Wausau Current: School Board approves turf field and mayor addresses concerns about Water Works Commission
Wausau Current is a new regular column in the Wausau Daily Herald by Service Journalism Reporter Erik Pfantz that will cover a range of topics in city and county governments and local school districts to highlight the many items that flow past our local decision-makers.
If you have items you would like to see highlighted in this column, please reach out to Erik at epfantz@gannett.com.
Turf field approved at Wausau West and other school district news
The Wausau School Board on Dec. 8 approved construction of a turf athletic field at Wausau West’s Jerry Johnson Field. This long-awaited facility improvement is part of a list of projects the school district is working on as a result of the 2022 referendum.
Other projects completed or ongoing include the Environmental Learning Center at the Wausau School Forest and renovations at Riverview, Stettin and South Mountain elementary schools, Horace Mann Middle School and Wausau West High School. The School Board also approved work to continue with renovations at Maine, Thomas Jefferson and G.D. Jones elementary schools.
Demographer Mark Roffers will make a presentation to the School Board on Feb. 12 regarding the district's ongoing strategic planning process. The board’s goal since its November meeting has been to consider reductions in the “footprint” of the district’s 13 elementary school buildings. The board is seeking a demographer, someone who studies changes in human populations, to help develop a plan.
In December, the Red Granite Charter School announced it received a $1.9 million federal grant. It is one of 14 charter schools across the country to receive the grant. Red Granite is “inspired” by public Waldorf educational philosophy and is “dedicated to nurturing each student’s unique capabilities and fostering creativity, critical thinking, and a love for learning,” according to a December news release. The charter school will open with the start of the 2024-25 school year on 2 acres at the Monk Botanical Gardens.
Village of Kronenwetter hires administrator
The village of Kronenwetter has promoted its public works director to village administrator.
Leonard Ludi, who was hired to the public works position in September, accepted the administrator position Jan. 17.
“I feel my work can make a difference here,” Ludi said in a news release. He described 30 years of experience in community development planning and committee work with 10 different government entities that he will bring to his work in the position.
The village previously hired Peter Kampfer to the administrator role in September, but he was unable to take the position due to personal reasons and the Village Board rescinded their offer to him Jan. 8. Their approval of Ludi came Jan. 15.
Mayor to address concerns about city's Water Works Commission
Mayor Katie Rosenberg will share a short presentation about the city’s water utility oversight committee during the Jan. 23 Common Council meeting. A two-page memo attached to the council’s agenda lays out the status of the Wausau Water Works Commission and several options for addressing concerns about the commission.
“I’ve heard complaints about the utility commission by members of this body once again,” Rosenberg wrote in the memo. “I’d like to have that policy discussion instead of having it linger for another few months or years.”
The Water and Wastewater divisions of Wausau Water Works have a combined budget of over $22.5 million. The commission is made up of five members, the mayor, an alderperson and three citizen members who are approved by the council. Citizens serve five-year terms while elected officials serve the length of their term.
Local development news: What we know about 3 housing developments in Wausau slated to begin construction in 2024
Local election news: Voters will see spring primary for Wausau mayor, Common Council and Marathon County Board seats
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA-TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @ErikPfantz.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Current: School Board approves turf field for Wausau West
