Council votes to submit response to Marathon County RFP for former UWSP Wausau campus

The Wausau Common Council voted to authorize staff to submit a response to Marathon County’s request for proposals (RFP) to redevelop the former UWSP Wausau campus, preserving a six‑month due‑diligence period if the county selects the city’s proposal. Mr. Fyfe framed the vote as a procedural step to meet the county’s August 24 deadline and noted that "There is an offer of purchase price of $1."

Council members and staff described a range of potential uses under consideration if the city is selected: relocating the Wausau Police Department headquarters to the main campus building, leasing space to a partner such as the Wausau School District, evaluating whether the campus field house would support recreation or public‑safety functions, and redeveloping dormitories for housing and tax‑generating uses. Randy told the council the due‑diligence phase would allow the city to estimate costs and feasibility before making final commitments.

Alder Trueblood emphasized the council was not committing to purchase or construction today, saying the vote "is not saying this is what we're definitely going to do" but that submitting a proposal preserves the option to negotiate. Chief Barnes cautioned that "there's still quite a few" roadblocks and that substantive decisions would come months later. The motion to proceed passed 6 to 1 with one abstention.