MARINETTE – The Marinette County Board of Supervisors gathered on Tuesday, April 21, to continue discussing the redevelopment of the former UW-Green Bay Marinette campus, board positions and infrastructure updates.
During public comment, Kim Brooks expressed support for the campus, while Tom Schwaba suggested hiring a consultant to work with the campus redevelopment committee.

John Guarisco announced that he would bring recommendations regarding the UW-Green Bay Marinette campus to the May meeting.

Later, the board approved a previously-amended motion to Resolution No. 628 – 26, “Establishing a special committee for UW-Campus Redevelopment.”
The resolution was amended during the March 31 meeting to increase the committee from 11 members to 13 members by adjusting membership to include representatives from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Town of Peshtigo and an at-large county board member. Additionally, the majority of the committee members must live outside the City of Marinette.

Reorganization and appointments

During the reorganization portion of the meeting, the board held paper ballot elections for leadership.

Guarisco was elected chairperson over Bonnie Popp by 14 - 12 votes while Connie Seefeldt took the vice-chairperson position by 17 - 9 votes over Stan Gruszynski.

Afterwards, a seven-member Committee on Committees was approved. This group will consist of Guarisco and Seefeldt as well as Roger Allen, Rick Thill, Robert Hoyer, Sonny Graese and Hank Novak.

Later, the board unanimously approved several appointments recommended by the county administrator.

Yvonne Ann Brault, Dianne Woods and Kerry Valley were appointed to the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) governing board, with terms expiring April 30, 2029. Both Brault and Valley submitted letters emphasizing their desire to advocate for aging adults and those with disabilities.

Ken Hanson was appointed to the elderly services board, with his term expiring Dec. 31, 2028. Brian Macha was appointed the technology services director.
Additionally, Sue Heurion joined the health and human services board for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2027. In her letter of interest, Heurion noted she had previously served on the ADRC board for almost 10 years and was seeking this new vacancy as a citizen representative.

Finally, Lt. David Oginski and Lt. Jeffrey Cate were appointed to the traffic safety commission with no term expiration. Oginski previously spent nine years as a Department of Natural Resources conservation warden and has now worked as a patrol deputy with the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office for the past 11 years. Cate serves as a patrol lieutenant for the City of Marinette Police Department and has been a police officer for approximately 22 years.

Infrastructure and administrative actions

Closing out the meeting, the board approved a variety of infrastructure and administrative actions. This included accepting a one-year lease addendum with — April 2026 to March 2027 — for Room C026 with Forward Service Corporation Lease in the courthouse building at a rental rate of $2,403.50 per month.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was approved to transfer two tax-delinquent parcels on Church Road to the Town of Grover for $1 each. The property contained a vacant structure considered a safety hazard, and the Town of Grover agreed to take sole responsibility for remediation and razing costs.

Additionally, the board approved transferring $3,085 from the county roads and bridges fund balance to the local road improvement revenue to account for the reclassification of scrap material.

The Marinette County Board will meet next at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26.