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Kenosha County supervisors pause some Kemper Center work, plan new executive post and restorations
Summary
Supervisors raised oversight and project-direction changes at Kemper Center, directing staff to pause certain requests, hire a new senior manager, and proceed with several historic-preservation repairs after coordinated assessments.
Kenosha County supervisors said they will restrict some county-initiated work at the Kemper Center and seek a higher-level manager to oversee the facility, while moving ahead with a set of restoration projects that require historic-preservation review.
The board's chair said staff should not ask Director Moore to authorize work at Kemper until proposals go through the Kemper Center building and grounds committee and the Kemper board of directors for approval. The chair also said the county will advertise this week for a new senior manager — described by the chair as a president-level hire funded by donations — to manage the facility.
County staff reported progress on several planned repairs at Kemper. Facility staff said construction has started on courthouse restorations with shingle roof replacement completed and that contractor Bayne Nelson expects to deliver and install new doors next week. The county is combining a facility condition assessment and a square-footage assessment to guide bidding and repairs.
Officials emphasized the facility's status on the National Register of Historic Places as a factor in planning work. Stephen Marple's firm is performing an assessment; staff said they are working to separate projects that will require State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) review from work that likely will not. Staff warned that some preservation work — such as stained-glass restoration or full pew removal and refinishing — could trigger SHPO standards and be more time-consuming and costly than routine touch-ups.
Staff also reported ongoing coordination on chapel specifications, which they plan to take to bid after completing assessments.
Supervisor comments and facilities staff stressed the need to avoid prior quick fixes that later proved unsuitable for historic elements such as stained glass. Staff said they will provide the finance committee and the board the assessments and specifications when available so members can review items that may require SHPO approval.
Ending: County officials said they will continue to bring detailed assessments and specifications to the board before approving preservation work and will post the executive-level job this week to fill the new manager role.
