Rendering of a proposed Seagrave facility in Wausau. Image courtesy: City of Wausau
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — One of the nation’s oldest fire engine manufacturing companies would like to bring a piece of its process to Wausau.
Seagrave Fire Equipment brought plans for a cab assembly plant to the Wausau Plan Commission on Tuesday for an initial public hearing on a potential rezoning for a property at 410 S Bellis Street. Seagrave’s Vice President of Operations Frank Szendrey says the currently vacant building provides them with nearly everything they need as-is
“The building is in good shape and practically ready for our use,” said Szendrey. “We’re really talking about unfitting and preparing cabs so we would bring parts out of Clintonville and then trim the inside with electrical, mechanical, and interior components; then take them back to Clintonville to assemble.”
By moving the cab assembly process to Wausau, Szendrey says they would free up workers in Clintonville to focus on other aspects of construction before attaching the cab and moving the trucks to their destination. He says that would help them eat through a waitlist for trucks and other equipment that’s currently sitting at two years.
Plans do not call for any substantial remodeling or construction at the facility, though Seagrave could eventually build an additional bank of meeting rooms and office space. Szendrey says the only immediate work would be to bring some entrances and bathrooms up to ADA code before work could begin at the site.
No residents spoke during Tuesday’s hearing but one person from the neighborhood did submit a letter of support for the plan that was included in the agenda packet. They praised the plans for the vacant building, saying it does not appear they would be detrimental to the neighborhood. They also said they’d like to see the building used again because as a vacant building it’s served as a magnet for vandalism and has become a neighborhood eyesore.
In addition to having a building that is nearly move-in ready, Szendrey says they’re also attracted to Wausau because of the large pool of potential employees that come with the market. “It’s light assembly work so [we would look for] anybody that has prior manufacturing experience or is handy with tools, likes to make things- or who likes fire trucks. Those are the kind of people we would be looking for.”
Others with Seagrave also noted that they have had a good working relationship with the technical schools in the area and are confident they would be able to churn out graduates that have the skill sets they are looking for.
Plans currently call for the site to employ 30 to 50 people at capacity. Those on the commission praised the plans and the jobs and economic growth that could come with them. Alder Tom Neal even added that the employees need to frequent a nearby market during the lunch hour for the “best meatlof sandwich in town.”
Another public hearing on the proposed rezoning will be held on November 16th. The land is currently zoned as Medium Industrial and would require a conditional use permit, which would need to be approved by the commission and later the full city council. The commission is expected to vote at the November meeting. The company also has to work out the terms of a lease with the property owner before they can begin upgrading the facility.
No timeline on when they could begin moving fire truck cabs between Clintonville and Wausau was given.
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