King Park Neighborhood eyesore has new owner; building permit issued
The storage building was used by Thomson Marine
SHEBOYGAN — An eyesore in the King Park Neighborhood has a new owner and improvements are underway at the property located near Sheboygan Paper Box Co.
Charles V. Wigg, owner of Wigg Brothers Construction, purchased the building in June for $50,000 from Patrick Ortlieb. Work started earlier this month on removing the middle section of the building which has long been a nuisance in the neighborhood. According to a building permit, the estimated cost to remove and replace the section is $60,000. The 44-year-old business owner was not forthcoming with his plans for the storage building.
“What I do with my building is none of your business,” said Wigg when asked what other improvements are expected. His construction company is based out of a building at the southeast corner of South 9th Street and Clara Avenue. Wigg also owns several properties throughout Sheboygan as well as 36.18-acres of farmland just west of Old Wisconsin Sausage on Weeden Creek Road in the Town of Wilson.
The Sheboygan Fire Department responded to the building on July 8th, 2024 after receiving a call about the roof of the building collapsing. Afterwards, the city’s Building Inspection Department failed to take any action to force Ortlieb to address the deteriorating condition of the structure. Wigg would not say if he plans to replace the other two sections of the building or just the middle section.
While the building is nondescript, it had been used for boat storage when owned by Thomson Marine. Its use since 2017 has been unknown given the condition of the building and property. The Sheboygan Fire Department responded to the building in July 2024 after a portion of the roof collapsed. The structure is across the street from the former Q-Mart gas station at South 8th Street and Clara Avenue.
Ortlieb purchased the building in December 2017 from Scott C. Thomson, the previous owner of Thomson Marine. Neighbors have complained for years about tall weeds and uncut grass at the property. Last summer, obnoxious weeds several feet high could be seen around the building along with uncut grass and a tripping hazard being caused by weeds growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. The alleyways on both sides of the building were impassable.
According to Wigg, the alley consisting of gravel and grass along the north and south of the building is owned by the City of Sheboygan. The two strips of land have not been maintained by the city and the Department of Public Works has no future plans to add the alleyways to their grass cutting or snow plowing program. Neighbors have complained for the past eight years of uncut grass and tall weeds along the building. In the past, the structure has been targeted by vandals and burglars.
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