Supervisor urges early renewal of Kemper Center lease to secure $2 million private investment

Supervisor Chelsea Balski urged the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening to renew the county’s lease with Kemper Center Inc. this year, saying an early renewal would unlock a $2,000,000 private investment and help the nonprofit secure accreditation and long-term financial stability.

Balski told the board that a county-commissioned independent assessment (referred to in the presentation as the Keane report) found the Kemper Center campus “is underutilized” and that the nonprofit “cannot achieve financial sustainability without significant partnership and operational change.” She said new leadership at Kemper Center has already begun implementing the report’s recommendations and that private partners are prepared to invest only if the county provides lease certainty now.

Balski outlined recent steps Kemper Center Inc. has taken to stabilize…