A former University of Wisconsin campus is set to be sold for $3 million. The buyer will be a Christian school and a land conservation group, according to recent reports.
The Washington County Board decided this week to proceed with the sale after a closed session discussion. County officials, including County Executive Josh Schoemann and the county attorney, are now tasked with negotiating the terms.
The sale involves the shuttered UW-Milwaukee at Washington County campus, covering 80 acres, which will be divided between Ozaukee Christian School and the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.
If Ozaukee Christian School purchases the entire property, the price will be $3 million. However, if Cedar Lakes also buys part of the land, they will pay $300,000 for 60 acres of open space, which lowers the school’s overall cost to $2.7 million.
Ozaukee Christian School currently serves nearly 100 students from pre-K through eighth grade. The school has plans to expand its offerings to include high school grades, according to Schoemann, who told the board about these intentions.
The campus was closed in June 2024 and was formerly one of six two-year colleges within the University of Wisconsin system that shut down due to low enrollment and financial problems. Ownership of the property is divided between the county and the city of West Bend, with the county holding 74% and the city owning the remaining 26%.
The board also instructed Schoemann to initiate discussions with the city regarding its stake in the property. Meanwhile, County Treasurer Scott Henke had previously estimated that annual maintenance costs for the 200,000-square-foot facility and surrounding land would reach $750,000. In addition, a $2 million expenditure is needed this year to upgrade the building’s electrical systems. The property’s assessed value stands at $5 million.
Following the campus closure, several alternative uses for the site were explored. These proposals included ideas from local school districts, an out-of-state charter school, and a daycare provider. However, none of these proposals moved beyond the initial planning stage.
The county did not list the property for public sale, which it was not legally required to do, spokesperson Fran McLaughlin was quoted as saying.
Schoemann assessed that the proposed sale is both the best and only viable option, citing a 2024 law that offers counties $2 million in redevelopment funds if they lose a two-year UW campus.
