Contamination to wine? Ashland ponders site’s renewal

An Ashland city official has addressed concerns about plans for a potential wine bar that have taken a step forward.

The city is looking to apply for a sizable Department of Natural Resources grant to partially fund an $800,000 project that would transform what’s considered an eyesore in Ashland into a food/beverage operation with an outdoor gathering area.

The eyesore in question is the former Baron Radiator Service building. But because it’s a brownfield site, it may contain hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. This could make doing renovations tricky on the property the city purchased in 2022 for $45,000. There is an underground storage tank on the site that was leaking at one point in time.

Rather than selling the building to an investor, City Administrator Brant Kucera said the city wants to partner with an entrepreneur who would operate the business and share the profits. He envisions the building being a wine bar that serves tapas with an outdoor space for events and gatherings. Not everyone agrees with those plans as several have posted their concerns on Facebook. Users have commented that the city doesn’t need another bar, that the plan won’t bring the money the city thinks it would, that it would be best placed somewhere else and that the city needs a place for its youth to gather.

Addressing complaints about having nothing to do at night, Kucera said this would do just that.

“It’s a pubic gathering place with public amenities like fire pits, benches and gardens,” Kucera told city council members Tuesday.

In response to complaints that it wouldn’t be a family gathering space, Kucera said “if anyone’s ever been to Cold Iron Brewing in Ironwood, it’s a brewery with no food, and there’s families in there all the time. They have games to play–many things for people to do. Just because there’s alcohol present doesn’t mean it’s irresponsible. That’s the kind of thing that frustrates me,” he said.

That $800,000 would be money well spent, he said. Kucera hopes roughly half the funding would come from grants and the city would provide the rest. The grant funding would cover the construction costs of the public restrooms, green storm water systems and the public plaza space.

“It will become an income-generating property,” he said. “What is it right now? It’s an abandoned property in our downtown. People like to say you need to spend money to make money, so that’s what we’re actually doing.”

The city hopes to apply for the DNR grant this year to move forward with the plan.

“I personally think it’s a wonderful idea and I don’t apologize,” Kucera said.