WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau’s Capital Improvements and Street Maintenance Committee voted to move forward with planning for a new Department of Public Works Fleet Maintenance facility on Thursday.
Following a 45-minute presentation from consultants the members decided to select the current Iron Works building on South 10th Avenue, along West Street, for the project. Consultants noted its central location and flexibility as positives for the project, which has been in the works for five years.
Alder Lisa Rasmussen noted that the time is now for the city to act, as the issues with the current DPW garage aren’t going away anytime soon. “We have difficulty with space constraints and the logistics of the site that we have,” said Rasmussen. “Something needs to give, something needs to happen.”
Consultants had looked at other locations but those either were not centrally located or had other issues. One of the properties had recently been sold.
Tangible action on the site is still more than a year away. The city must first conduct surveys on the site, including an environmental analysis to see if any remediation is needed. If that goes as planned the design and bidding could be completed in the summer of 2024, with a construction timeline of up to 14 months lasting into 2025. Rasmussen also noted that the city could take a phased approach to the project.
While the consultant’s designs did not constitute any sort of official plans, many on the committee did note that they liked the idea of keeping a portion of the current building for use as an office and meeting space.
“We know what the immediate needs are. So if we would be able to come to own [at a later time] some of the parcels to the west, perhaps, we could add things later. It wouldn’t have to be a $25 million build right now,” said Rasmussen. “I feel like we should at least go to the next design step. Get the borings, get the environmental [reports], do the due diligence, and figure out what the real viability of this site is. Because it is available to us, and I feel like that sets us on a path where we have some forward momentum.
“We’ve been talking about this for five years, and the crew down there is still waiting,” she added.
Further action on the item was not set. Thursday’s vote passed unanimously.
