WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — More changes could be coming to downtown Wausau in the next year as Marathon County prepares to close the River Drive campus.
County Administrator Lance Leonhard says the complex is on track to close next June. Meaning the county will be sitting on prime riverfront property “Roofs, parking lots- they’re expensive. Along with all the equipment that goes into a building,” said Leonhard. “We are on schedule or even a bit a head of schedule when it comes to our Lakeview Campus so our plan is to be completely off of River Drive by the second quarter of next year.”
Leonhard says it’ll be up to the board to decide what that redevelopment looks like, a long-term sale, a short-term lease, or something in between. The same goes for the county’s offices on Thomas Street, which could hit the market soon. He says both offer high-value redevelopment opportunities. “The County Board will have to make some choices relative to what that means, but the opportunity for what that could mean for the county is very large.”
Redevelopment at the County Highway Department location on West Street in Wausau could take a little longer but the department could benefit from some long-term planning as well. “[It] was built in the 30s when that was the edge of town. It’s not the edge of town anymore. We either need to make some substantive investments in that facility if we are going to stay there or is the long-term strategy ‘let’s look for a place that better suits us.'”
That could also mean consolidating the satellite Highway Department facilities, but no decisions have been made. Leonhard says those discussions will continue at the board level for some time.
Other topics Leonhard discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- 2025 budget
13:30- County offices consolidation
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