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Washington County staff map campus landholdings; Fair Park School slated to close in 2027 raises planning questions
Summary
GIS staff presented an acreage map of the county campus that showed developable and constrained land north and south of Highway 33; presenters noted the Fair Park School district plans to vacate the site by 2027 and recommended a multi‑party work group to plan long‑term campus use.
Washington County officials reviewed a GIS map of the county campus that outlined land holdings, floodplain and wetland constraints, and existing tenants. Staff recommended forming a work group to study long‑term options for the campus — including the future of Fair Park School land, the PAC (public assistance center) and smaller leased parcels.
Scott (staff member) thanked GIS staff and presented acreage breakdowns and constraints. The packet and map shown to the committee indicated roughly 50 acres north of Highway 33, about 22 acres south of 33, and 99 acres associated with the Fair Park School property. Staff also identified approximately 23.9 acres that lie outside mapped floodplain/wetland constraints and about 22.6 acres inside those constraints; presenters cautioned that sloped and wooded areas limit practical developability even where parcels appear large in a 2‑D map.
Scott said the solar farm lease covers nearly 14 acres under a 2019 lease that could run up to 30 years. Staff noted other existing uses on campus, including the highway shop (about 13–17 acres depending on parcel delineation), leased farmland, the Fair Park School property and smaller parcels leased to local groups. GIS staff identified a cemetery and ball diamonds within campus boundaries as privately held or otherwise constrained elements to factor into planning.
Committee members discussed the announced plan by the school district to vacate Fair Park School after 2027; Scott said the school deed contains restrictions about school use and that county counsel and staff will need to determine whether the property would revert automatically or require negotiation. Supervisor Krebs and others said a task force should analyze tax‑roll implications if parcels return to county control and whether existing tenants in the PAC should be consolidated or relocated.
Scott proposed a multi‑stakeholder work group including county staff, the school district, the city of West Bend and local developers; the group would consider access, wetlands/floodplain limits, roadway connections, and long‑term needs for services such as the highway shop and public health. The committee did not take action; staff said the idea would be brought into broader planning discussions and into a future work group process.
