Wausau's transit director resigned last month | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Oct. 9, 2025

It’s gone unreported so far, but city officials confirmed to The Wausonian that the city’s transit director, Arran Hersey, resigned last month.

Hersey started March 15 last year, making his reign about a year and a half. The last transit director, Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones, started in March 2023 and resigned in November of that year, telling The Wausonian he didn’t feel that city hall supported transit enough.

The Transit Committee didn’t meet in September, as the meeting was canceled. Ron Schuenke spoke on behalf of the transit department in the August meeting prior to that.

The Wausonian has now requested Hersey’s resignation letter. No official announcement has been made about his resignation, despite it being nearly one month ago. And no listing appears on the city of Wausau jobs site.

Hersey had come via Portland’s metro system, and The Wausonian featured a story on Hersey and his efforts to turn around the transit system, including implementing some aspects of the transit plan the city commissioned in 2022.

Our post about a shakeup of downtown ownership is getting a lot of attention. It was more than just the Washington Square building that was sold:

And, we had stories on the city of Wausau budget and the Marathon County budget, both looking at numerous cuts, including to (yet unfilled) jobs. And Wausau is even considering rotating a pool closing throughout the season.

What else in Wausau?

Juveniles broke in the Powerhouse building last July: The Powerhouse building, a former WPS building owned by the Wausau Chamber of Commerce, is currently in the process of being cleaned up after being broken into in July. Wausau Police Det. Lt. Jennifer Holz told The Wausonian two speakers were stolen in the incident and that two juveniles suspected in the incident were apprehended. They’ve been referred to children’s court on burglary charges, Holz says. Greater Wausau Chamber President Dave Eckmann told The Wausonian that the burglars also set off fire extinguishers inside the building, spraying the foam everywhere. That will require commercial cleanup, he says, because it by design seeps into the cracks of the building. Speaking of the Powerhouse project, Eckmann told The Wausonian that the chamber has privately raised $950,000 toward the $1.1 million project, with public fundraising to start soon. The project aims to install an innovation center in the former WPS power building.

1300 Cleveland Avenue prompts discussion, but public input is next: Residents near the 1300 Cleveland Avenue site, which once housed the Wausau Business Incubator, expressed concern over it being used for an industrial purpose. But city leaders say that wasn’t the plan. Instead, the city’s Economic Development Committee was only reviewing proposals from 2020, which at the time included several industrial uses, along with the history of the property. The committee Tuesday directed Community Development Director Randy Fifrick to come back with a plan for public input on the site in the Thomas Street neighborhood, as environmental evaluation and cleanup on the site is in the works.

Grant Elementary School building is back on the market: Despite seeming like it had sold all the elementary schools the district had downsized, one is now back on the market. The Wausau School District late Wednesday announced that Grant Elementary is back on the market after an offer to purchase it fell through. District officials didn’t offer a reason but the building was designated a historic landmark in 2021. UPDATE: The school district’s spokesperson responded to the Wausonian, saying the sale fell through purely on financial.

Around the metro

High number of police calls to airport misleading, data shows: Last year, concern was raised about an increase in calls to the Central Wisconsin Airport - in 2024 the Mosinee Police Department responded to 208 calls there. But those numbers are misleading, Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb told the county’s Public Safety Committee recently. Of those 208 calls, the county’s data officer showed, 106 of them were false alarms, community relation events, security checks and other non-criminal matters. Of the remaining 102, only 21 of those calls were to the point of generating a police report. Billeb said the Sheriff’s Office could provide extra help if needed.

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Business

In case you missed it - new discount store opens in Rib Mountain: Second Shift Warehouse opened back in August in Rib Mountain, The Wausonian recently learned. The business is a new and used item discount store with “resale, overstock, returns and pallet items at discounted prices,” according to the business’s Google profile.

J&P’s Tippling house opens: J&P’s Tippling House officially opened Wednesday, according to an event they posted on Facebook. The establishment serves craft cocktails, fine cuisine and bills itself as “vintage charm meets modern mixology.” The business is open in the Rib Mountain building that The Lounge previously operated out of.

Venado wine bar is closing: The owners of Venado Wine Bar announced that the business is closing. The wine bar will close officially on Wednesday, Nov. 26, according to the owners’ post on Facebook. Venado opened in the building on the corner of Third Street and Grant Street in 2023.

Entertainment

This weekend the Wausau Curling Club will kick off some events to get people interested in the sport of curling - plus, a local EP release, candlelight concerts and more in Your Wausome Weekend Guide:

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

Football: D.C. Everest experienced its first loss since the beginning of the season, but since it was a non-conference matchup, the Evergreens remain undefeated in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. D.C. Everest lost to Chippewa Falls 35-14 Friday. Wausau West had a chance to draw closer to the Evergreens but fell short against Marshfield 40-22 Friday to maintain a 3-2 record.

Volleyball: Wausau West defeated Wisconsin Rapids to remain the best of the Wausau area teams in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Warriors sent Rapids packing in three straight games to improve to 4-2. But SPASH is proving unbeatable this season, holding a 6-0 record as Valley teams head into the Wisconsin Valley Tournament this Saturday.

Boys soccer: D.C. Everest is stacking more clean sheets as it continues its undefeated season. The Evergreens sent Marshfield home with a 7-0 win over the Tigers Tuesday. The Evergreens have now kept five of their seven conference games scoreless for the opposing team, as they lead the Valley with a 6-0-1 record.

Girls tennis: The Warriors fought hard but came up just short against SPASH in the Wisconsin Valley Tournament last week. Wausau West took second with 25 points, behind SPASH’s 35 points in the tournament. The full results are as follows: 1. SPASH, 35; 2. Wausau West, 25; 3. Marshfield, 20; 4. D.C. Everest, 15; 5. Wisconsin Rapids, 12; 6. Wausau East, 5. In sectional tournament singles play, D.C. Everest’s Mikaela Hawley lost 6-0, 6-2 to Superior’s Lily Clark. In No. 1 doubles, Wausau West’s Mallory Smogoleski-Stella Olson lost 4-6, 6-4, 12-10 to Hudson’s Sophia Yacoub-Avery Agrimson.

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