KIMBERLY — As the redevelopment of the former paper mill in Kimberly picks up steam, police are warning trespassers to stay away.
In a post April 24, 2017 on its Facebook page, the Fox Valley Metro Police Department wrote that they are receiving an increasing number of complaints about people, especially children, trespassing on the property.
“We understand that demolition and old buildings spark curiosity, but the reason the site is fenced off is because the site is very dangerous, buildings are unstable, and there is hazardous debris everywhere,” the post read.
The citation amount for trespassing to mill property is $187.
The village used eminent domain to purchase the 91-acre property for $5 million, and it plans to spend $2 million to prepare the land for redevelopment.
In all, the village has borrowed $13 million to jump-start the project, according to the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Conceptual plans show a mix of townhouses, duplexes, apartment buildings, office centers, stores, restaurants and a hotel. Interest also has been shown in creating a docking area for a riverboat that could offer dinner cruises.
The former NewPage Mill, which began operating in 1889 as the original Kimberly-Clark, closed in August 2008 at the beginning of the Great Recession.
More than 475 workers lost their jobs.
