No surprises in first phase of mill tests

The first phase of assessing the level of contamination present at the old mill in Waubeka has so far found “nothing out of the ordinary,” Ozaukee County supervisors were told last week.

County Planning and Parks Director Andrew Struck told members of the Natural Resources Committee the assessment of the site by LF Green Development of Milwaukee revealed the presence of asbestos and other material “we already knew about.”

The firm was hired last month for $95,000 to evaluate and remediate the property.

The project is being financed by a $182,800  Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) grant.

Struck said he is confident that the first phase of the assessment will be complete before the county takes possession of the site, which includes the historic Button Factory, from the Town of Fredonia.

The second phase could include demolition of the buildings, he said.

LF Green officials noted that demolition costs “could increase depending on findings of the initial assessments and associated remediation actions ultimately required,” according to a memo.

In August, the Ozaukee County Board voted to accept ownership of the dilapidated mill and Button Factory buildings in Waubeka from the Town of Fredonia, with an eye toward creating a riverside kayak launch.

The town bought the two buildings and one acre of land along the Milwaukee River for $40,000 last year from Charles Sheridan and his son.

The county contributed $38,700 in matching funds to obtain the WEDC grant. 

If remediation costs exceed the grant, the county likely will be liable for those costs, officials say.

The dilapidated mill has asbestos, a cracked foundation, rotted support beams and a roof that is partially collapsed. Fuel also has 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 for fear more could fall onto the roadway.

Both buildings extend into the river and cannot be developed.

The Button Factory is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The town had threatened to exercise eminent domain, which allows governments to take private property for public use as long as owners receive fair market value, if Sheridan and his son didn’t sell the property.

Sheridan, who lives in Illinois, bought the Button Factory in a 1990 auction from Ozaukee County and purchased the mill in 2019 for $1,000, later turning that building over to his son.

Officials have said they envision a “kayak loop” between Waubedonia Park and the mill and Button Factory.

The mill will likely be torn down but some remnant of the Button Factory would remain due to its historic status.

Development of the site as a park has not been approved.