Marshfield Common Council Approves Selling City Hall Plaza
Wednesday, March 27th, 2019 -- 8:07 AM
(WDLB) -Marshfield officials are moving ahead with the sale of City Hall Plaza. With Rebecca Spiros and Peter Hendler absent, and Gordy Earll abstaining, the Marshfield Common Council voted 6-to-1 last night in favor of selling the former home of city government to David Steinle for 900-thousand dollars. No other details were provided.The former Marshfield Clinic and Figi's headquarters has been on the market for nearly two years, after Milwaukee-based Gorman and Company decided in May of 2017 to back out of a deal to renovate the building into downtown apartments, saying at the time the company was unable to acquire historic state tax credits to make the project affordable for them. Gorman's proposal called for 40 apartments, while still maintaining the retail space on the first floor. After nearly 30 years, City government operations ended there last September when they moved across the street to the former Forward Financial Bank building at Sixth and Chestnut. Also last night, the Council was told the UW-Stevens Point campus in Marshfield will be adding new two-year and four-year degree programs. Gretel Stock, the Dean for University College at U-W-S-P, told Marshfield Aldermen the two-year campus wants to explore additional educational offerings for students of all ages, backgrounds and career goals.
Stock said the Marshfield campus wants to present programs that meet local professional needs and career paths that are in demand. To that end, Greg Summers, Provost and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, told the Council that U-W-S-P will be introducing new two-year associates degrees, four-year baccalaureate degrees and graduate degrees that are all coming to the Marshfield campus. He said there would be six new associate degree programs in the areas of human services, health sciences, information science, applied finance, leadership and project management, and environmental science and management. Summers also said the campus would offer two new four-year degree programs beginning this fall, one in business and another in social work.
Summers also informed the Council that new graduate credentials will include a Master of Business Administration degree in applied leadership and decision-making. Summers also indicated the Marshfield campus will continue its longstanding partnership with the UW-Eau Claire nursing program.
And in the wake of the Marshfield campus losing its theater department, Stock told the Council members that the school is working on creating a one-year experience for students in the arts that would create educational opportunities in Marshfield which would lead to possible performance and baccalaureate opportunities on the main campus in Stevens Point.
The Marshfield campus learned in September of 2017 it was losing its full-time instructor in the theater department. Damian Ernest was eventually reassigned to the UW-Sauk County campus in Baraboo. Directors for theater productions have been hired from within the community, and from the UW-Marathon County campus in Wausau.
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