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Wausau panel directs staff to negotiate with two bidders for River Life concession stand
Summary
The Parks and Recreation Committee reviewed two proposals for the River Life concession stand, asked staff to seek more detail on staffing, season length and lease terms, and agreed to return with a negotiated agreement within weeks.
The Parks and Recreation Committee of the City of Wausau directed staff on March 3 to continue negotiations with two proposers for operations of the River Life concession stand and return to the committee with a draft agreement.
Committee members heard summaries of two proposals presented by Jamie, Parks Department staff, who said the city received two formal proposals and one additional inquiry. "They did submit a new proposal, and ... we got one more proposal," Jamie said, adding that proposers left some terms open for negotiation.
The first proposal covered a longer season, from May 1 to Oct. 15, with morning coffee and tea service and full concession sales (ice cream, snacks, beverages) during daytime hours; it proposed a lease structure of 3% of sales and said the proposers would self-finance restroom work and staff with one to two student-aged employees per shift. The second proposal described a shorter season (transcript: May 20 to Sept. 1), hours roughly 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., a closure on Mondays for cleaning/regrouping, and a lease equal to the prior vendor’s arrangement (the committee identified the prior baseline as $1,000 per month). It also included phased ideas — equipment rental and guided river tours — subject to storage and logistics.
Committee members asked staff to press proposers for details on staffing plans (several raised concern about proposals relying on student workers during the school year), season length and daily hours, restroom maintenance responsibilities, and a clearer lease proposal. Several alderpersons said they preferred a longer operating season or a hybrid approach that includes weekends in shoulder months. "I certainly like the longer season of May 1 to Oct. 15," one member said. Another favored proposal 2’s planned expansion of services but urged more days of operation to make the location viable.
Jamie proposed a negotiation baseline of $1,000 per month, prorated for months with weekend-only service, and recommended the city continue restroom maintenance rather than requiring vendors to do so; the committee signaled support for those negotiation points. The committee also asked staff to seek more granular staffing plans from the proposers and to determine whether lease terms should be fixed monthly rent or a share-of-sales arrangement.
Rather than selecting a single proposer at the meeting, the committee reached consensus to authorize staff to pursue negotiations with both applicants under the discussed parameters and return to the committee with a proposed agreement and financial details. The committee noted further approvals will be required through finance and full council before a final contract is executed.
The item was tabled for follow-up; staff said it would report back in a few weeks with negotiated terms and a draft agreement for committee consideration.
