RHINELANDER - Vacant buildings don't help already struggling communities. The old WPS building in the middle of downtown Rhinelander has been empty for at least three years.

But that could change. Oneida County bought the building from WPS in 2008. The county intended to use it for the Department of Aging.

That didn't work. So, for the last year and a half, the county's been trying to sell it.

The building is listed at $365,000. It would bring in almost $11,000 per year in property taxes.

"From the standpoint of an economic push for the economy or for the city of Rhinelander in particular, it's very important to get people into those buildings," said Mike Romportl, the director of Oneida County Land Information. "For Oneida County, it's the desire to get those buildings back on the tax roll."

Mike Boyd owns Boyd Financial Services on Lincoln Street. His business is growing, and he needs more space.

But the building needs a lot of work, and Boyd would need another company or department to lease some of the space. That could be UW-Extension.

"I don't need that much space, and just because the cost of remodeling a building that size is actually more than the cost of building a brand-new building that would fit my needs," Boyd said. "So hopefully, it's a mutually beneficial situation where they see value in it, I get value in it, and we both come together for a mutually beneficial agreement."

Boyd hopes to make a proposal sometime in January.

Story By: Lex Gray