Athens rezones for retail space
By Casey Krautkramer
More development beyond just apartments and homes is coming to Athens. The Athens Village Board on Monday apcommission proved a recommendation from the plan Black Creek Falls, LLC and will close on to rezone property at 708 Mueller Street from R-l Single Family Residential to B-l General Commercial District for the purpose of creating retail space.
Tom and Lorene Mueller of Athens started purchasing the properly at 708 Mueller Street from a private resident on Jan. 31. Tom Mueller said he will give the resident who currently owns the property until spring to remove items he has stored in the former See ATHENS/ page 9 Athens
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village generator building on the land.
The Muellers will hire Gaffney Construction of Wausau to construct a building to be leased out to people who will manage coffee, flower and ice cream shops. Tom Mueller said construction will likely start in May or June of 2025 and the building should be ready for use sometime in fall of 2025.
Tom Mueller said the historic brick building currently on the property at 708 Mueller St. once housed two generators that the village used in the 1940s and 1950s for backup power when the electricity went out. He said the village sold the property to a private citizen who used the historic building for storage before he sold it to the current private individual, who also uses the former generator building for storage.
“We want to preserve it,” Tom Mueller said. “Athens has lost too many historic buildings over the years. There are lots of nice houses and apartments going up in Athens but people need other amenities too.”
Tom and Lorene Mueller and Tom’s sister, Kathy Trimner Roth, own The Pickle Shed that opened in early October at Miltrim Farms located a few miles west of Athens. The Pickle Shed contains two indoor pickleball courts for the public to use for a fee.
Pickleball has become popular because it has shorter court dimensions compared to tennis, making it easier for senior citizens to play and get exercise. People can learn how to play pickleball free of charge using equipment that is provided from 5-9 p.m. each Monday in December.
The Pickle Shed will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week for people to play for a fee. People can download the app Pickleheads on their cell phone to register for a period of time to play at The Pickle Shed.
Sewer rates increased by 15%
The board approved a recommendation from the water and sewer committee to increase sewer rates by 15 percent for village residents beginning on Jan. 1, 2025. The additional revenue will help pay for the DNRmandated wastewater treatment plant upgrades for phosphorus removal.
In a related matter, Athens received news last week from the DNR that the village has been awarded $2.1 million from the Clean Water Fund Program, including $1 million in principal forgiveness for phosphorous reduction and $391,188 in general principal forgiveness.
The remaining funding will be a borrowed with a subsidized interest rate. This funding will be used to upgrade the village’s sewer plant to comply with lower phosphorous limits.
