MARINETTE — The development of the former Bay Area Medical Center property is moving forward, as the Marinette County Board voted on Tuesday in favor of an easement and removing a wooded buffer zone for Shore Drive Development LLC.
The Shore Drive Development LLC storm sewer easement to Ditch B passed 24-4, with Supervisors Mark Anderson, Ginger Deschane, Stan Gruszynski and Christopher Norton voting no. The developer’s request to terminate the requirement to maintain a “Natural Wooded Buffer Zone” passed 27-1 with Supervisor Connie Seefeldt voting no.
The county unanimously voted against the City of Marinette’s storm sewer easement through Runnoe Park. Supervisors Tom Buelteman and Sonny Graese were excused from the special meeting.
Before the votes, the county board discussed the University of Wisconsin — Green Bay, Marinette Campus property, including a public comment from Doug Oitzinger, Marinette Common Council alderperson, who said he spoke as a taxpayer and citizen of Marinette County.
He reminded the board that the lease between the county and UW didn’t expire for another 18 years.
“Let me make this clear, the lease does not expire on June 30 of this year. It expires August 23, 2042,” Oitzinger said. “Please do not negotiate away the county’s rights under the existing lease.”
He mentioned the millions of dollars of investment that taxpayers made.
“The university wants to break the contract, and I am asking you to please tell them no,” Oitzinger said. “We know our rights, and we can read what the lease says.”
After an update from County Administrator John Lefebvre, discussion on the campus and fieldhouse began.
Lefebvre confirmed supervisor Anderson’s question whether UWGB would continue to pay utilities and maintenance with the facilities until getting into negotiations on determining the lease.
“Right now they are, yes, 100% vested in continuing to pay all the utilities and janitorial just as if the lease were — just as it’s been active for the last 50 some years,” Lefebvre said.
In light of that information, Anderson said he’d like to see how the funding shakes out with the possible $2 million of grant money made available by Senate Bill 518 to redevelop the campus.
“I think we’re best to stay pat with what we’ve got,” Anderson said.
A supervisor asked if the university was obligated to teach for 75 years, something Oitzinger addressed in public comment. Lefebvre explained the lease, saying its primary purpose was to apply for and receive grants to build the facility.
“Reading the lease just one line at a time and not taking it in its full scope of what it was intended for is a little concerning,” Lefebvre said.
He said people could try to force UW to teach out of the facility, but he didn’t think it would happen.
“It also says they can get out of the lease if the legislature does not properly fund them,” Lefebvre said. “I think everybody understands the legislature isn’t properly funding them.”
Supervisor John Guarisco chimed in after Lefebvre.
“Do we get into a legal wrestling match with the UW system?” Guarisco said. “We could kind of see this was coming.”
Supervisor Gruszynski made his point.
“If this gets litigated — that is the whole point of the litigation: to force some sort of negotiation and bring to the surface the stuff that’s practical and what can actually get done,” Gruszynski said. “To say, ‘Well, the university is right, they can get out of this, we interpret the legislature as not funding.’ I challenge any of you to go down and tell the legislature they’re not funding higher education and have them agree.”
He said it’s going to take a lot of time and deliberation.
“It isn’t going to happen by simply saying, ‘Well, I think it’s a lost cause,’” Gruszynski said. “The worst thing that we can do is decide that because they take time, we’re just going to give up on it and try to get out of it as quickly as possible.”
He said there are too many public and private needs — the community needs to make a good-faith effort to find a solution that satisfies those interests.
“I think we can do that without panicking,” Gruszynski said.
Someone suggested creating an executive committee with community participation.
“That’s not the first time that that’s been brought to me,” Guarisco said.
He said the issue would be discussed at the next Infrastructure Committee meeting, as that is the governing body for this issue.
Supervisor Gail Wanek summed up the discussion.
“The more I sit here and listen to what’s being explained, I feel like my hands are being tied more and more,” she said. “I guess I have to agree with Doug Oitzinger — this is like a divorce.”
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