Kayak launch best bet for mill site, officials say

“The best case scenario” for the Waubeka Mill and Button Factory would be that Ozaukee County gain ownership of the site and convert it into a kayak launch, officials said last week.

But an application for a brownfield assessment grant is just the first step in that process, county Planning and Parks Director Andrew Struck told members of the Natural Resources Committee.

“We’re taking it one step at a time” to arrive at a “long-term solution” to what has been problematic to the county and the Town of Fredonia for many years, he said.

“It’s definitely been a hazard,” he said. “But the first thing we need to do is see what we’re dealing with. Doing an assessment doesn’t mean we’ll be taking ownership.”

The committee voted to recommend submitting a request to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. for a $150,000 brownfield site assessment grant.

The Fredonia Town Board last month authorized Town Chairman Chris Janik to execute an intergovernmental agreement between the town and Ozaukee County so they can work together on demolition of the buildings and give the parcels to the county.

The Town Board in June approved a plan to exercise its power of eminent domain to take both properties from Charles Sheridan and his son.

Both buildings are in the Milwaukee River floodway, probably contain asbestos and soil there could be contaminated by petroleum that leaked from an underground tank, Struck said.

“We have some inkling of what’s going on there,” he said. “We certainly don’t want any of that to get into the river.”

In a memo to the committee, Struck called the buildings “dilapidated” and the site “would not be buildable under any circumstances.”

The grant would help pay for investigating environmental contamination, demolition of the buildings, removal of abandoned containers, asbestos abatement activities and removal of underground storage tanks, including petroleum product storage tanks, according to Struck’s memo.

The town’s plan is to give the properties to the county, which would convert them into a park and boat launch.

Struck and Janik, who attended the meeting, said the county is negotiating with the Sheridans and the state Department of Natural Resources on the transfer of the property via eminent domain.

“I think we’ve turned the corner on this,” Struck said.

Janik said he was optimistic.

“Once the buildings are gone, it’s a nice little stretch on the river and will be a nice asset,” Janik said.

Struck said a kayak launch would pair well with Waubedonia Park in Fredonia so that kayakers could paddle from Waubeka to the Fredonia county park.

“I think it would be well used,” Struck said.

There is a portion of the property not in the floodway that would be suitable for parking, he added. 

Matching funds totaling $30,000 are required, bringing the total cost of the assessment to $180,000.

Those matching funds could come from the county’s capital project fund, Struck suggested.

Project costs are based on demolition estimates provided in a recent appraisal, Struck said.

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

Sheridan has been trying to turn the buildings into a number of businesses or residences for the past several years without success.

Sheridan’s plans for the Button Factory, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, have fallen through since it doesn’t meet setback requirements.