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Riverlife spat
Riverlife phase I contractor warns against proposed phase II developer ahead of decision
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A designer who worked on the first phase of the
Riverlife development is sounding the alarm about the developers now proposing a second phase of the project.
Susan Lasecki, principal engineer with Ionic Structures and Design based in Plover, sent a letter to the city’s economic development committee warning that Bob Ohde, the construction company that built the first Riverlife apartments, failed to pay her for her services as well as state fees.
The group of Ohde, Mitch Viegut and Fernando Riveron was one of two proposers for the next Riverlife phase, a mix of commercial and residential. The Economic Development Committee ultimately went with T.Wall Enterprises, citing their design as superior.
Lasecki’s letter was sent to committee members prior to the meeting but never discussed during that meeting.
According to Lasecki’s letter, Ionic was hired to assist local architect firm Mudrovich because of the need for a quick turnaround. Lasecki says Ohde refused to pay design and state review fees, and construction oversight fees. Ultimately, Lasecki says, Mudrovich removed himself as the overseeing design professional, something she’s only seen one other time in 25 years.
Responding to questions from City Pages, Lasecki says she didn’t file for a lien because the lien would have been against Mudrovich, who she subcontracted under, and didn’t feel he did anything wrong. She wanted to maintain that relationship, Lasecki told City Pages.
Mitch Viegut, in response to City Pages questions about the email, says that Ohde and Co moved on from Mudrovich after they had a difference of opinion over design of the project. Viegut says all bills were paid to both Mudrovich and Ionic as agreed to. No liens were filed on the project, he says. Viegut says it was too bad Ionic took the termination personally.
Economic Development Committee member Tom Kilian was the sole member to vote in favor of the Viegut, Ohde, Riveron proposal. Asked whether the letter influenced him at all, he said no because the claims haven’t been substantiated. Information shared in closed session also influenced his decision, Kilian told City Pages, but he was unable to share any details because of closed session rules.
Mudrovich is now the architect working on T.Wall’s proposal.
State investigation reveals identities in homicide, officer-involved shooting
The state Department of Criminal Investigations released the names of those involved in the homicide/officer-involved shooting in Weston.
Police say 43-year-old David Morris of Weston stabbed 52-year-old Renee Hindes in her Weston apartment April 23. Police confronted Morris after responding to Hindes’ phone call for help. Police officers fired at Morris, wounding him.
Morris was transported to a hospital where he was in critical condition for days. He is now in stable condition, police say.
The officers involved are Everest Metro officers Gunnar Schultz, one year with Everest Metro; Tanner Uhlig, three years on the force; and Lucas Wiza, who had been with Everest Metro only seven weeks, according to a DOJ report.
Police responded to a call from Hindes at 3:30 am April 23. When police arrived they heard her screaming. When they entered they encountered Morris, who they say was armed, and fired. Hindes was dead with what was confirmed by a forensic autopsy as stab wounds.
Police did not say where the apartment is that the incident took place.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Report: Wolf hunt did more harm than good
The Wisconsin wolf hunt held earlier this year did more harm than good, according to a report released by a conservation group.
The report, issued by Greenfire, comprised of a number of former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources employees, said the wolf hunt harmed a number of wolf packs’ ability to reproduce while doing little to decrease wolf-farmer conflicts.
The main issue, according to the report, is that the hunting occurred in wolves’ core habitat on public lands, “where conflicts with pets, livestock or human safety are already rare,” the report says. The hunt did little to curb wolf populations on fringe areas of wolf habitat where those conflicts are much more common.
The effect of the hunt, since it was conducted during a time when many wolves were pregnant, is that 60 to 100 of the state’s 245 packs may lose their ability to produce any wolf pups this year.
Greenfire in its report argues that what it calls the mishandling of the wolf hunt will strengthen the arguments of those who want to see the wolf relisted on the Federal Endangered Species list.
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Wausau Mail Processing to move to Green Bay
The U.S. Postal Service mail processing operation in Wausau will be moving to Green Bay, according to a memo from the U.S. Postal Service.
The move is one of 18 that the postal service announced in an effort to ensure “more efficient, timely delivery of mail and packages” according to the memo.
Moving those facilities comes as total mail volume has continued to decline, the memo states. Moving letter and flat-sorting mail processing makes more room for package sorting, the service says.
But not everyone is in favor of the idea. The Postal Workers Union says the move had originally been halted in 2015, and so far USPS has not said how it will affect postal workers at those facilities.
“We have made crystal clear to postal management that any further plant consolidations are a misguided strategy that not only disrupts the lives of postal workers but will further delay mail,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein in a statement. “The previous plant closings and consolidations were a complete failure and we will fight back facilityby-facility and community-by-community to save these processing plants.”
SAFER puts out fire in town of Marathon
Firefighters from the SAFER Fire District and village of Marathon helped put out a fire on the town of Marathon Saturday afternoon.
According to SAFER officials, firefighters responded to the blaze on Packer Drive in the town of Marathon 3:17 pm Saturday and found multiple buildings on fire. The fire had also crossed the road and started a grass on fire.
A total of six buildings, some containing automobiles and other equipment, were destroyed. Two nearby houses were saved by the efforts of firefighters, according to a report by SAFER officials. Crews were on scene at the fire for more than eight hours, SAFER Deputy Chief Josh Finke told City Pages. High winds made the situation worse and helped the flames spread.
In all, 150 firefighters showed up to fight the blaze and more than 225,000 gallons of water was used putting out the flames.
Nearly 20 local fire departments had some involvement in the blaze, which was ruled a 5-alarm fire, the first in SAFER’s history. The Department of Natural Resources also responded because the fire involved grass.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
City eyeing new bike share program
Wausau is eyeing a new bike share program, after its previous bike program went belly up.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Committee gave its nod to a new program that would operate the bikes left over from the last bike share attempt. Under the proposal, the city would sign a two-year contract with Tandem Mobility to operate nine bikes at two stations. The contract would cost $13,900 for the first year and $11,250 for the second, for a total of $25,150.
The previous bike share program designed for the Riverlife area was operated by Zagster. Zagster went bankrupt and the city ended up with a settlement along with Zagster’s bikes. That settlement, as well as some unused funds designated for the bike share program at the Community Foundation, will pay for much of the program, says Parks Director Jamie Polley.
The program will mostly be hands off for the city, as Tandem Mobility will handle the operations and maintenance of the bikes. They’ll open by a smartphone app where users will pay for bike use.
“I don’t know where else we’re going to get an opportunity to try something like this for this much money,” Committee Chair Pat Peckham said.
▲ Firefighters from SAFER and nearly 20 other agencies battled a multi-building blaze on Saturday in the town of Marathon.
Wausau to start affordable housing task force
The city of Wausau could soon start an affordable housing task force to look at affordable housing needs in the community.
The city’s Economic Development Committee gave a preliminary nod to the task force, which would be made up of at least one council member, one person who is a consumer of affordable housing and other citizen members. The committee also discussed working with representatives of other communities.
The task force would still need to be approved by the city council.
According to a housing report the city released this year, more than half of Wausau households are operating in a low income range - the majority are renters.
Although the task force hadn’t kicked off yet, some committee members started debating affordable housing aspects. Committee Member Tom Kilian said Tuesday he wanted to see an anti-gentrification aspect to the task force. Economic Development Chair Tom Neal said he thought that was jumping the gun and that the task force should gather all the data first.
Not everyone thought such a lengthy task force was necessary. Committee member Lou Larson questioned why the city has all this money for luxury housing but needs a lengthy task force for affordable housing.
But Mayor Katie Rosenberg said the reason is that affordable housing isn’t a money maker. She compared it to when the County Board studied the issue of whether it should continue running a nursing home and in what capacity.
“That’s what I’m viewing this as, it’s how do we get to that spot where we’re providing our community with a need,” Rosenberg says.
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