KIMBERLY, Wis.- The sight of construction equipment and dump trucks is a welcome one for Jim Peerenboom of Kimberly.
"I'm happy for sure because it's a sorry looking spot over there now and it has been a long time," said Peerenboom.
Peerenboom owns Peerenboom's Bar which sits kitty-corner to the old NewPage Paper Mill site.
"It's definitely been slower," explains Peerenboom about business since the mill closed in 2008.
That slow down should be changing soon however, as business picks up on the site of the village eyesore.
"This work right now is the beginning of bringing in fill to reconstruct the site," explained Stadtmueller and Associates president, Randy Stadtmueller.
Construction crews are hauling in dirt, but it's not an easy process.
"Ten acres I would guess that we have to fill all eight feet deep," said Stadtmueller.
The end result for the property is a neighborhood with homes and apartments, a community space in the middle and restaurants and shops along the water.
"What we're doing is starting on the west side of the site and working east," said Stadtmueller.
The timeline is moving quickly for the project.
"We're hoping that we can actually start construction of new residential projects sometime this fall," said Stadtmueller.
The sooner construction starts the better for Peerenboom.
"Whatever we get there is going to be better than what we have now," he said.
The NewPage Mill closed in 2008, putting hundreds who worked there out of a job. The property has been vacant and crumbling ever since.
For a link to plans for the site or updates on progress,click on this link.
