County able to see what it’s in for at mill site

Ozaukee County has officially been granted permission to access, inspect and remediate the Button Factory and Waubeka Mill.

The Town Board on June 10 approved sending a letter to the county allowing access to the properties.

The purpose, according to the letter, is “to conduct necessary site evaluations, gather information and prepare proposals required to apply for grants through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. or any other available funding sources to support the demolition and cleanup of the property.”

The letter also states that anyone entering the properties does so “at their own risk” and that the town will not be held liable for any injuries or damage from activity on the properties.

The county has said it plans to turn the properties into a park.

It has a $142,800 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to assess whether the properties are a brownfield site in need of remediation, but the money hinged on accessing the sites.

Former owners Charles Sheridan and his son hadn’t allowed access, instead developing multiple proposals for the properties that didn’t work for different reasons.

The largely dilapidated mill has asbestos, a cracked foundation, rotted support beams and a roof in need of repairs. Fuel leached into the ground below the road from a storage tank under the mill. A portion of the mill collapsed in 2024, causing part of Mill Street to be barricaded off for fear more could fall onto the roadway.

The Sheridans’ plans for the Button Factory, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, fell through since it doesn’t meet setback requirements.

The idea of turning the factory into a commercial boathouse was shot down in 2022 because the building lacks the required 10-foot setback from the river.

Charles Sheridan’s latest proposal for the factory was to replace the foundation and make other improvements to create a kayak school, then donate the building to the town or county.

Town electors on May 27 voted, 23-10, to allow the town to buy the properties, but at that time any deal with the Sheridans hung in the balance after months of negotiations.

The following day the Sheridans agreed to sell the properties for $40,000.

At the electors meeting, the Town Board  mentioned paying $45,000. Some residents thought the Sheridans should pay for barricades, fencing and other clean-up costs. Town Chairman Chris Janik said those weren’t included in the deal.

If the Sheridans didn’t agree to sell, the town was considering taking the properties via eminent domain, which allows governments to take private property for public use as long as owners receive fair market value.

Sheridan, who lives in Illinois, grew up in Milwaukee and said he fell in love with the Milwaukee River in Waubeka when, as a student at Marquette University, he saw the buildings and old dam on a winter day.

Charles bought the Button Factory in a 1990 auction from Ozaukee County and the mill in 2019 for $1,000, later turning it over to his son.