SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — The South Milwaukee School Board unanimously voted to dissolve its agreement with Cudahy's school district to purchase the old YMCA building for a new South Shore Recreation Center.
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The 7-0 vote Monday night ended a months-long process that began in October. The decision came one week after a facilities report revealed the need for significant repairs to the 4.9 million dollar building.
"I am excited because with this intergovernmental agreement, I think it wasn't the time for increasing our taxes," said Melissa Ellis, a South Milwaukee resident who says she is running for school board this spring.
The proposed agreement would have seen the districts borrow 10 million dollars to purchase the building and make necessary repairs. Property owners would have faced a tax increase of around $50 on a $250,000 home.
However, the facilities report showed extensive external maintenance needs, including a new roof, a new HVAC system, and other building improvements. The estimated cost for these repairs totaled 13 million dollars over three years.
Watch: Public discusses South Milwaukee school board's decision to scrap plan to buy old Cudahy YMCA for rec center
South Milwaukee Superintendent Deidre Roemer emphasized the value of community input in the decision-making process.
"It is unfortunate that this one right now is not the right opportunity, but the fortunate part is that we had a lot of community input, which also is a huge value to the school board," Roemer said.
The board currently has no immediate plans for a recreation center. However, the recreation center committee recommends surveying the community to gather additional community feedback on what residents would want in a future recreation center.
"What I think the board heard through this whole process is people are really struggling with the taxes, and that's a real concern for real people in this community, and it's not something this board takes lightly at all," Roemer said.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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