Construction starts for Cobblestone
By James Card
The Wolf River Diner has been razed and a new hotel will take its place.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday, Oct. 7, to commemorate this step in the building process.
The hotel will be two stories and have 45 rooms.
The hotel is expected to be open by late spring or early summer in 2022, depending on progress made during construction in the winter months.
The hotel will be owned by Fred and Nicole Lemens as the franchisee and Cobblestone Hotels will be franchiser.
Wisconsin-based Cobblestone Hotels opened its first property in Clintonville in 2008 and is the fastest growing hotel chain in the Midwest with more than 160 locations open or under construction.
“It’s going to be welcoming to all of the small businesses. It will help all the families that didn’t have the opportunity to host their relatives for family events so now they will have a place to stay. As well as the campgrounds that get really full in this area. This will be an opportunity for a different place to go was well. You build it and they will come and that is what we are excited to see,” said Ald. Kristine Buss.
Alison Gleisner of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce noted that Fremont’s history has been rooted in seasonal tourism, much of it based around summer activities on the river.
“This lets us draw tourism year round. We have a lot of natural assets around here that we capitalize on in the summer but this gives us year-round capabilities to help bring people to our businesses,” she said.
Although the Wolf River Diner no longer exists, the old neon sign still stands with a classy art deco motif. Owner Nicole Lemens is adamant about leaving it untouched.
“Absolutely we’re going to keep it. It’s so iconic to the area,” she said. “We’re going to light it up.”