Natural history

Marinette County saves its past in midst of growth

By Jennifer Pfaff

Image

Oneida General Contractors moves the Milwaukee Road Depot in Marinette 400 feet to make way for a new Walgreens.

Photo courtesy of Frank J. Lauerman III

Marinette County is growing.

But it’s not sacrificing its past for progress. The county and its residents are finding ways to mesh the region’s historic and natural legacies with its industrial,
retail and service base.

The past, for people like Frank J. Lauerman III, is just as important as the future. The city of Marinette resident and businessman, who lives in the home his grandfather built, has a passion for the county’s history.

So when he learned that a new Walgreens would require the demolition of the 1903 Milwaukee Road Depot in the city, he stepped in to fight for the building.

Lauerman bought the depot, moved it 400 feet and restored the exterior to its original 1903 appearance, assuring that it will once again be an active part of Marinette’s commercial life. The city of Marinette also stepped in on the project by helping cover restoration costs.

But getting the old structure ready for new tenants, whoever they might turn out to be, was a messy job.

“It was pretty dirty under there; it was all creosote and that,” said Richard Charbarneau of Rhinelander-based Oneida General Contractors LLC, the company that worked with Lauerman on the project.

The job was pretty routine, Charbarneau said, although the 130-foot-long building was a bit longer than most.

“We bolted together two 60 footers, and then we slid steel into the ends to make up the other 10 feet,” he said.

In the end, 12 cross-steel beams, 132-foot main beams and five dollies were used to raise the 102-ton structure for its short journey home, Charbarneau said.

Lauerman was pleased with the company’s efforts.

“They took care of my baby like I would,” he said.

Isthmus Architecture Inc., Madison, is restoring the depot’s exterior.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population, percent change, April 1, 2000-July 1, 2003: -0.3
2003 population estimate: 43,237
Population, percent change, 1990 to 2000: 7.0
Percent of people under 5 years old in 2000: 5.1
Percent of people under 18 years old in 2000: 23.5
Percent of people 65 years old and older in 2000: 17.6
Females, 2000: 50.6 percent
Whites, 2000: 98.1 percent
Blacks, 2000: 0.2 percent
American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2000: 0.5 percent
Asians, 2000: 0.3 percent
People of Hispanic or Latino origin, 2000: 0.7 percent
High school graduates, percent of people age 25+, 2000: 82.5
Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of people age 25+, 2000: 12.9
Housing units, 2002: 26,777
Homeownership rate, 2000: 79.3 percent
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $69,800
Households, 2000: 17,585
People per household, 2000: 2.4
Median household income, 1999: $35,256
Per capita income, 1999: $17,492
People below poverty, percent, 1999: 8.3

BUSINESS FACTS

Private nonfarm establishments with paid employees, 2001: 1,093
Private nonfarm employment, 2001: 16,812
Manufacturers' shipments, 1997 ($1,000): 1,139,092
Retail sales, 1997 ($1,000): 285,942
Retail sales per capita, 1997: $6,661
Minority-owned firms, percent of total, 1997: Fewer than 100 firms
Women-owned firms, percent of total, 1997: 12.2
Housing units authorized by building permits, 2002: 275
Federal funds and grants, 2002 ($1,000): 316,573

GEOGRAPHY FACTS

Land area, 2000 (square miles): 1,402
People per square mile, 2000: 30.9

“The architects got copies of the original plans, and that’s how we’re doing it,” Lauerman said. He said matching the original plans will mean removing two chimneys that were added over the years.

The state and national historic designations carried by the building allow for interior updates, and those will be necessary to make the depot ready for the office tenants Lauerman hopes to attract.

As the city of Marinette and its residents take on historic preservation, the leaders of Lake Lundgren Bible Camp in the town of Pembine seek to share the region’s natural beauty with as many visitors as possible. That goal is driving the camp’s dining hall and restroom renovation project.

The nondenominational, privately owned camp is a quiet retreat for visitors from throughout the Midwest, said Richard Storey, co-owner of Peshtigo-based Enterprise Engineering Consultants Ltd. and camp board member.

The renovations will make the camp more accessible to people with disabilities by bringing the bathrooms up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards and making the dining hall entrance barrier free, he said.

“The present entrance requires one to go up three steps to get in,” Storey said. “This is bringing everything up to the same height with a ramp and wooden deck.”

pdates and expansions are the name of the game in Marinette County’s commercial base as well, said Don Clewley, executive director of the Marinette County Association for Business and Industry Inc. Most new economic growth is through existing businesses.

At Niagara Telephone Co. in the city of Niagara, a 4,000-square-foot office expansion will let the company reach out to the community through a new cellular retail center and a public meeting space, said Lee Norton, the company’s general manager.

The addition, to be built by J.H. Zawada Supply and Lumber Co., Niagara, will double the size of the company’s office. It’s a needed addition because Niagara Telephone does not have enough offices for its employees.

“At the same time we’re doing the addition, the roof is getting old and the soffits are getting old,” Norton said. “We’re going to strip it and color-key match it.”

The company will get additional office space, a small storage area, a coffee nook and a classroom-style conference room.

“It’s on the end of the building and can be locked away from the rest of the company, so it is something we might be able to allow the community to use,” Norton said.

Construction should be complete by June.