WEST BEND, Wis. — Washington County could face a lawsuit over its sale of the empty UW-Milwaukee campus in West Bend.
The Washington County Charitable Foundation is demanding that the county stop the sale or pay them back $1.2 million, the foundation said it donated to the school between 2000 and 2009 to build part of the building.
WCCF raises money for scholarships for high school students to go to public universities.
In August, the county board approved a sale that would see Ozaukee Christian Schools occupy the building and Cedar Lake Conservation manage the land.
The old UW-Milwaukee Washington County campus is owned by Washington County and the city of West Bend. The building and 60 acres of land sit empty after UW closed its doors in June of 2024.
Patrick and Nancy Storrs spoke with TMJ4 News about the sale, which Washington County reporter Marcus Aarsvold has been reporting on since February.
Watch: Washington County community laments loss of shared space after UWM sale
"[It's] Kind of sad to see it all empty," Patrick said. "I get frustrated because it feels like it's all politics." He is a freemason with West Bend Masonic Lodge 138, which meets down the road from the campus.
"It's really too bad the facility couldn't have been made available to community organizations," Nancy said. "I would say it's definitely sadness. She is the past president of the West Bend Theater Company.
The community theater group performed at the school, but now they put shows on elsewhere.
"We have had to pay $4,000, $6,000, and up to $10,000 to rent other venues," she said. "Which, for a small nonprofit that has no other assets, that's such a huge hit."
She and Patrick just want to see something that benefits the whole community go into the building.
"If the Christian school wants to put on plays and be a part of the community, which I'm sure they would, that would be nice," Nancy said.
Both county and foundation officials declined to comment.
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