MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – Both the Marshfield Street Division and the Wood County Highway Department have been looking into expanding their current facilities to include land on the south end of Marshfield.
In 2020, the Street Division hired a consultant from Barrientos Design and Consulting to inspect the current Street Division building and decide what might be best for the division moving forward. The current building was deemed outdated and that any further expansions should be halted in hopes of finding a new site with more space.
Even by acquiring adjacent parcels of land, the street division would not be able to gather enough space to house their current needs. Barrientos ultimately recommended moving to a new facility.
The parcel the Street Division currently has is 5.8 acres and is not sufficient enough to hold crew quarters, trucks, other machinery, building supplies and more. Ten acres of land was the number that was deemed sufficient for the space that the division would need to properly house all of the equipment needed.
A proposal was also brought forward that would have a part of the Wood County Highway Department housed at the same new location.
A 17.9-acre section of land owned by Wood County on Galvin Ave just north of 29th Street in Marshfield is a spot that the Street Division is looking into obtaining.
At Tuesday’s common council meeting, the council will decide whether to go ahead with a consultation from Barrientos regarding what a shared County and City site would look like.
In the proposal, the City would have to foot 75% of the over $28,000 consultation bill with Wood County taking the rest. If approved, Barrientos would come up with three different options as to what a shared site might look like.
The first concept would feature separate buildings for the County and City. The second is one main garage with separate sections of building for each entity and the third option would be a completely shared building between Wood County and the City of Marshfield Street Division.
If approved, the study would take four months to complete. Barrientos would send crews to set floor plans, collect land development data, and discuss what the benefits and challenges of two entities working together under the same building might be.
The Wood County Highway Department currently has a Marshfield-based site at the intersection of South Galvin Ave. and East 21st Street within the city limits of Marshfield.
Housed there are nine heavy vehicles, three transport busses, various pieces of construction equipment and up to 16 people during the summer. The County would be looking to upgrade to a bigger facility through this proposal.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Department would also be looking to house two offices, an evidence storage room, and storage for three squad cars according to the proposal.
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