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After years of delay, progress was seen this week on the fate of the old Sprehn Mill/Hussa Brewery site in Bangor.

On Tuesday, July 8, the village board approved the establishment of a tax incremental finance district on the site.

Sometime within the next couple days, ownership of the old mill was transferred from longtime owner Robert Lunke to salvager Nick Adams of Adams Recycling based out of Portland, Wis. Adams had been trying to buy the property since last year.

“We got the permit to begin razing the site at 4 p.m. on Friday, (July 11),” Adams said. “I’ve been trying to get to this point for the last eight months.”

Adams began tearing down down a wall on Sunday and turned up with a crew on Monday to continue the process. He estimated it would take about two months in all.

Regarding the establishment of the TIF district, village President Robin Gjertsen said, “We’re at the very beginning of the process.”

The TIF process is designed to make a site attractive to developers. It requires the formation of a joint review board that then oversees the whole process. That five-member board has to have representation from the community college, the village, the county, the school district and one public member-at-large. Once that board approves a TIF, however, it is the village board that makes final decisions.

In other news related to the TIF site, the board learned last Thursday that a hearing date of Aug. 12 has been set on the property at 1714 Commercial St. owned by Robert Challet. The board voted 6-1 last October to begin the official condemnation process.

Challet had until June 30 to clean the property, but village engineer Randy Sullivan concluded that insufficient progress had been made.

“On Aug. 12 we’ll be asking the court to enter a raze order for him to vacate the property so that the property can be demolished,” said village attorney Rick Niemeier.

“I guess there’s always the possibility that he could contest it further, but the hearing is scheduled for only an hour, so it’s our hope and expectation that the order to demolish will be given that day.”