Unprivatizing the city crossing guards | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of May 28, 2026
A number of years ago, city leaders voted to privatize the city’s crossing guard program to save time.
Now, the city is considering unprivatizing the program. Why?
To save money.
A Committee of the Whole voted Tuesday to recommend bringing the city’s crossing guard program back in-house under the Wausau Police Department.
Wausau Police Chief Matt Barnes said bringing the program back in house would save money as the costs for a private firm, All City Management Services, have increased over time.
Barnes said the contract rate for crossing guards in 2020 was $25.99 per hour. That has since jumped to $34.92 per hour, and nearly jumped up more before the contractor backed off on the increase.
But Barnes says he believes that the city can save about 30% of its costs by running the program in-house.
The city council will need to take up the proposal next.
What goes on in Wausau after dark? Find out in our regular Wausau tavern report, where we look at bar calls for Wausau and beyond:
The Wausonian has been largely alone in reporting several arrests of a county board member - and we learned there are new allegations around election fraud:
What else in Wausau?
Bear mama and cub found in tree downtown: Wausau police alerted residents this week to the presence of a bear near downtown Wausau. Police officials spotted the mama bear and her cub in a tree in the 700 block of Forest Street Saturday, according to a social media report. Officers advised residents to keep their distance from the bears. Meanwhile a bear and her cub were also sighted on Pine Road in the village of Kronenwetter Sunday.
City passes ebike ordinace: A new ordinance limits ebikes and other vehicles to a top speed of 15 miles per hour on city trails - but some advocates wanted lower speeds. The city council Tuesday passed the ordinance with the new speed limit. Some speakers at the city council wanted lower speed limits — closer to 8-10 mph — and wanted to see bells as a requirement. Council member Bruce Trueblood said the ordinance is a starting point and can be amended at a later date.
Council approves former judge to ethics board: The City Council affirmed Mayor Doug Diny’s appointment of Mark Seidl to the ethics board, but not without some debate. Seidl, a former appellate court judge, is the latest to be appointed to the board, leaving only one remaining regular board member who presided over the Diny ballot box complaint. The appointment drew controversy from some council members who claimed other applicants were being passed over. City legal staff ruled out of order an attempt to amend the appointment to someone else Tuesday, saying city council members only have the power to confirm or deny the mayor’s appointment.
Around the metro
County waives fees for septic reconnection for tornado victims: Those whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the tornado that hit Ringle and Kronenwetter last month at least won’t have to pay fees to hook their septic systems back up. The County Board Tuesday voted to waive the county’s fee for those who were impacted by the tornado. That fee is normally $160. The fee waiver passed unanimously.
Two arrested in string of burglaries: Two men are facing felony charges related to a series of burglaries in the village of Weston. Harley Seehafer, 32 of Weston, faces felony burglary charges and William Block, 50 of Weston, faces charges of receiving or concealing stolen property, according to online court records. According to the criminal complaint, Mountain Bay Metro police investigated a series of break-ins to outbuildings on Alderson Avenue, Neupert Avenue and Cherry Street in Weston on May 15. According to the complaint, police matched Seehafer with footage taken from a bird feeder camera and, remarkably, an officer saw Seehafer exit a garage next door while he was interviewing one of the victims. Block was working on a vehicle in front of the garage, where officers say they observed some of the stolen items, the complaint says.
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Westsider events space nears completion: A new event space on Wausau’s west side is nearing completion, its owner said. The space was formerly Lang’s Pharmacy and Sandborn Guitars. Westsider owner Tyler Vogt says the space will host its first event soon. The space will be called Liberty Lounge, named for the original name of the neighborhood, Liberty Gardens. The space is intended to be a small events space for roughly 50-some people or fewer, Vogt tells The Wausonian.
Rising Son eyeing Rothschild location: Rising Son martial arts studio is looking at a new location in Rothschild. The new space will be 5,000 square feet and address some of the parking issues the current location has, its owner said on Facebook. The studio’s owners haven’t released full details yet.
Entertainment
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades is nothing but a central Wisconsin success story. This national-level act returns for a night of bluegrass and pizza at Stoney Acres Farms. Plus a blues act at The Garage, the Woodchucks take the field at Athletic Park again, a running event raises money for the Humane Society, and many more Wausau events in your Wausome Weekend Guide!
Sports
Baseball: D.C. Everest has clinched its spot as the top Wausau area team in the Wisconsin Valley Conference but SPASH has clinched the Valley title with one set of games to go Thursday. D.C. Everest’s Tuesday score was unavailable Wednesday.
Softball: D.C. Everest finished the season as the top Wisconsin Valley Conference team, finishing third overall. The Evergreens then defeated Wausau West 7-4 Wednesday afternoon to advance to the next round of the WIAA playoffs. They’ll take on Hortonville today (Thursday).
Girls soccer: Many games were postponed due to weather Tuesday but SPASH logged its first loss, to Wisconsin Rapids, leaving the door open for Wausau West to make a claim at first place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The season was supposed to conclude today (Thursday) but games from Tuesday were postponed until Friday.
Lacrosse: The Wausau Wild boys team finished its season with a 12-6 loss Friday, leaving the team with a 3-6 conference record to cap its Bay Valley Conference season. The Wild lost their regional playoff game Tuesday 11-1 against DeForest. The Wausau Wolfpack girls team won its final game of the Bay Valley Conference season, 12-3 against DeForest Friday. The Wolfpack finished second place in the Bay Valley, one point away from Appleton. The Wolfpack girls will take on Middleton today (Thursday) in the first round of WIAA regional playoffs.
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