City seeks comments on environmental assessment for former Wausau Floral property

Damakant Jayshi

City officials are seeking public comments before demolishing a Grand Avenue building that will become the next Wausau Fire Department headquarters, without preparing an Environmental Impact Statement.

According to a July 12 notice from Mayor Doug Diny, an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, is not necessary because the project “will not constitute an action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” An EIS is a government document that evaluates the potential environmental impact of a project.

The mayor’s notice also said that “none of the federal and state agencies contacted noted any negative environmental concerns with the proposed demolition of a blighted building.” The city and the mayor have consented “to accept the jurisdiction of the federal courts if an action is brought to enforce environmental review responsibilities, decision-making, and action.”

Demolishing the former Wausau Floral building, at 815 Grand Ave., is expected to cost $35,000. The city will request federal funding for the project.

The city purchased the blighted property last year at 811 and 815 Grand Ave. as a single parcel for $805,000 to replace Fire Station One. Wausau Fire officials cited the need for more space in creating the plan, though the price tag raised some objections by City Council members in related discussions.

City officials explained how a building is determined to be “blighted” under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definition.

“[W]e need to have a building inspector go through the property and make that determination,” the city’s Community Development Manager Tammy Stratz said. That determination is made through the city’s Inspections Department or the Wausau Fire Department, depending on the type of building involved, she said.

In this case, the determination was done by the fire department, according to city documents. In a letter to Stratz on June 10, Fire Marshall Brian Stahl said that the building lacked upkeep and needed significant repair. The ceiling and floor joists have begun to rot from continued water leaking into the building. He recommended demolition.

The city will ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on or about July 31 to release Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for this project.

Public comments must be submitted in writing to Wausau’s Community Development Department at the City Hall at 407 Grant St., Wausau, by Tuesday, July 30. The City of Wausau will wait until all comments are reviewed before starting the project or requesting federal funds.

Neither Mayor Diny nor City Attorney Anne Jacobson clarified what the city will do if there are objections and if those objections are not resolved by July 31. Diny did not respond to any questions at all; Jacobson only commented on the price of the property.

“[T]he price was determined not by the Community Development Department or the City Assessor, but was the product of an Offer and Counter-Offer, and negotiation between the parties,” she told Wausau Pilot & Review. “The assessed value is always provided to the Council, and in this case, an appraisal was obtained as well.”

According to documents shared on Nov. 7 with council members the seller, Gordon Rohde GRR Income Trust, made the counter-offer in September and the city accepted it.

Residents can object to the release of funds too. HUD will accept objections to its release of funds and the certification for 15 days following the city’s submission for the request for funds. Objections should be sent to HUD Milwaukee Field Office at the email address, [email protected].

After the story was published, Stratz clarified that as per HUD rules, both the grantee and HUD need to provide time for comments or objections. “The grantee must provide at least 15 days to receive comments. Then we must send the information onto HUD (the Environmental Assessment plus any comments we received).”

Officials defend purchase price

City Assessor Richard Rubow told Wausau Pilot that the last assessment for the 811-815 Grand Ave. parcel for the 2023 assessment roll was $378,800. The assessment was done during the 2020 city revaluation and the property is exempt for 2024 as it is now a city-owned property, he said.

Sale prices in the real estate market have significantly increased since 2021 and each year thereafter, Rubow said, noting that $805,000 is the purchase price of the parcel, not the assessment of the parcel. The assessment is typically locked at the last revaluation value, the assessor said.

Dist. 2 Alder and Finance Committee Chair Michael Martens said they were advised by the assessment department that the sale price was within reason of the assessed value of the property.

“As long as I’ve been a member of the finance committee, we’ve sought to provide a fair value for a property be it a commercial lot or a private residence,” Martens told Wausau Pilot. “Any thoughts that the city overpaid is opinion.”