County reaches deal for last Highway shop parcel

By Kevin O’Brien

A couple in Kronenwetter will get the better part of a year to sell or move their house in exchange for Marathon County buying their land and using it for a new Highway Department shop. Under a purchase agreement endorsed last Thursday by county’s Infrastructure Committee, Eric and Ariel Scheftgen would be able to stay in their home until June 1, 2026, before the county takes control of their .58-acre property. The Schetfgen home is the last piece of a 25-acre puzzle the county has been putting together as the location of a new Highway Department headquarters.

The county board has previously signed off on purchasing seven other parcels in the same part of Kronenwetter, including two from Wisconsin Public Service, one from a private party and four residential parcels owned by a single family.

After the county bought up the first three parcels, Ariel Scheftgen came to the Infrastructure Committee and said she and her husband had purchased their home in 2022 using a VA loan and were still in the process of making improvements. She said they were worried about not being able to afford moving if the county tried to move in.

“I think the offer before you addresses their concerns,” county administrator Lance Leonhard told supervisors, noting that it enables the county to close on the property right away but also allows the couple to continue occupying the house so they have time to find a new site for relocating the house or buying a new one.

In speaking with the Scheftgens, Leonhard learned that the landowners with houses on the land already bought by the county had similar concerns, so they too will be allowed to stay in their homes after the June 18 closing date, under amended purchase offers that allow occupancy until the end of this calendar year. “I think it speaks of our commitment to be good neighbors and to really listen throughout this process,” Leonhard said.

Supervisor Tom Seubert asked if there was a financial advantage for the homeowners to close early or if they were going to “drag it out for the full year.” Leonhard said the couple will be able to stop making the mortgage payments once the county owns the property, but refinancing their loan could increase the interest they have to pay.

“I don’t see a financial benefit necessarily for them to close early,” he said.

Highway commissioner Jim Griesbach also noted that it won’t cost the county any more money by closing early since the couple will still be paying the utilities on the property.

Later in the meeting, Griesbach said the county has officially closed on the first three properties it purchased, and county officials “had a very good meeting” with village officials in Kronenwetter on May 29 to discuss the project, which had raised concerns about traffic congestion and water usage.

“We’re trying to keep communications open with them,” he said. “Overall, I thought it was a great meeting with them.”

The county has spent about $1.5 million so far to buy the parcels it needs for a new facility, which is projected to cost as much as $41 million. According to the county, building a new headquarters would still be cheaper than rebuilding at the existing Highway shop site on West Street in Wausau, which has been in use since the 1930s and no longer has room for expansions.