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rooms, upgrading the heating system, replacing windows to improve energy efficiency, installing kitchens on each floor so families can cook meals, and constructing a commercial-grade kitchen in the basement for events.

Other updates would be needed to provide accessibility and comply with updated codes, along with new carpeting and “general cosmetic improvements.”

Janice Watson, executive director ECDC-MCC, wrote in her letter that she was hoping the county would be willing to basically donate the facility for a nominal fee or $1 or negotiate a “nonprofitfriendly” price. “Given our limited organizational funding, we hope the county will consider this facility’s longterm impact on housing stability, community support, and nonprofit collaboration,” she wrote. “Rather than allowing the building to remain vacant or be demolished, this proposal offers a path to revitalizing a valuable community asset.”

The letter also says that ECDCMCC would be willing to return the building to the county if the organization ceased operations or was no longer using the facility.

Past efforts to redevelop the old dorm into low-cost apartments have not been successful, and county officials have entertained the idea of tearing the building down. Leonard said the county sent out requests for proposals (RFPs) in 2020 to developers who may have been interested in remodeling the building into modern apartments for students and others, but despite extensive promotion and tours, the county did not receive any proposals.

The ECDC-MCC “currently serves over 400 clients annually and collaborates with schools, employers, healthcare providers, and service agencies to help refugees and immigrants become self-sufficient, integrated members of the community,” Watson wrote.

In accordance with legal advice provided earlier this year by corporation counsel Michael Puerner, committee members held a brief discussion before voting to go into closed session about whether or not a confidential conversation was required.

Dejan Adzic, deputy corporation counsel, offered a “word of caution” to the committee, noting that the county could lose its bargaining advantage by discussing negotiation strategies in open.

“That would perhaps be detrimental to the county,” he said. “That’s specifically why this statutory exception exists, to allow the county to be able to have these conversations and still maintain the same bargaining advantages that any other private party in a transaction would have.”

Committee chairman John Robinson said he would have preferred to stay in open session for the discussion, but when a motion was made and seconded to go into closed, he reluctantly voted aye along with the rest of the members.

No action was taken or announced after the committee reconvened into open session. Robinson said the HRFC would be “reporting back at a later date” regarding the proposal.

Other business

■ The committee endorsed a proposal from Central Wisconsin Airport for the county to contribute $150,000 toward a regional aviation fund that would offer revenue guarantees to airlines that establish new routes at the airport.

David Drozd, CWA’s finance director, told the committee that both the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID pandemic in 2020 had taken a toll on local air service, with the airport dropping from 23 daily flights on four airlines down to five daily flights on two airlines. He said a Minimum Revenue Guarantee (MRG) program, which has become an industry standard, is one of the only ways CWA can bring in more carriers.

“This is very crucial to the functioning of the airport going forward, especially with the decreased number of flights we have currently,” he said.

The CWA is looking to match contributions from Marathon and Portage counties, who co-own the airport, with private donations in order to establish a minimum of $500,000 in the fund. According to estimates from the Federal Aviation Administration, that amount of money could generate as much as $3 million in economic activity for the area.

Drozd said the goal is to start by re-establishing vacation destinations with low-cost carriers and then potentially moving onto larger carriers with business flights. However, he acknowledged that offering to cover shortterm shortfalls for new routes would not automatically draw in new carriers.

“The bottom line is, there’s no guarantee that if you give us $150,000 that we’re actually going to get any service here,” he said.

The committee voted 6-1 to advance the proposal to the full county board, with the lone no vote coming from supervisor Ann Lemmer, who said the constituents she spoke to in her district did not support the idea.

■ The committee signed off on an offer to purchase land from Eric and Ariel Scheftgen, homeowners in the village of Kronenwetter who own a .58-acre parcel in an area slated for a new Highway Department headquarters. The offer includes a provision that will allow the couple to continue occupying the house after the sale of the property, giving them until June 1 of next year to find a new place to live. Similar occupancy agreements were recommended for the owners of four residential parcels previously sold to the county.

■ The committee approved a recommendation to transfer a slice of county-owned right-of-way off CTH P in the town of Eau Pleine to Bethany Mennonite Church, which has been using the land for a parking lot since the mid-1980s. The county originally bought the land back in 1954, but officials do not think it has any resale value at this point. The church will be responsible for covering any and all costs for transferring the property.

■ The committee reviewed an update on the county’s backlog of tax-delinquent properties, which indicated that as many as 173 parcels could potentially be seized by the end of this year if the owners fail to pay off their tax debts. Leonhard said 22 letters were sent to property owners in April letting them know that the county is starting what’s called an “in rem” process to foreclose on the properties, and another 43 notices were sent in May to initiate the tax deed process for foreclosure.

By simultaneously proceeding with both the in rem and tax deed processes, Leonhard said the county should get a better idea of which method is more efficient. The deadlines for property owners to pay are at the end of July and August.