Committee selects land parcel
Stettin property will become county campus in a decade
The Marathon County Infrastructure Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to select a 42.5 acre Witter Farm parcel in the town of Stettin for a multi-department building and campus. The negotiated price for the land is $2.2 million.
The parcel is slated to become the future home of the county’s Highway, Parks, Sheriff and Maintenance Departments.
It is possible the county’s Conservation, Planning and Zoning Departments may also co-locate to that parcel.
A county consultant, Barrientos Design, Milwaukee, selected 14 potential locations for a new county building, a shortlist of four was created and, among these, the county committee selected this option.
The committee pick will be forwarded to the county’s Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee for its review.
County administrator Brad Karger said he hopes the county board will vote to formally acquire the land at its December meeting. The county’s Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee will be able to review the proposal prior to the county board vote.
Karger said the aim of the new building will be to centralize county vehicle maintenance under one roof, saving money. He said the City of Wausau has had success with a single maintenance shop.
A second goal, he said, will be to follow a West Side master plan, consolidate properties and add a south entrance to a more spacious Marathon Park.
The Infrastructure committee followed the recommendation of Barrientos Design in picking the Witter Farm site. The site, located south of CTH U and nestled between 128th Ave. and 120th Ave., garnered 64 points, the highest of any option. A second ranking option was a Witter Farm site north of CTH U.
Criteria for the site selection included proximity to the STH 29/51 interchange, size, cost to purchase, options for expansion, land use compatibility and stormwater and wetlands impacts. The county will not develop the multi-department building for a decade. The county will pay the Witter family for the property in $500,000 increments over four years with the balance paid in a fifth year. At that time, the county will take control of the property, raze the houses on the property and then begin to design and bid out a new county facility.
A space needs study indicated that a 145,000 square foot garage would be built on the acquired parcel. The project could include a separate salt storage building, various cold storage buildings and a medical examiner’s offi ce.
A pond on the property could be converted to a stormwater drainage basin.
