Richland School Board approved an “Offer to Purchase” property from Richland County

RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. (WRCO / WRCE) – In late July, the Richland School District Board of Education submitted an Offer to Purchase property from Richland County, including the buildings known as the Gymnasium and Melvill Hall, as well as the adjacent field, green spaces, and parking lots.

This process began after several years of discussion about facility needs.

During planning for the 2024 facilities referendum, the district had explored an option that included a new gymnasium and weight room at a cost of approximately $40 million. That option was ultimately scaled back because the existing Gymnasium at the former UW-Richland campus sits just a few hundred feet from Richland Center High School.

The ability to use that facility, through the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Richland County, has been an important short-term solution to meet the need for additional gym space.

Given the ongoing need for both gym space and alternative education facilities, the Board approved an Offer to Purchase the property for one dollar. The purpose of the offer was to preserve this space for public educational use while relieving the county of maintenance obligations for two buildings it no longer needed.

The decision by the school board was held in closed session. The District Administrator, Steve Board, clarified why the District’s discussions and actions occurred in closed session to the public at Wednesday night’s school board meeting. He explained that when the Board first considered this offer on July 28, there had been no direct negotiations or prior discussions with Richland County. Because of that, there was no way to anticipate how the county would react to the proposal.

Discussing or voting publicly before the county had a chance to deliberate would have risked creating public pressure or the appearance of expectation. In addition, revealing an active offer publicly could have invited competing proposals from private entities or other organizations. That would have placed the County Board in an extremely difficult position—having to choose between a private offer at market value and a public offer from the school district for a nominal amount.

To avoid that kind of dilemma, both Boards initially discussed the matter in closed session, as allowed under Wisconsin law for negotiations involving the purchase or sale of property.

Once the initial offer was submitted, county and district administrators communicated verbally about the timing and flow of internal County reviews. These included County Board closed sessions on Aug. 14, and committee reviews on Aug. 20 and Sept. 9. To allow those discussions to take place, both parties agreed to extend the acceptance deadline. That extension was later confirmed in writing on Sept. 25, when the district formally extended the deadline to Oct. 22.

After receiving the district’s offer, county officials asked for clarification and raised several points for consideration:

Whether the District would assume ownership of the area south of Brush Creek. Whether the District would allow the Symons Recreation Center sign, located south of the bridge and west of the entrance, to remain in place and connected to its existing power source, which is through Symons. Whether the District would support construction of a future access road or private drive between Hive Drive and the Symons parking lot, to be completed at County expense. And whether the District would agree to maintain continued cooperation with Symons Recreation Complex for shared use of the Gymnasium.

The School Board reviewed these considerations during a closed session on September 24, and generally agreed to each point, recognizing that they aligned with the spirit of partnership that has guided this process. The District will now: Draft a new MOU with Symons Recreation Complex that mirrors the current cooperative arrangement but updates ownership responsibilities. Coordinate surveying of the property to formalize parcel boundaries and easements, at the District’s expense. And incorporate County-requested access points and easements into the final property configuration.

Steve Board reiterated that from the outset, the District’s goal has been to pursue this opportunity in a respectful, collaborative manner with Richland County. The decision to negotiate initially in closed session was made not to limit transparency, but to protect both entities from premature public pressure or competing interests while good-faith negotiations were underway. Now that the County has acted in open session, the District is sharing the full context of this process for public understanding. This purchase will preserve an important community asset for educational use, expand opportunities for student programs, and strengthen local partnerships while protecting taxpayers from additional costs.

The Richland School Board approved the counteroffer and terms from Richland County for the purchase of property known as “Gymnasium” and “Melvill Hall,” as well as the adjacent field, green spaces, and parking lots, as presented, while developing an updated MOU between Symons Recreation Center and the Richland School District unanimously.

The Richland School Board also approved its 2025-26 budget at last night’s (Wednesday) meeting. It then approved to amend the Resolution to Vote a Tax for the Operation of the Richland School District for 2025-26 in the total amount of $10.4 million of which $183,445 is for debt within the revenue limit, $2,193,000 is for debt outside of the revenue limit, and $120,000 is for community service expenses.

The board also ratified one open enrollment IN application, which has already been granted approval by the District Administrator, and one open enrollment OUT application for the 2025-26 school year.

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