By Carol Wyatt
WAUSAU – As the Wausau Fire Department draws closer to the grand opening of its new station, the department is putting a few final touches on the site.
Saturday, May 22, the fire department was able to make significant progress on landscaping, thanks to trees and shrubs donated through the county, as well as some hands-on work from members of Washington County 4-H and the Florida Forestry Service.
Several volunteers gathered at the new station, where they spent several hours planting several trees and shrubs.
Wausau Assistant Fire Chief Adam Smith said that while the project received funding to cover the construction cost and needed equipment, there was no room in the budget for a landscaping plan, which is required in order to have the construction order approved by the county.
“Dawn McDonald in the building department is who really gets a lot of credit for this,” said Smith. “She started networking, and soon, she was able to connect us with the county arborist, and we were able to get the trees donated and the extra hands to help plant everything.”
The project began in 2018 after the department received $985,500 in state allocated funds to build a new facility. Today, construction of that facility is nearly complete with only a punch list of items remaining.
KINSLEY COOK 
Staff Report