Marathon County buys final piece of land for highway shop

Marathon County has officially filled in the last piece of the puzzle for its proposed Highway Department headquarters in the village of Kronenwetter.

Last week, the county board voted unanimously to purchase a .58-acre of land from Eric and Ariel Scheftgen, who own a home at 2384 Old Highway 51 that is surrounded on three sides by land already purchased by the county for a new Highway shop.

The county agreed on a price of $375,000 for the parcel, and it also signed an occupancy agreement that will allow the Scheftgens to remain in their house through June 1, 2026, giving them about a year to find a new place to live.

With the county having previously purchased seven other parcels on the east side of Old Highway 51, across from the Weston Power Station, the Highway Department now has over 25 acres to work with as it plans to relocate its main facilities from the current shop on West Street in Wausau.

The county has spent close to $1.9 million to purchase the parcels it needs for the facility, which is projected to cost as much as $41 million. According to the county, building a brand-new headquarters option still be cheaper than rebuilding at the existing West Street site, which has been in use since the 1930s and no longer has room for expansions.

The deal offered to the Scheftgens was first announced on a June 5 meeting of the Infrastructure Committee meeting, which voted unanimously to recommend its approval.

Ariel Scheftgen had previously come to the Infrastructure Committee and told supervisor that 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 on June 5, 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.”