City leaders took the first step toward moving the city’s garage, or motor pool service, to the former Wausau Iron Works site.
Wausau’s Public Health and Safety Committee Monday voted on the move as the city’s Public Works Department operation on Miron Street is getting too cramped.
The move would cost roughly $24 million, according to consultant Barrientos. Of the 11 sites the consultants ranked, the former Iron Works site made the most sense.
City leaders had previously been eyeing the city-owned 1300 Cleveland Avenue site but rejected that out of concerns for environmental contamination.
The city council will still need to approve the move.
Subscribers also saw these stories this week:
What else in Wausau?
PFAS free? City leaders are celebrating that Wausau water coming out of the new treatment plant is PFAS-free. Which is great, but it comes at a cost. City residents will see their water bills dramatically increase later this year.
Citation removal: City leaders this week also ditched a program in which city inspectors would issue citations immediately upon seeing a code violation. PHS chair Lisa Rasmussen says inspectors don’t really use it anyway and prefer to write letters giving homeowners and landlords changes to fix the problem first. (If they don’t after several letters, the citations are quadruple what the “immediate citations” were.)
Transit retirement: Greg Seubert, who worked for Wausau for four decades, retired as transit director this week. That comes as the city is considering a whole new plan to boost Metro Ride. It also comes amidst a driver shortage that saw Seubert himself driving busses to keep routes open.
Big brother? Wausau Police will be starting a program where residents can register their security cameras with police. It won’t give police access to those camera, but provides a database for police when they’re investigating crimes to know if there is a camera nearby they might get evidence from. They’ll still have to get warrants and follow all procedures, Chief Ben Bliven says.
Around the metro
High-speed drug bust: The Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force chased a man in a high-speed pursuit, leading to an arrest that brought in $40,000 of fentanyl and other drugs. Jacob Gould of Weston faces a slew of drug dealing and possession charges, along with possessing a gun as a felon.
Business
Tres Hermanos on the move: Tres Hermanos will be moving from its building on Fulton Street to a new location. Real Estate agents Gizo Ujarmeli and Elena Naschke applied for a liquor license for a new restaurant at the site. It appears to be called “Szaltz.”
Yummy Asian option: Yummy Deli opened in the former Los Victors spot. It’s an Asian deli, which should make for an interesting option for those looking to grab some egg rolls or other delicious southeast Asian fare.
Entertainment
Friday, Jan. 20: Ever miss old-school country? The Cow Tippers bring that old country honky tonk with their blend of guitar, fiddle and lap steel to the stage. They play country from the days of Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash, and that ought to make for a fun night at The Garage, which is quickly becoming a prime spot for live music. 7 pm. See more on the event page.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Singer/guitarist? Sure, we’ve seen that before. But how about a saxophonist? Kirsten (no last name given, kind of like Madonna) will be bringing her saxophone prowess as a soloist to the Lil’ Ole Winemaker Shoppe this Saturday. And as you know, The Wausonian is pro early performances and so is happy to announce this show starts at 3 pm. Drink some wine, kick back and have a relaxing Saturday afternoon. See (not much) more at the event page.
Saturday, Jan. 21: This event is really kind of the opposite of the above event. Rally racing! The Fox Valley Sports Car Club will host the Ice Rally X on Lake Dubay this Saturday. I can almost hear the loud screams of sports cars tearing around the ice track. Vroom! OK, cold splash of reality though: If the temperature is forecasted to reach 30 degrees that day, it’ll be canceled for safety. But if not, the need for speed is real. See more details at the event page.
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
MMA: Rising Son fighter Kyle Zimick won his pro debut at LFA 150. Zimick beat Connor Penka in the second round with a rear-naked choke to earn the victory Friday. See it for yourself here:
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm are on a four-game win streak. They recently shut out the Eau Claire Stars on their home turf 3-0 Monday. The Storm are now 11-3 and will host Western Wisconsin 7:30 pm Friday at the Greenheck Field House.
Boys hockey: Wausau West (4-1) is now four points outside of first place, currently occupied by undefeated SPASH (6-0). The Warriors host Marshfield today (Thursday) at 7 pm.
Boys basketball: D.C. Everest (4-1) remains one game out of first in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Evergreens defeated Merrill 84-61 last Friday to hold its place in the Valley. Everest will host Rapids at 7:15 pm Friday.
Girls basketball: Wausau West remains the top Wausau area team in the Valley Conference, third with a 4-2 record. The Warriors lost to second-place Marshfield 61-31.
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