Wausau news: Planned plants for former chemical plant

The Weekly Wausonian for the week of June 9, 2022

Jun 09, 2022

A former chemical plant on the Wisconsin River could soon find itself with an entirely different set of plants.

A new proposal from one of the co-owners of the Eye Clinic of Wisconsin would turn the former Wausau Chemical plant at 180 E. Wausau Avenue into a greenhouse, event space and herb/mint hydroponics facility and cafe.

If that sounds like a lot, it is — the city’s economic development manager declined to describe it, leaving that up to Mathew Aschbrenner, a physician and co-owner of the Eye Clinic of Wisconsin. Achbrenner has big plans for the space, including transforming it into a modern industrial look. And he’s using his own money, buying the building for $40,000 and putting in $250,000 worth of work into the building.

Called Infuse, it was the only proposal for the city-owned building. But it got unanimous approval from the city’s Economic Development Committee Tuesday.

Paid subscribers saw something new this week — a first look at my records request in the village of Kronenwetter. It’ll be an ongoing series as I document the process of putting together a story and work through the documents to find out what exactly is going on in the village.

The Wausonian

Big trouble in little Kronenwetter, Part I

As is the case with many stories, this one began with a tip. Staff were leaving Kronenwetter at an alarming rate. There was major conflict between elected leaders there and staff members. I might want to look into it. That was very early this year. I put in a pretty sizable open records request in January, and the village informed me that it would take …

2 years ago · 7 likes · 8 comments · B.C. Kowalski

What else in Wausau news?

The city’s public works director told a former council member that the city wouldn’t be providing any further filters to residents to remove PFAS, according to emails obtained by The Wausonian. But the city’s mayor told The Wausonian that more filters could be coming. While he was technically correct that providing filters hasn’t yet been approved or discussed, that discussion is likely coming in the near future, Mayor Katie Rosenberg says.

Around the metro

Rothschild recently found itself without an administrator after Gary Olsen, its first-ever administrator, took a job with North Central Health Care. NCHC officials confirmed Olsen will be the organization’s finance director, part of the restructuring of the organization to have more county control.
Officials have found a leak in the Weston pool, Weston leaders told The Wausonian. The pool is leaking about 20,000 gallons per day, about 1/16 of the pool’s contents. It remains open, and village officials are working on a solution; hopefully one that won’t cause the pool to be shut down over the summer, Village President Mark Maloney told The Wausonian.
Remember that story about the child care crisis in Marathon County? Some good news on that front: State officials announced last week that they’ve awarded the county a $75,000 grant to strategically plan some kind of solution. And, the grant awards a $5,000 stipend to child care providers who submit a business plan to the program, called Dream Up! (Their exclamation mark, not mine.)

Business

Great Dane Brew Pub is planning a new location… in Japan. The brewpub, with locations in the Madison area and in Wausau, announced last week it will be opening up in Akui Onsen, a resort/spa in Sendai City about two hours away from Tokyo. Onsens are hot springs and often refer to resorts and spas built around those hotsprings. (Personal note, but one onsen I went to in Osaka was like a water park and spa all mixed into one building.) I’m calling for an official Wausonian trip to take place.

Entertainment

Thursday, June 9: Maybe you’re looking for that island getaway, but you just can’t… you know, get away. Well Tiki Bar is a god close second, for that island party atmosphere on the water. Thursdays are especially nice since they feature their summer concert series, and this week brings Road Trip, who describe themselves thus: “POP, ROCK, DANCE, COUNTRY, FUN, GETTING CRAZY WITH FRIENDS! 5 guys, 1 girl, AWARD WINNING BAND!” (Their all caps, not mine.) Also, I hear there is a group that kayaks to the event. 6:30 pm. Check out the event page for more info.
Friday, June 10: Looking for some funky country/blues/bluegrass? Whitewater Music Hall’s got you covered as they host the Kevin Troestler Band, a solid country/blues act out of Appleton. Troestler has performed in bands for more than a decade, playing everything from basement shows to festivals. Last year, with his solo band, he played more than 200 dates, which even for this math-confused writer is more than half the days of the year. Check him out starting at 8 pm. See the event page for more details.
Saturday, June 11: Yep, them sweaty girls bashing each other around is back! (Seriously, that’s how one of the founders used to describe it to me). The Mid-State Sisters of Skate are back for their home-opening bout. They’ll take on the Med City Roller Derby Team 5:30 pm at Marathon Park. You need to see roller derby at least once in your life, and who knows, you might just be hooked. Check out the event page for more.
Sunday, June 12: You remember Kirsten Holmson? She used to run Community Soul Yoga in the ~~Washington Square~~ sorry, Third Street Lifestyle Center building. Well, she’s back to lead a 108 Sun Salutations challenge at Adventure Awaits Crossfit in Schofield. As someone who has done 108 sun salutations (the number 108 has a lot of connotations in eastern religions) I can tell you it’s a workout. 4:30 pm. Check out the event page for more information.

Looking for kids/family events? Check out the full listing from The Wausonian’s new partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.

Sports

D.C. Everest Girls Soccer continues its dominant run into the playoffs. The Evergreens defeated Hudson 2-1 in the second round of the playoffs. They will face No. 1-seeded Eau Claire Memorial today (June 9). ECM hasn’t given up a goal in the tournament so far, and will prove a real test for the Evergreen girls.
Wausau West is no longer in the WIAA tournament after losing its second round game to No. 1-seed Eau Claire North. ECN defeated the Warriors 9-3 Thursday at Carson Park in Eau Claire. ECN also defeated West’s Wisconsin Valley Conference rival SPASH to earn the sectional championship.
D.C. Everest Boys Tennis player Fukumatsu Hirose won his first match in straight sets, but lost his second in the WIAA State Tennis Tourament. Fukumatsu defeated Nicolet’s David Jacobs 7-6(7), 6-0 but lost to Madison Memorial’s Gokul Kamath 6-1, 6-1.
The Wausau Woodchucks are off to a rough start on the season following a Monday loss to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The Chucks battled 0-0 into the 10th inning, ultimately losing in the 11th 3-1. That puts the Chucks at 3-5 on the season so far. The Chucks headed to Wisconsin Rapids Wednesday, and take them on at home to finish the series today (June 9).

Ain’t it cool?

My favorite rice cooker finally kicked the bucket recently. It was a little Black and Decker model bought at Kmart (that’s how old it is) roughly 15 years ago. I eat a lot of rice, especially during my weight-loss phase (chicken and rice is a powerful meal in this regard; low calorie, high protein) so I bought this little rice cooker. It’s still a small, simple-to-use model but with an option to choose between white rice and brown rice (which takes longer). Check it out here.

Share The Wausonian

Thanks for reading The Wausonian! If you’re not already subscribed, you can sign up for free to get this roundup sent to you every Friday. Or, consider a paid subscription to get all The Wausonian’s content.

As always, please email tips or corrections to keepitwausome@gmail.com.