Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Disposition Marathon Hall topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff discuss ECDC interest in Marathon Hall dormitory; building condition and next steps remain unresolved
Summary
ECDC has expressed interest in acquiring and renovating the former dormitory (Marathon Hall) near the university for temporary and supportive housing, but county staff told the committee the building needs significant work, demolition may cost more than existing dormitory funds, and any sale would require detailed terms and safeguards.
Marathon County administrators updated the Extension Education and Economic Development Committee on Thursday about an expression of interest from ECDC to acquire and renovate the former Marathon Hall dormitory on the university campus for uses that the nonprofit described as temporary housing for newly arrived refugee families, supportive housing for students, short-term housing for working and single unhoused women, and some nonprofit and workforce-development uses.
County Administrator Leonard said ECDC submitted a written expression of interest and that HR Finance and Property asked staff to have preliminary conversations with ECDC and, if warranted, invite a formal offer. “Their initial proposal is, ‘we’ll renovate it at their own cost’ and they sought a nominal purchase price,” Leonard said. He added staff have been working to schedule conversations between local ECDC leadership and their national director to review details.
Staff noted the building’s condition is poor and would require substantial investment. A facilities assessment in the committee packet lists multiple condition issues; Leonard told the committee that the county’s dormitory fund balance is roughly $170,000 but that demolition and site preparation would likely exceed that amount. He said renovations to convert the concrete-built dormitory into habitable, code-compliant housing would likely be “considerable” and could run into the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Several supervisors urged caution. Supervisor Rosenberg asked about ECDC’s financial capacity; Leonard replied that the county had not inspected ECDC’s finances and that the nonprofit had told staff it could identify other revenue streams but that the county would negotiate terms and protections (for example, reversion rights) into any sale agreement. Vice Chair Feiffrich and Supervisor Hagen said they viewed ECDC’s offer as a low-risk option compared with demolition and long-term county ownership, provided the county secures contractual safeguards such as a right of reversion if the nonprofit does not complete renovation on an agreed timeline.
Committee members also raised building-system issues: the dormitory is on the campus central heating system and would require negotiations about heating access or independence; the facilities assessment flagged potential hazardous materials and accessibility and plumbing challenges. Leonard said staff would continue talks with ECDC and aim to return a more-detailed proposal; he also noted the HR Finance and Property Committee had received an update and that any sale of county property would require County Board approval.
The committee treated the item as informational; no decision or sale occurred during the meeting. Staff said they would seek more detail from ECDC and return with a firmer proposal and recommended terms for board consideration in coming months.
