University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Fox Cities campus in Menasha, April 25, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Students are preparing to finish the final weeks of the last fall semester at the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus, and as they do, county leaders are still weighing the future of the campus.
During a campus Board of Trustees meeting Monday, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said they’re continuing to explore who could make use of the property.
“We have received a lot of interest from the Menasha Public School District and a number of other stakeholders,” said Nelson.
“If we have potential stakeholders, people who are interested in the facility, we have to give them the space to talk to stakeholders, to put a plan together, and then to give it to us and we’re not quite there yet,” Nelson added.
Also discussed was a push to complete a feasibility study of the Barlow Planetarium. Opened to the public in 1998, the planetarium is in dire need of equipment upgrades — which are currently estimated to cost at least $1.1 million.
“People usually mention 30,000 visitors a year. I know when the planetarium was new and they were able to show new shows routinely, there were closer to 40,000 people a year,” said Rick Beal, president of the Northeast Wisconsin Stargazers, a group which utilizes the Barlow. “And, that’s just a tremendous resource that would be abhorrent to lose as a community asset.”
In 2022, Winnebago County’s Board of Supervisors approved $12,000 in funding towards completing the study. But more than two years later, it still hasn’t been completed.
Minutes from a June 2023 Board of Trustees meeting indicated the request for proposal was in draft with UW-Oshkosh at the time.
“The system is not stable in the planetarium and we must move forward expeditiously,” said Winnebago County District 3 Supervisor Walt Ulbricht during Monday’s meeting.
While county supervisors on the Board of Trustees agree they’d like to see the study completed, some want to wait until a new tenant comes in to take over.
“When we have somebody locked into this building, then I think both counties will move these things forward,” said Steve Binder, Winnebago County District 13 supervisor. “But our main goal and the help that we need from the people is to make sure we have somebody to use this campus.”
Nelson hopes to have more information on who might take over the property by next month.
UW-Oshkosh leadership says they continue to work with Winnebago and Outagamie counties on handing the campus back over to them.
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