RHINELANDER, Wisconsin (From The Lakeland Times) -- A public hearing is set for June 21 on an application filed by Expera Specialty Solutions for a conditional use permit for the former Printpack Incorporated facility, fueling speculation about what use the building would serve if it were to change hands.

The CUP application seeks permission to modify the building by raising the roof to 55' and the stack height to a maximum of 65'.

The CUP is needed to approve the height exceeding 2 1/2 stories or 35', according to the legal notice announcing the public hearing.

According to Jeff Verdoorn, vice president of operations and Rhinelander mill manager, Expera does not own the building, but is considering purchasing it if it can be adapted to any of the possible uses being considered.

Any purchase of the building would be contingent on the CUP being approved, he added.

"Right now we do not own the building, we're just seeing if a project would be feasible there," Verdoorn said, adding that the focus at this point is to get the CUP approved by the city's planning commission June 21 and the City Council July 11.

He declined to share any other information about the application.

"There are all kinds of rumors, but I don't have a confirmed project yet, so I can't really comment on it ," he said. "It's exploratory is the best way I can describe it."

Rhinelander Fire Chief and Inspector Terry Williams said there has been little information filed with the city on the CUP application, other than the request for the public hearing. The Northwoods River News has filed an open records request for all documents related to the CUP request. City officials did not respond to the request before press time.

Williams said Expera has not presented any formal plans on a specific use for the building, just the request to raise the roof and stack.

"All we know is the paper mill (Expera) has shown interest in that building and shown interest with us on what process they would need to go through to do something with that building," he said. "That's all I know."