Greg Buckley
“We’ve got to make lemonade out of this.” Two Rivers City Manager Greg Buckley’s words on discussion to re-develop the former Paragon Property.
The 310,000 square-foot facility just west of Columbus Street off Memorial Drive has been vacant the last several years with the last venture “going sour.”
The city lent money to the group Paragon Partners with aspirations of a water and beverage bottling facility going in and creating several jobs. However, the loan went delinquent five years ago with the City and County filing a notice of foreclosure in 2018.
The title was awarded to Two Rivers last October and although the property screams of potential Buckley admits due to previous owner neglect it’ll be a “big lift” to get it back into productive use.
The older portions of the manufacturing plant are in tough shape,” Buckley explained. “The roofs are shot, it’s wet in there, there is mold on the wall. Some portions of the building may very well require demolition.”
That being said, the newest portion of the building is in pretty good shape.
The city hired a contractor to repair minor roof leaks and took money from their Economic Development Fund to install a high-energy efficient heating system for the big building.
Parks Crews are providing Routine maintenance including mowing and the city has contracted with USDA Wildlife for “Seagull Control”.
Buckley says the City Council continues discussion on obtaining grant funding to rehabilitate the property into a “multi-tenant industrial facility.”
Buckley said that the City Council has discussed parceling off portions of the plant including 10 acres of land west of the plant. That part was never developed, and would be “a very attractive redevelopment site for small business or for…apartments” Buckley said.
He adds “We’re actively looking at it and continue to tour people through the building. Don’t have any signed deals yet but we feel we’re laying the groundwork to do some good things there.”
