Wausau City Hall. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The City of Wausau will submit a proposal to purchase the vacated UWSP Wausau campus buildings on Stewart Avenue for $1 to convert the space into a police station.
Mayor Doug Diny says that doesn’t mean the plan is locked; it just means the city’s proposal will arrive on time. “We are going to put that in and see where it goes. There could be some other [bids] out there. We aren’t aware of any, but the [proposal] is open to anybody to bid.”
Alders approved the proposal after a closed-session discussion on Tuesday, but did not approve a $50,000 plan to cover design and consulting costs for the project should the bid be selected. Diny says that doesn’t hold the city back. “If we are selected, we will have to figure out how we fund that portion. We will have six months, so that will give us an opportunity to look at how we can make that happen; maybe we can make it happen for less. We have options.”
Eight yes votes were required to pass the financing, meaning all eight Alders present for Tuesday’s meeting needed to vote in the affirmative. The final vote was six yes, one no, and one abstention.
Should the city move forward with the plan, it could set off a domino effect beginning with the Fire Department, which would expand into the vacated police station. In turn, the city would be able to sell vacant land on Foral Avenue that could have been used as a new Central Fire Station. Additionally, the PD could convert the UW Fieldhouse into an evidence storage facility, allowing them to vacate a building in the industrial park that currently houses those items.
The city could also lease space in the new Police Station to the Wausau School District, allowing them to move out of the Longfellow Administration Building.
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Proposals for the UWSP buildings are due to Marathon County by Monday, August 24th at 10:00 AM. County Staff will spend the rest of that week reviewing the proposals before a final recommendation goes to the County Board in early September. Supervisors will have the final say later in the month.
Alder Sarah Watson confirmed that she will abstain from all votes on the matter because she sits on the County Board. During the meeting, Watson noted it doesn’t make sense to “negotiate with herself.”
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