WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (From news reports) - All good things must come to an end, but sometimes they turn into something better for the community.

The Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill is finally being torn down after months of planning and preparing. Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Matt Zacher says it may take some time before the stacks can come down because the demo company needs to get everything cleared out.

The paper mill was first closed by Verso in 2020, taking 900 jobs with it. Fast forward to September 2024, the city issued a permit for demolition to Midwest Rail and Dismantling.

"They care about the state, they care about what's going on, they do a good job," Mayor Zacher said. "They have a reputable history in terms of doing these jobs of this magnitude. So, for that part, it's very exciting."

Billerud, who bought the facility when it was first closed, still owns it but has sold the idle areas to the Capital Recovery Group. That's where the demolition comes into play.

CRG and the city decided those idled areas could be developed into something the community could use more of.

"It's just ready for new industries to move in," Mayor Zacher stated. "As we move this out of the way, that's what's going to be happening is new companies coming in and helping us grow again in our economy."

Mayor Zacher says it won't just be one business going in there, it'll be around 10 to 20 to hold an industrial park. While you may not see the stacks coming down this week, the changes will be happening fairly quickly.

"Well, it's 18 months and we're just really kind of getting started because it took a while to get all the proper permitting," Mayor Zacher said. "That's a year and a half, but once it's happening, it's going to keep going forward -- no breaks. There's no timeouts involved."

When asked if any specific businesses were interested in moving into the area, but Mayor Zacher said he doesn't know much and we probably won't know until the pen is put to paper.

He says with the area being owned by CRG, it's ultimately up to them to decide who to lease out the properties to.

Mayor Zacher also says he's happy the companies working on the mill have included the city in so many of the conversations.