Third Time’s A Charm? MPS Rebidding Lincoln Avenue Demo Again After Objection

Lincoln Avenue Elementary School. Photo taken July 6, 2026 by Urban Milwaukee staff. All Rights Reserved.

For the third time, Milwaukee Public Schools is seeking a contractor to demolish the fire-damaged Lincoln Avenue Elementary School. But this time, the district is changing the rules.

The district has rejected all bids from its previous solicitation and is now seeking competitive sealed bids, with a commitment to award the contract to the lowest qualified bidder.

The decision comes after a Milwaukee-area demolition contractor challenged the district’s selection of an Illinois-based firm whose price was nearly $3.9 million higher than its own.

“MPS rejected all bids received for the Lincoln Avenue School demolition and readvertised the project as a competitive sealed bid, consistent with the board’s purchasing policy,” said a district spokesperson Thursday. “The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The site remains secured while the new bid is completed.”

The change represents a significant departure from the district’s previous approach, which allowed MPS to select a contractor based on a variety of criteria rather than simply choosing the lowest-cost qualified bidder.

The controversy began after MPS selected Illinois-based TW Chicago for a $4.8 million demolition contract, despite receiving a $928,000 proposal from West Milwaukee-based The MRD Group.

The price difference and MRD’s objections were first reported by Kayla Huynh on Oct. 29.

The MRD Group filed an appeal Oct. 27, alleging a lack of transparency in the district’s selection process. In a letter to the district’s Office of Accountability and Efficiency, attorney John Machulak, representing MRD, questioned why the district had selected a contractor whose price was nearly $3.9 million higher than MRD’s proposal.

Machulak said the district had not publicly disclosed the competing bids or the scores assigned to contractors. He said the company had been unable to obtain the scoring information through a website identified by the district.

“There was supposed to be transparency in the bidding process, but from MRD’s perspective, that has not been the case,” wrote Machulak.

The district has about $5 million available from an insurance payment to fund the demolition and is expected to receive additional insurance proceeds.

MPS administrators signed the TW Chicago contract Oct. 19 and placed it on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors Oct. 29 agenda for approval. But the item was removed before the board could act. The board subsequently held a special virtual meeting Nov. 2, spending more than an hour in closed session discussing the contract before taking no action.

After Superintendent Brenda Cassellius publicly defended the decision on Nov. 5, the district abandoned the selection entirely.

The new solicitation, issued earlier this week, changes the procurement method. Under the previous request for proposals, the district could weigh price against other criteria and select a more expensive contractor. Under the newly announced competitive sealed-bid process, MPS says the contract will go to the lowest bidder that meets its responsiveness and responsibility requirements.

The reversal creates another delay in the effort to remove the remains of the three-story school at 1817 W. Lincoln Ave.

The building was destroyed by a five-alarm fire June 30, and city officials subsequently determined that it could not be safely salvaged. The fire was caused by cleaning-product-soaked rags that spontaneously combusted in a hallway garbage can.

MPS first solicited demolition proposals in August, but received only one response. It reopened the process in September, receiving six additional proposals.

The district subsequently announced that demolition would begin in November and continue through March, with site restoration and grass planting in spring. Then MRD objected.

MPS held two community meetings Nov. 5 at the Mitchell Street Library to discuss the demolition and the school’s future. District officials have committed to a public engagement process before determining the long-term future of the property.

Built in 1917 and later expanded, the school served more than 400 students in K4 through fifth grade. Its students and staff have been relocated to Casimir Pulaski High School, 2500 W. Oklahoma Ave., where they began the school year in temporary accommodations.

Bids are due Nov. 20 at 1:30 p.m.

July 6 Photos

12►

June 30 Photos

School Photos

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.