County to consider $25M in proposed 2024 projects
By Kevin O’Brien Marathon County supervisors have been presented with $25 million worth of “potential” capital improvement projects for possible inclusion in the 2024 budget, but it’s unclear at this point how many of the proposals will actually be funded for next year.
Members of the Human Resources, Finance and Personnel (HRFP) spent over an hour last week reviewing a list of projects requested by various county departments, with deputy county administrator Chris Holtman leading a conversation about the rationale behind each request.
“Ultimately, the list we’ll look at today can and will be changed based on available funding, and of course, the decisions made by the committee and the board,” he said.
The single largest proposed project is a nearly $5 million renovation of the county’s Lake View Drive campus in Wausau. Social Services recently relocated there from its previous headquarters on Thomas Street, and the campus is also home to the Health Department and Facilities & Capital Management.
Four other departments also plan on moving to the Lake View Drive location. The Aging & Disability Resource Center (ARDC) will be vacating a rented space at 2600 Stewart Avenue, while Veterans Services, UW-Extension and Conservation, Planning and Zoning (CPZ) will all be leaving county-owned buildings on River Drive in Wausau. Lake View Drive will also have office space for some of the staff from Administration, Human Resources and Finance.
The multiple department relocations are part of an overall plan to reduce county government’s “footprint” by consolidating several departments into fewer sites. Holman said a major $5 million project like the one at Lake View Drive isn’t likely to come along again for a number of years.
Another $6.1 million would be spent on road construction projects planned by the Highway Department. These include resurfacing of CTHs J, C and T; bridge replacements on CTH O and CTH L, a culvert replacement on CTH J and a culvert extension on CTH U. The department’s request also includes roughly $3 million for repaving about 30 miles of county highways.
Parks, Recreation and Forestry is also proposing several projects at county parks, including campground improvements at the Dells of Eau Claire ($670,300), new bathroom/shower facilities at Big Eau Pleine ($468,100), a new bathroom facility at Cherokee ($81,400) and a new septic system at Nine-Mile Recreation Area ($273,720).
A couple of proposed projects at Marathon Park in Wausau are part of a West Side Master Plan approved earlier this year. One is a $394,575 renovation of East Gate Hall, a facility that is regularly rented out for weddings, reunions and other large events. The other involves improvements at the Marathon Junction area, including possible replacement of a playground and splash pad for $120,000.
Other major projects include renovations at the Sheriff’s Department’s Public Safety Training and Response Center in Wausau ($1.7 million) and the final phase of an air conditioning chiller project at the Marathon County Library ($2.8 million).
During a discussion about replacing the 1967 central boiler at UW-SP-Marathon County – estimated to cost as much as $885,500 – supervisor John Robinson said the county needs to get a commitment from UW officials about the longterm viability of the two-year campus. He pointed out that the UW is requesting a total of $5 million in projects over the next five years.
“Do we run the risk of them just shutting the campus down and having us hold the bag while we’ve made all these investments?” he wondered.
Holman said Robinson’s questions are “spot on,” but he noted that the county will still own the buildings even if the UW left, so it has an interest in keeping them wellmaintained for the future. Before a motion was made to pass the projects list onto the full board for consideration, supervisor Gayle Marshall added the word “potential” to the resolution to make it clear that not all of the proposals are expected to be approved.
“All we’re doing is looking at approving a list of potential projects,” Holman said. “None of these are set in stone really until the budget is adopted.”
Other business
n The committee recommended changes to the county’s tax-delinquent property ordinance, as advised by corporation counsel Michael Puerner. One significant change was the removal of a provision that gave the former property owner first preference when bidding on a seized property. Also, in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling, the county will have to give the former owner any sales proceeds after it deducts past-due taxes, penalties and incurred costs.
n The committee recommended the addition of eight new positions for the county’s Children’s Long-Term Support (CLTC) program, which is fully funded by state and federal dollars. The proposed positions include six social workers, one accounting specialist and a social worker supervisor, which all will be paid for without local property tax dollars. The added positions are needed due to a 141 percent increase in enrollment since 2019 and a waiting list of 63 high-needs children who need to be assessed before they can enroll.
n The committee recommended unencumbering $10.8 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that were originally allocated for various purposes but have not been spent. That money will now be available for other purposes.
n The committee recommended using $12,000 in ARPA funds to help pay for a $32,500 study by JLG Architects to determine the feasibility of building a new ice arena. The remaining $20,500 will come from various non-county sources, including money annually donated to the Parks Department by different endowment funds.
n The committee recommended approval of a land swap with private landowner Tim Micke, who has property next to the Dells of Eau Claire County Park. The swap will correct the boundary between the park and Micke’s land and allow the county to keep an outdoor bathroom that serves a nearby campground.
