Officials say it’s time for collapsing mill to go

The back wall of the Waubeka Mill bordering the Milwaukee River fell off recently — another collapse of the structure that has required the closure of Mill Street for more than a year due to stability concerns.

Town Clerk Christophe Jenkins said last week that demolition is seemingly the only solution for the crumbling building.

“The uniqueness of that property, how close the building is to the road, there are so many constraints that have been explained to the property owner about how it’s not feasible to restore the building,” he said.

The mill was purchased in 2019 by a company led by Charles Sheridan, whose father, Charles Sheridan Sr., bought the nearby and similarly-dilapidated Button Factory in 1990 at a county auction.

For years, Sheridan Sr. has tried to convince Ozaukee County to grant him a building code variance for the factory, proposing at times it could be used as a single-family residence or a kayak rental business.

Earlier this year, he posted an ad on Facebook offering to sell the mill for $89,999 or the best offer for use as a hotel, restaurant, shop or corporate center. He acknowledged that the building requires “renovation and remodeling,” including the demolition of the west-side addition that caved-in earlier this year.

Sheridan Sr. said he is working on submitting building permit applications for both properties. Renovations to the mill would include “shoring the west wall and removing collapsed structure,” a post states.

County sanitation and zoning specialist Barry Sullivan said he doesn’t think work could realistically happen on the buildings considering how far out of code conformity both are.

The properties are in a floodplain,  have almost no setback to either the road or the river and have been out of use since at least the 1970s.

“There’s a lot of hurdles to overcome and so far he hasn’t provided an application we could approve,” Sullivan said.

At one point, Sheridan offered to donate part of the mill to the county, but it was rejected due to liability concerns. He said he later offered the full mill, but was told the county wanted both the mill and the factory.

“It’s like McDonald’s — two for one,” he said.

Jenkins said the town has discussed issuing a raze order for both the mill and the factory, but has hesitated because the cost of demolition would likely end up on the tax roll if Sheridan refused to pay.

“You can only specially assess so much off the property,” he said.

Additionally, Sullivan said, Sheridan could challenge the order in court and if ruled against, launch appeals.

“I hope I don’t get into a legal fight but it’s possible,” Sheridan said.

The factory has drawn Sheridan into legal trouble in the past.

Sheridan said he had been told he could install a temporary roof on the factory around when he bought it. So on one Friday night in the 1990s, he had a team of contractors install a permanent, shingled roof and completed the work by Sunday night.

“A county sheriff showed up on Monday morning with a legal summons,” he said.

The judge told Sheridan he could keep the roof, but made him pay a $2,500 fine, he said.

Sheridan said he doesn’t regret it because it helped preserve the property.

His son said the county and town have compounded their problems by denying building permits that become harder to obtain as the buildings continue to collapse.

“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster,” Sheridan Jr. said. “We need the permits to rebuild the place but it’s falling apart, so we are between a rock and a hard place.”

Sheridan Sr. said he believes the county decided to deny his permit requests before fully hearing his case.

If the county acquired the two properties, it would likely create a boat launch where the factory is and a parking area where the mill is, Sullivan said.

“That is a future vision possibility, but that comes down to what the owners want to do,” he said.

Sullivan said it would have been “ideal” if the county never put the Button Factory up for auction and simply converted the property to a park in 1990. However, it is standard procedure to put all properties acquired through foreclosure to auction.

Jenkins said he is hopeful Sheridan will consider donating the properties.

“It’s centrally an eyesore and we hope the property owner is able to work with the township and the county to remediate it,” Jenkins said. “The ball’s been in the owner’s court.”

Sheridan Sr., however, said he plans to turn the properties into an entertainment venue with the mill becoming a hotel or restaurant and the factory a kayak rental shop.

“It is a gorgeous site with a mild rapids and an island,” he said. “The buildings have potential.”

The Button Factory is on the National Register of Historic Places, which does not prevent alterations to the building or its demolition.