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Fire chief presents four site options for a Wausau training tower; committee seeks more study, favors Station 2 area for outreach
Summary
The fire chief presented four potential sites for a new training tower and the Infrastructure and Facilities Committee asked staff to do further study and neighborhood outreach, focusing first on the parcel adjacent to Fire Station 2 and on Enterprise Drive properties.
The Wausau Fire Chief presented four potential sites for a proposed fire training tower and asked the Infrastructure and Facilities Committee to pick a preferred site to move forward with study. Committee members did not make a final site selection but signaled a preference to research the parcel adjacent to Fire Station 2 and to further examine properties off Enterprise Drive as lower‑politics options.
Chief (unnamed in the transcript) said selected designs vary in cost: the cheapest container‑style training setups that meet ISO training needs start at about $260,000 while full towers can range up to $1.25–1.5 million. He told the committee he had reviewed four properties — a city‑owned former incubator/industrial parcel on Cleveland Avenue, a parcel next to Station 2 (former VA clinic at 515 South 30th Avenue), a utility‑owned property near Burrick close to NTC, and multiple parcels on Enterprise Drive — and outlined pros and cons for each.
“We do support that thoroughfare to continue in its current configuration,” Aspirus representatives said earlier about another item; on the training tower topic the chief said the Cleveland Avenue parcel is attractive because of water, concrete pads and proximity to public operations, but also carries remediation work with the DNR. The Burrick property is close to NTC and water resources but lies partly in the Village of Maine and may require development and interjurisdictional coordination. The Station 2‑adjacent parcel (515 South 30th Avenue) adjoins an existing city fire station and may simplify operations and meet ISO requirements; the Enterprise Drive sites offer room and easier political sell but would place training farther from central response districts.
Committee members expressed concern about political and neighborhood opposition to using the contaminated Cleveland Avenue parcel before remediation is complete and raised watershed concerns about a Burrick location near water supply. Alder Martins and others suggested Station 2 or Enterprise Drive sites would be more workable; the committee asked the chief to survey nearby residents and to return with refined feasibility data on Station 2 and Enterprise Drive options.
The chief said he would investigate property availability, remediation implications and possible collaboration with Police and DPW. Committee consensus was to pursue outreach in the Station 2 neighborhood and further study of Enterprise Drive parcels; staff will report back to the committee with outreach results and updated feasibility information.
