City of Oconto Falls seeks to buy land from school district

The Oconto Falls School Board has agreed to pursue the sale of some of its land along County Road I to the City of Oconto Falls for use as a new substation.

Public Works Director Greg Kuhn appeared at the board’s June meeting to outline the city’s request. At the July 12 meeting, Superintendent Dean Hess reminded the board that the city is maxing out capacity of its current substation and anticipates that the load will only grow as the community grows.

The land in question is about 4.9 acres on the southern end of property the district purchased about two years ago, across the county highway from the campus that now includes the high school, Oconto Falls Elementary School and ST Paper Stadium.

“The district purchased 100-plus acres in this area, as you know, and that was to allow the district at its discretion the opportunity — if you ever felt the community would support potentially putting a school somewhere — you would have an option of where to put it,” Hess said. “Regardless of how the district moves forward, I don’t see that honoring this (potential sale) would in any way preclude the district from doing the things that you would have an interest in doing in the future.”

The concept of a new middle school complex, one option to deal with building issues at the aging Washington Middle School, is well north of the substation site on the property, he said.

Board Vice President Jan Stranz supported working with the city.

“I continue to think that it would be a good thing for us to consider selling some negotiated price, whatever that would be, to the city for the use of that substation,” Stranz said. “It’s important for the city. The reasons why they’re doing it are sound, and I think what Dr. Hess said now about the fact that it would not jeopardize, the fact that we still have property and have plenty of opportunities to use it in some fashion, is good.”

The board planned to meet in closed session, either at a special meeting July 28 or its regular Aug. 9 meeting, to discuss negotiation strategy for the sale.