B.C. Kowalski/City Pages
Micon General Manager Dan Olson, left, and Luke Rykal of Hoeft Builders
A Micon Theater built in or on the site of the vacant Sears building in the Wausau Center mall would have modern, electronic adjustable seats and a large-format screen if the project is approved later this month.
That’s what Micon General Manager Dan Olson told members of the media and some council members Friday during a media roundtable event organized by Mayor Robert Mielke.
A theater is one of two projects being considered for the building vacated by Sears last summer; HOM Furniture proposed a store for the location. The city council this month will decide between the two, though committees so far have recommended the theater.
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Micon has been looking for a location in Wausau for years, Olson says, and had taken a tour of potential locations in Wausau with former Mayor James Tipple. The area is vastly under-screened for its population, Olson says.
The theater would have similar to a powered, leather Lay-Z-Boy, Olson says. The theater would include a large, IMAX-sized screen and staff will try to include films that currently might not otherwise come to Wausau, Olson says. They also plan to offer events for school groups and work with area filmmakers, as they do in Eau Claire, Olson says.
If approved, the project would begin construction in summer and would take about 10 months to complete, says Luke Rykal, senior project manager for Hoeft Builders, which is partnering with Micon for the proposed Wausau cinema and adjacent retail and/or restaurant space.
