Wausau’s Former Drinking Water Treatment Plant Will Likely Be Torn Down

Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) It’s likely that Wausau’s former drinking water treatment plant will be torn down.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, on Tuesday, the Water Works Commission heard an update on the site from Public Works Director Eric Lindman. He said a recent tour of the vacant building showed it may not have much value to potential developers.

“We walked through it with Community Development (leaders) to determine if the building was viable. With the changes in elevation from place to place and how the building is set up [they didn’t feel] there was any benefit to keeping the building.”

Mayor Doug Diny said getting the building out of the way is also a step towards redeveloping the entire area including the former Great Lakes Cheese and Wausau Chemical sites.

“We need to understand our potential costs in the next year or two, then we can use that as we do our planning. The sooner we understand [the costs,] the better we can deploy those development options.”

Those comments echo Diny’s veto message from Monday, axing approval for a request for proposals from consultants interested in developing a plan for redevelopment in the area.

A portion of his statement noted that getting a handle on costs to prepare the area for redevelopment should take priority. His statement adds if the tax increment finance numbers in the district look solid, they could look at hiring a consultant again in 2025. That veto is still subject to a potential override vote by the Council.

A demolition timeline hasn’t been set but Lindman would like to see something done soon. The building has been the target of vandals and squatters since it was decommissioned two years ago for a new drinking water treatment plant located on the other side of the river.

No action was taken on Tuesday. The demolition timeline will ultimately be set by the City Council.

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