Marshfield officials debate whether to convert Buffalo Building into police department

MARSHFIELD - It's been more than a year since the owner of Wildwood Plaza approached the city about donating the building.

In February 2023, the Marshfield Police Department sent out a news release stating the building was being offered to the city and that both the Marshfield Police Department and Street Department needed significantly more space. Since then the city has taken ownership of Wildwood Plaza, commonly known as the "Buffalo Building" at 2504 S. Central Ave.

In October, the Marshfield Fire and Police Commission and City Council heard a presentation on three options that could be used to turn the building into a new Marshfield Police Department. A fourth option would build a new building.

Estimates for the options ranged from $13.2 million to $14.1 million, with a new building costing $15.7 million. Last week, the Marshfield Common Council held a special meeting to review the options and discuss the best way to pay for a new police department.

Buffalo Building can be renovated into a new Marshfield Police Department, architect says

Mike Maas, an architect with Architectural Design Consultants Inc. of Lake Delton, who gave the presentation in October, returned Tuesday to review the results with the Council again and answer any questions. Maas said the estimated construction costs remained the same.

Maas said the assessment of the Buffalo Building shows it can be converted for police department use. It's going to take a renovation of almost the entire building area, some additions to the current building, and, in some cases, it's going to take a variance from the city.

More local news: Your first look inside the new Wood County Sheriff’s Office and Jail as construction continues

More local news: Marshfield Clinic Health System and Sanford Health intend to merge. How did we get here?

Whatever the city decides, the building should be put back in function at some point in the near future, Maas said.

"A building sitting empty, is adding age to that building prematurely, without any doubt," Maas said.

Current department building does not meet space and security needs

While most council members seemed in agreement Tuesday that the current Marshfield Police Department building is not adequate to meet the space and security needs of the department, they differed on how they should move forward.

Council member Ed Wagner asked if the city could put just enough money into the Wildwood Plaza building to make it attractive to a buyer and then sell it. Wagner said Marshfield gets calls on a regular basis from people who are looking for buildings to buy. He questioned whether the best use of the building is turning it into a police department.

Michael Feirer, who sits both on the Marshfield City Council and Wood County Board, pointed to the Wood County Jail project. When the county first got an estimate for building the new jail, the price was $58 million. When they decided to build the jail several years later, the cost was $98 million. If Marshfield wants to build a new police department, they should build it now, Feirer said.

Council member Russ Stauber questioned whether the approximately $2 million savings is enough to remodel the current Buffalo Building, instead of building new.

Derek Wehrman asked whether the projects could be done in phases. He said the police are in definite need for a change, but questioned whether some things, like secure parking or a shooting range, could wait.

Marshfield Police Chief Jody Geurink said some things could possibly be done in phases, but there are functions of the department that need to be in the same location. People in two different departments of the police department could need to work together, Geurink said.

Should a referendum decide the future of a new police department?

Council member Mike O'Reilly said he thinks there should be a referendum question to let Marshfield voters decide whether to spend the money on a police department project. The city has had to make deep cuts in recent years to balance the budget.

"With the shape our budget is in, getting their input on it as taxpayers, for me, is of the utmost importance," O'Reilly said.

It is unlikely the city will get enough details of the project decided on to make the November election. If a referendum is done, it would likely be during the spring election.

If a referendum fails, it would have an impact on everything the City Council is considering for the building, Feirer said. The council needs to make the decision.

"We've got to put our big boy pants on and decided what you want to do," Feirer said.

Another special meeting will be planned

The council members decided they needed more time to discuss the details of the site analysis, which option makes the most sense and whether to go to a referendum or make the decision themselves.

The council decided to schedule a special meeting to have an in-depth discussion on what to do with the Buffalo Building and the police department. The date for the meeting was not decided as of Friday afternoon.

Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Marshfield officials debate if Buffalo Building should be police dept.