Wausau residents press city to keep 1300 Cleveland Avenue nonindustrial; staff asked to craft public outreach plan

Residents near 1300 Cleveland Avenue urged the Wausau Economic Development Committee on Oct. 7 to bar future industrial development at the contaminated city‑owned site and to require cleanup to residential standards before any reuse.

Speakers at the committee meeting described decades of pollution at the property and urged the city to pursue remediation and community‑driven reuse. "We need to clean it up to the highest standard, no matter what we're gonna use it for," said Sid Elford, a longtime neighborhood resident, noting testing wells near his home and his belief that contamination has migrated downhill toward the river. Several other neighbors echoed concerns about noise, trucks and long‑standing contamination from the former industrial operations on the site.

The committee heard an update from Eric Lindeman, Wausau public works director, who repeated that the site investigation required by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was completed this year and that the city is preparing a Remedial Action Options Report (RAOR). "The DNR's expectation will be that we bring the site to closure," Lindeman said, describing remedial options that range from capping the site to full excavation and removal. He also said the DNR had proposed forming a "green team" — a coordinated city‑DNR working group — and that state and federal funding opportunities may be available if the city actively participates.

Committee members and Mayor Robert Deeny (commenting during the hearing) said the council previously rezoned the property to nonindustrial use in 2018 and that residents have a history of broken promises. Alder Tom Killian, who represents the area and took public comments from numerous residents at the meeting, urged city leaders to give the neighborhood certainty. "People want to believe and have hope and confidence in their government... The government needs to take its boot off the throat of our neighborhood," Killian said.

After discussion, the committee asked staff to develop a public participation plan that will solicit neighborhood input on nonindustrial redevelopment options and return to the committee at its November meeting. Chair (Economic Development Committee) summarized the direction: staff should prepare a public participation plan for "the development of 1300 Cleveland in a nonindustrial fashion and bring that back to you in your November meeting." Lindeman told members the DNR had already granted an extension for the RAOR schedule so the outreach work could proceed without breaching DNR deadlines.

What happened: No zoning or redevelopment decision was made at the meeting. The committee convened the discussion to review the site's investigation history, hear residents' concerns and receive staff guidance on cleanup options and grant opportunities.

Why it matters: The property sits adjacent to established neighborhoods and the river; residents said long‑running contamination and nighttime industrial activity have harmed quality of life and raised health concerns. The DNR process and any grant funding that follows will shape cleanup scope, standards and timing.

Next steps: Staff will draft and return with a public participation plan at the committee's November meeting and work with DNR staff on the remedial action options and potential green team participation.