Weekly Wausonian | Affordable housing chosen for Westside Battery site
Wausau news for Nov. 18, 2021
Affordable housing will be coming to the former Westside Battery site if a proposal approved at committee this month is ultimately OKed by the city council.
Gorman and Co., which is currently working on The Landmark building in downtown Wausau, proposed a 50-unit affordable housing complex, beating out a land-swap proposal.
The proposal was approved by the Economic Development Committee earlier this month, and a zoning change required for the project was approved Tuesday evening by the city’s Plan Commission.
Rents would range from $375 per month to $1,147 on the upper end, depending on the number of bedrooms and rent subsidy. The news comes as the city launches its affordable housing task force Wednesday.
What else in Wausau?
The Wausau Pilot and Review is facing a defamation suit for a story it wrote accusing a man of calling a 13-year-old boy a three-lettered derogatory word for a homosexual person. According to the story, Cory Tomczyk called the boy the word during a county meeting about the A Community For All resolution, which brought controversy to the county and later city. The Pilot responded to an earlier retraction request saying it had witnesses willing to testify that he’d used the term. A response to the lawsuit is coming soon.
City Council Member Tom Kilian sent a letter of concern to the Department of Administration this month about a grant application that would use COVID relief funds for a pedestrian bridge in the mall redevelopment area. The letter decried the use of funds for what Kilian calls a high-end development project, and that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation recommended it. The grant program, which the DOA administers, is intended to channel American Rescue Plan Act funds to COVID relief for child care, affordable housing and public projects in low-income areas.
City Council Member Pat Peckham announced that he won’t be seeking another term next year. All council members are up for elections in 2022. Peckham, who represented the Southeast Side for six years, says he enjoyed his time on the council but is ready to be more in control of his time without feeling guilty about missing meetings. Peckham retired as news editor of City Pages before running for city council.
The Marathon County Public Library announced it has hired a new director. Leah Giordano has been named to the post, according to an announcement late Wednesday. Giordano was a finalist in the first round of the library board’s search for a director to replace Ralph Illick, who left after an investigation concluded he had led a culture of fear and harassment at the library. Giordano officially started Nov. 15, but had already worked at the library and had been serving as interim director since Illick resigned.
Around the metro
Residents in Rib Mountain can now keep chickens. The town board Tuesday approved an ordinance that allows residents to keep backyard chickens, provided they pay a $50 fee. The ordinance also allows for ducks and pigeons. Wausau passed its own chicken ordinance in 2017 after rejecting a similar ordinance the year prior.
A state trooper who served in the Wausau post died from complications around COVID-19. Dan Stainbrook of Wisconsin Rapids was hospitalized Oct. 27 with COVID-19 symptoms at the Aspirus Intensive Care Unit in Wisconsin Rapids. He later fell into a coma after being hospitalized, and died Monday, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the state trooper.
Entertainment
Charlie Berens at The Grand? Oh you betcha, jeepers. The YouTube star and comedian, as well as collaborator with Adam Greuel of Horseshoes and Handgrenades fame, is making his way to the ornate stage of the Grand Theater 7:30 pm Friday. Berens is hilarious — one of my favorite of his videos is one featuring him on a trip to New York. He passes a woman in a fancy orange outfit and remarks “oh she must be on her way to da deer stand after work.” Check out The Grand’s website for ticket info. $30-45.
And you know, it wouldn’t be turkey day without a turkey trot. And Eastbay’s Turkey Trot has been around the longest! You know the drill, there will be at least a dozen women running in tutus, and probably a few guys too, along with turkey costumes and other odd forms of dress. Cool thing is all the money goes to the Marathon County Hunger Coalition, so there’s a reason to run when you don’t have to! It’s not until Thanksgiving Day, of course, but we’re telling you now because registration is $30 until Nov. 20, $35 afterward. But also, maybe you want to pay that extra $5 because it goes to a good cause.
Some people might have felt a little snubbed when Unity for some reason was left off the Concerts on the Square lineup last year. For shame! But the enigmatic reggae band made the rounds through central Wisconsin anyway, and surely some of you caught them at the Tiki Bar. Well it’s a little cold for that nonsense now, but it’s a great temperature to catch them 8 pm Saturday at Malarkeys! The formidable frontman Kai will have you up on your feet, that’s for sure. Check out Malarkey’s Facebook post for more.
Sports
Wausau Newman Catholic Football wasted no time in its state championship game Saturday, dominating the first half to secure the win. The Cardinals defeated Luck 49-6 to earn the 8-man football state title, the school’s first since it started playing the 8-man version of the sport. The Cardinals took a 42-6 lead at the half, all but ensuring the victory against Luck. The win also signals revenge for Newman, which lost to Luck in the 2019 state championship.
Practice began this week for high school boys basketball, with the first eligible practice on Nov. 15. Girls basketball kicked off Nov. 6, and hockey kicked off on Nov. 8.
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