PHOTO: Courtesy of UWO
OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — After a 50-minute closed session of Outagamie County’s Property Committee Tuesday night, a hold was put on the sale of the soon-to-close UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus.
County Executive Tom Nelson is part of the Joint Outagamie-Winnebago Committee handling the campus. He said Tuesday’s decision didn’t come as a surprise.
“All of us, we wanted to take our time to conduct our due diligence to make sure that this is the right thing for Outagamie County and for our community,” Nelson told us after the meeting.
The committee voted to have three separate appraisals of the campus in order to get a sense of the value.
When asked why an appraisal was done so late, Nelson said:
Our goal was to simply find a way that we could do a seamless transaction, from one public entity to another public entity that would not cost anything. However, there are concerns that that might, that might not be the best choice.
Among those concerned is Menasha Alderperson Tom Marshall. He questions why the Menasha Joint School District wants to make such a big purchase, especially after closing Jefferson Elementary due to a $3.5 million budget deficit.
“As far as figures, I don’t have exact figures, but you know, taxes would go up, and we’re always trying to get taxes down,” he said.
The district announced plans Friday to purchase the nearly 43-acre property to use as childcare centers for Menasha.
While Marshall understands childcare is a need in Menasha, “It’s not at the top of the list. The Menasha Joint District should not be privatizing something like this.”
Nelson said this step back is needed to get a better idea of what they have, and the exit of UWO Fox Cities on June 30 isn’t the end of the road.
“There is no hard and fast deadline,” he said. “This is our property. We are not leasing it, we are not renting it, we have this. We want to make sure we’re getting the best possible value from any sale.”
The joint Outagamie-Winnebago County committee released a statement Tuesday detailing their support for the purchase.
You can read the full letter below:
In June 2024, the administration of University of Wisconsin Oshkosh announced it would be closing its Fox Cities Campus in Menasha due to financial challenges and declining enrollment trends, the leadership of both Winnebago and Outagamie Counties knew they would have some important decisions to make before the June 2025 closure date.
Our counties have benefitted from the many graduates who passed through the programs offered since 1960, when the Fox Cities Campus was first established. Many of those graduates went on to be the workforce fueling economic growth across the region. The campus also provides cultural experiences to our county residents at the Weis Earth Science Museum, Barlow Planetarium, Communications Arts Center, and the campus Children’s Center.
Through discussions with the Menasha Joint School District and community leaders, both Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson and Winnebago County Executive Jon Doemel are resolved to continue the Fox Cities Campus’ legacy as a cultural and economic touchstone for our community. The initial vision outlined in MJSD Superintendent Zimmerman’s press release describes a path forward for the campus that accomplishes that goal, with a focus on safe, local, quality childcare and early education.
The collaboration between MJSD and the counties aims to address current needs within the community and maintain access to valuable educational programs. While change can be scary, the community leaders involved have kept the best interests of the residents and the campus at the heart of these plans. It is local institutions like those housed at the Fox Cities campus that attract families to our area by providing diverse activities and unique resources.
More information on the future of the Fox Cities campus in Menasha will be forthcoming.
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