PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Next week, Winnebago County officially takes ownership of the former UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus.
While some aspects of the campus will remain the same, it’s unknown how the rest of the site will be used in the future.
The final clean out at UWO-Fox Cities is underway, as the campus is quiet. It shut down at the end of this school year due to declining enrollment.
As of July 1, Winnebago County will take over the 43-acre site — which includes a communications arts center, fieldhouse, childcare center, the Barlow Planetarium, other campus facilities and undeveloped land.
While the Menasha Joint School District will run the childcare center, it will be up to Winnebago County to redevelop the rest of the campus — minus the Barlow. The county voted to keep that facility operational as a planetarium.
We also know the Weis Earth Science Museum’s collection is relocating to the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton.
“There are days where I say, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ and there are days I think, ‘This has a lot of potential,'” said Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz.
On Wednesday, Hintz will host a community forum centered on the future of the campus. The listening session will be an opportunity for both the county and its community members to share their visions for the site.
According to Hintz, “I think there are some people that have some ideas that they want to promote. So, I want to be there to try and answer questions, but I also want to hear from individuals and groups that have ideas, expectations, hopes from what they’d like to see from the campus going forward and really begin the conversation.”
The county would like to generate revenue and a new tax base with the campus’ redevelopment, but the Barlow Planetarium will remain as is.
“There was a week, I think back in March, where I think the fate of the planetarium changed four times. So, I’m relieved that the county chose to fund it, that they’re taking over the campus, that we’re going to be able to keep operating and get the time we need to do our upgrade that really needs to be done,” said Barlow Planetarium Director Teri Gee.
Established in 1998, the Barlow was the first major planetarium in Wisconsin. Last year, it saw more than 25,000 visitors.
With the campus in transition, the planetarium closed this month, but plans to reopen in July. Just like the county, the Barlow is looking for a fresh start on campus.
Gee said, “There’s been work done setting up a nonprofit, and that nonprofit will do a capital campaign to raise money to get the equipment we need to upgrade. I think the planetarium will be able to continue and thrive in the future.”
Wednesday’s listening session is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. at the United Way Fox Cities office on Midway Road.
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