Supervisor Patricia Jursik Introduces Resolution to Downsize County Holdings

Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik said today that she has proposed a resolution to reduce the number of properties held by the County, including the City Campus facility.

Almost five years ago the Milwaukee County Board engaged in Strategic Planning, which resulted in several initiatives: Foremost among them was the decision to move forward with downsizing the number County holdings with regard to facilities.  Jursik said that at the turn of the 21st century, the County’s workforce was more than 7,500 employees, but it has been since been reduced below 5,000 employees. Yet the County occupies the same space as it did in the last century.  The Courthouse fire last summer again reminded the administration of the folly in delaying maintenance and failure to downsize aging buildings.

“As the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and the author of the resolution to bring in CBRE to help the county obtain the information needed to make good decisions around downsizing our real estate holdings, I am pleased to also author the first formal resolution to initiate the scope and schedule of this work,” Jursik said.

Jursik said that as the County plans for the budget for 2015, the resolution will set the policy for closing City Campus and requires the second phase of decision be given a time line.  This next phase will require policy makers to strategically examine the utilization of the Marcia Coggs Center by year’s end.  Next, she said, we must address planning for the Behavioral Health Complex and the Vel Phillips Juvenile Justice Center.  The Courthouse Complex strategies must be determined by next year regarding the utilization or vacation of the Safety Building, the Medical Examiner’s Space and the Community Correction Center.

“After the fire, all of us learned that the Courthouse is the heart of all the satellite spaces owned by the County,” Jursik said. “It is imperative that we address which of the complex buildings we will keep and which will be deemed outdated and vacated.

“Realization of this initiative will take decades to carry out, but the failure of policy makers to adopt these time frames would mean many more years of deferred maintenance, high utility bills, and poor space planning.  It is imperative that we set these plans in motion now so that doing nothing becomes untenable.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

Recent Press Releases by Patricia Jursik

O’Donnell Property Agreement with the Milwaukee Art Museum is a WIN/WIN.

Mar 8th, 2016 by Patricia Jursik

In late 2015, not satisfied with the plan negotiated by the County Executive, the County Board chose to reimagine the O’Donnell plaza and garage proposal.

The Century Parks of Bay View, Sheridan and Grant Must Be Protected

Jan 28th, 2016 by Patricia Jursik

Sup. Jursik Calls for Zoning Protection for South Shore Parks

Sup. Jursik: Softball, Baseball Diamonds in South Shore Parks Suffer Under County Executive Abele

Nov 5th, 2015 by Patricia Jursik

She Says South Shore Diamonds Could Have Been Repaired With $300,000 Surplus in Parks Revenue