Outagamie County has approved transfer of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus in Menasha to Winnebago County for $1.
The Barlow Planetarium will continue to operate on the site for now while the contents of the Weis Earth Science Museum will become part of Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle. The future of the University Children’s Center is undetermined.
It will now be up to Winnebago County to determine the future of the 43-acre campus. Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz said the transfer allows Winnebago to manage the site independently, which will simplify future edevelopment and child care negotiations.
Winnebago County corporation counsel Mary Anne Mueller said 25 families have been told their child care services will end by June 20. While child care staff have been reassigned, Mueller said ongoing operations will depend on further board discussions.
UWO announced it would close the campus in June 2024.
