Winnebago County space‑needs study maps consolidation options; price tags range from $183M to $351M

Venture Architects told Winnebago County supervisors that the county faces a large backlog of deferred maintenance and a choice among several paths to bring county facilities up to modern operational and code standards.

Facilities Director Mike Elder and consultants Brad Kwasney and Tom Pollite presented a master plan that mapped current building conditions, projected staffing and space needs over 20 years, and offered three option sets:

- Option A: Repair and add onto existing buildings as needed. Venture estimated a total program cost of about $183 million if done together; the consulting team noted the county already has a 2023 facilities condition assessment listing about $69 million in required maintenance across county buildings.

- Option B: Combine and consolidate functions onto fewer sites (including a campus concept north of Oshkosh near highway sites). A plan that would attach a new courthouse to the law enforcement center and consolidate highway, facilities and administration was estimated at roughly $345 million; the consultants said a single “mega‑building” variant could reduce that figure by approximately $4 million.

- Option C: Build new facilities on an undeveloped site; the high‑level estimate for that scenario was about $351 million (or $348 million for the single mega‑building variant).

The presentation included site‑by‑site constraints and opportunities. The courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, which complicates demolition or major exterior changes; several county buildings are landlocked and any additions would likely require eating into already limited parking. Venture highlighted inadequate parking at most county sites and said piecemeal add‑ons risk substantially increasing long‑term maintenance costs beyond the current $69 million backlog.

Consultants presented projected space needs by department using historical staffing levels and 10‑year and 20‑year staffing projections. Human Services, in the consultants’ analysis, was shown to be particularly dispersed across multiple buildings and a candidate for consolidation to improve efficiency and client access.

Supervisors asked about bus service and access for clients who rely on public transportation; consultants said concentrating services on an outlying site would likely require adjustments to transit routes or alternate transportation plans. Several supervisors emphasized the need to evaluate operational costs (fuel, travel time, staffing) saved by consolidation, not merely capital costs.

Venture described the estimates as schematic, not design‑level, and recommended that the county decide on a preferred strategy before commissioning design details. The consultants estimated a typical timetable of about one year for design and two years construction for a major new facility, and noted that phasing is possible but reduces some efficiency gains.

No board action was taken; the presentation will inform facilities committee deliberations and the 2026 budget process.