The Communication Arts Center at the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus. August 9, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Communication Arts Center on the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus still sits empty.
Community groups like the Fox Valley Concert Band are eager for it to reopen.
“The county moved in in July,” said President James Morgenstern. “We’ve been very active. Showing up at board meetings, showing up at informational sessions, trying to find out what their plan is.”
The concert band has been performing in the CAC since it opened in 2009. Since its closure at the end of June, the band has had to take their rehearsals on the road.
“We’ve been rehearsing, most of the time, at Xavier High School. We’ve also rehearsed at Xavier Middle School. We’re rehearsing Wednesday at Neenah Middle School. We’ve had to find places to do our concerts,” Morgenstern said.
Attic Theatre, Inc. — which also used the CAC space — says it needs to begin auditions and preparations for its 2026 season.
Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz says the county is taking a careful approach to reopening the CAC properly.
“It was really trying to find a third-party provider that was interested in managing the facility for the next 20 months or so,” Hintz explained. “Some of the groups came to us and said, ‘We need you to hire an $80,000 technical director. The county is not going to do that.”
Hintz said working with a third party to properly manage the space is the goal, but many aren’t keen on signing an agreement to manage the space for a prolonged period of time.
“It’s just a challenge. I understand both the frustration, but we have an obligation to try and get this thing right in terms of the redevelopment of the campus,” he said.
So for now, the Communication Arts Center will remain empty.
Comments