MARINETTE — The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) has prepared a legal action against the Marinette School District for what it says is unlawfully wasting taxpayer dollars on an unused, vacant school building that is no longer operational. Despite being offered the asking price for the property, the Marinette School District has refused to sell it to a small Catholic school stating they do not want “competition,” WILL stated in a press release.
The property referenced is the former Garfield School at the corner of Pierce Avenue and Carney Boulevard. Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy of Marinette is the interested buyer.
Keeping the property vacant damages the community by misusing tax dollars on maintenance, and the building has become a crime magnet, according to the press release. WILL is urging the school district to do what it says is best for taxpayers, property owners and students and sell the property.
“The school district ought to prioritize the safety and concerns of the public before their own,” said Lauren Greuel, WILL associated counsel. “By not selling this vacant building, residents, taxpayers, and property owners are on the hook for lower land values and rising crime rates. The school district’s actions are a complete slap in the face to the community.”
Cheryl Sporie, the St. Thomas Aquinas Board of Trustee Chair who offered full price, remarked, “It is unfortunate the school district utterly refuses to work with us despite our fair and reasonable offer. We are not trying to take business away from them, we are simply trying to provide a better service for the students in this community already enrolled in our school.”
The Marinette School District ensures they have no intention of using this property, yet it has spent over two years awaiting the asking price; all while wasting tax dollars on the maintenance of the property, according to WILL. Wis. Stat. § 120.10(6) only allows the district to spend taxpayer money on maintaining active school buildings, not empty buildings, according to WILL. Following the rejection of the asking price, it is certain the district is no longer sustaining the building to preserve its value for a prospective sale, WILL states. The district’s irresponsibility neglects the interests of the surrounding community, according to the agency.
Marinette would be best served if the district sold the property, the release states. The sale could generate approximately $300,000 (the price they were offered) for the district and eliminate ongoing upkeep costs, instead, the district prioritized its fear of competition over the community’s interests, according to the release. In addition, the vacant building is detrimental to the city of Marinette as crime has amplified at the property. Police records provided to WILL indicate that nearly two dozen incidents have occurred at that location, the release states.
Marinette School District Superintendent Corry Lambie, in a text message, said when the district receives a claim of this nature, the procedure is to engage with the district’s legal counsel and/or the district’s insurer.
“The district has followed our process and will continue to do so with the claim brought forward,” Lambie wrote.
WILL, based out of Milwaukee, takes on case categories that include individual liberties, equality under the law, constitutional government and the rule of law, economic freedom, and education reform, according to its website.
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