District sees promise in lonely little house

The Port Washington-Saukville School Board hired a law firm Monday to negotiate the purchase of a small house and lot sandwiched between two parking lots at Port Washington High School.

The School District, of course, has no interest in owning a house, but acquiring the land would allow it to join the two lots, add needed parking and expand, if ever so slightly, the relatively small Port High campus tucked in the heart of the city.

“We’re absolutely interested in the property,” Director of Business Services Mel Nettesheim said. “The district has been interested in it for some time.”

A representative of the property owner recently contacted the district to ask if it was interested in buying the property, which prompted administrators to recommend the board hire a lawyer from the Green Bay office of Davis-Kuelthau to negotiate a deal.

Nettesheim said administrators proposed hiring Davis-Kuelthau because other districts recommended the firm highly, especially because of its expertise in real estate acquisition.

Nettesheim declined to divulge the asking price because negotiations have not begun but characterized it as “very reasonable, especially given the current real estate market.”

The property is not listed on the Multiple Listing Service real estate data base.

The old house, which appears to be in need of renovation, is the only one on the south stretch of Holden Street — recently renamed Pirate Way — that runs along the east side of the high school.

It also has the distinction of being in one of the busiest areas of the city during the school year, an area traveled by dozens of school buses and hundreds of cars every day.

But while the property is a less-than-ideal site for a home, it has potential as a parking lot. Port High has three parking lots on campus and uses the municipal lot to the south of the school for overflow parking. Students also park on nearby streets, which over the years has generated complaints from residents in these areas, although it’s unclear if students park on streets because there isn’t room in high school lots or to avoid paying for parking there.  

“The overall condition of the house, its age and location make this a good opportunity for both the seller and the buyer,” Nettesheim said. 

When asked if the seller has discussed a timeline for negotiations with the district, she said, “Based on initial conversations, I get the sense it’s ASAP.”

If a deal is reached, it would need to be approved by the School Board. Money for the purchase would likely come from fund balance.