan Commission approved a new site plan for Bull Falls Brewery. As The Wausonian first reported, new owners took over Bull Falls Brewery. Those new plans, laid out in city meeting materials, reveal that the new owners plan to completely redo the interior, adding a larger bar and removing the gift shop in favor of more tables and space for live music. They’ll also be adding a new roll-up garage door and a new glass wall on the interior. And the owners are remodeling an old stock room into a kitchen to serve pizzas, German food and other culinary items.

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Entertainment

What do a Stevens Point band from the 70s, a musician who sings about being a Sconnie girl, an arena soccer team and a local country singer all have in common? They’re all part of the latest Wausome Weekend Guide, which is your guide to weekend fun in the Wausau area.

Sports

Boys basketball: The Wausau East Lumberjacks are heading to the state competition after a strong run in the Division 2 bracket. The Lumberjacks defeated Merrill, Menomonie and Eau Claire North before winning 82-45 against West Salem. Wausau East will play in the state semi-final Friday against Wauwatosa West. The game is scheduled for 15 minutes after the first game, which starts at 1:35 pm. Presumably East’s game should start sometime around 3:30 pm. You can watch live on Channel 9.

Junior hockey: The Wausau Cyclones’ winning season came to an end this weekend after dropping a three-game playoff series to the Rochester Grizzlies. The Cyclones lost both games at home, defeating the Grizzlies on Saturday in Rochester 5-2. The Cyclones went 33-11-2-1 in the regular season, stringing together back-to-back strong seasons.

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