Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

4A • Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove APRIL 2015 243030004 Your News, not Milwaukee's The first 13 Weeks for just $30 • Elmbrook school news • East and Central sports coverage • Local columnists Mark Belling & Jessica McBride • National brand coupons each week "Hey Brookfield!" The Freeman has you covered! YES! Start my subscription to The FREEMAN for the first 13 Weeks for just $30! Su Su b b s s cr cr i i b b e t e t o o ... ... Tuesday through Saturday Delivery When sending a check, send it with this form to: The FREEMAN 801 N. Barstow P.O. Box 7 Waukesha, WI 53187 For faster service, call 262/542-2500 or visit www.gmtoday.com/wfpromo Name ____________________________________________________________ Mailing Address____________________________________________________ City, State, Zip ____________________________________________________ Phone____________________E-mail __________________________________ ❏ My check payable to The FREEMAN for $30 * (13 week subscription) is enclosed ❏ Please bill me ❏ Bill my credit card (circle one) Credit Card__________________________________Expiration Date_________ Signature ________________________________________________________ *Offer good for new subscribers only (an individual who has not been a subscriber to The FREEMAN within the last 60 days.) Delivery to Waukesha County addresses only. SC:housead RC: 3M30 By Sarah Pryor Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — After dis- cussions with preservation- ists, a local developer plans to save a historic former jail building that was previ- ously planned for demoli- tion as part of a new apart- ment complex proposal for the Waukesha County Museum campus. Historic Prairieville Lim- ited Partnership originally planned to purchase the museum property at 101 W. Main St., raze two build- ings on the site and build a 42-unit luxury apartment complex in their place. The complex consists of the for- mer Waukesha County Courthouse built in 1893, the 1885 original jail build- ing and a 1930s-era connec- tor building, with the latter two originally slated for demolition. Developer Alan Huels- man of Historic Prairieville is now working with his architect to see if there's a way to realistical- ly save the jail, Huelsman's wife, Catherine Huelsman, said. Catherine Huelsman said keeping the jail stand- ing would likely affect the number of residential units planned for the site, but said all plans are extremely preliminary and haven't been submitted to the city yet. Mary Emery, president of the Waukesha Preservation Alliance, said she appreci- ates Alan Huelsman's efforts to save the jail, which was designed by Henry Koch, the same architect who designed Mil- waukee City Hall. Interim Museum Execu- tive Director Tom Consta- ble said he hasn't yet seen the plans for the newly tweaked design, but he's still optimistic about the project in general. If all goes as planned, the museum will downsize and occupy the first and second floors of the historic for- mer Waukesha County Courthouse building, leav- ing the third floor for a ban- quet room and meeting space once the original 1893 courtroom is restored. Con- stable said museum staff has dreamed of renovating the courtroom for years, and Emery said it is a great idea for displaying a histor- ically significant space. The museum building will likely be sold to His- toric Prairieville for a nom- inal price and then the museum will enter into a lease agreement to stay in the building, paying some- thing like $1 per year for rent, Constable said. Museum officials spoke with six potential develop- ers before selecting His- toric Prairieville as the developer, Constable said. "The action we took was- n't capricious. What emerged was the best deal for the museum and city," Constable said. "Part of the property will now become taxable, and the city has never been able to collect taxes on that parcel." Temporarily closing in May Constable said the muse- um will temporarily sus- pend operations sometime in May as a result of the pending construction and another issue: cash flow. "When our funding from Waukesha County stopped, so did many of our regular donations," Constable said. As a result, two of the museum's educators have resigned, necessitating the cancellation of the muse- um's summer educational programs. "We understand the imposition this places on parents and how disap- pointing this action will be to the children, but in the long term this is the best move for all of us," Consta- ble said. "We've chosen not to fill the positions at this time because we won't need educators until we get clos- er to grand reopening. We're going to overcome this." However, the museum will be open June 9 for Les Paul's 100th birthday and the museum's 101st year of operation. Constable said that night will feature a fundraiser and be the last chance for people to see the Les Paul exhibit as it was originally designed. The exhibit, as well as the oth- ers, will be moving to the museum's new, pared-down 25,000-square-foot space. Constable said he doesn't anticipate the Les Paul exhibit will be diminished, and it's been an important piece for the organization. Email: spryor@conleynet.com Bryon Riesch Team Challenge raises $10K BROOKFIELD — More than 100 participants and 40 volunteers raised money for those with paralysis at Elite Sports Club in Brookfield on Feb. 27. The one-of-a-kind event raised more than $10,000 for the Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation. The BRPF Team Challenge is a fundraiser dedicated to ending paralysis, while promoting team building, health and fitness. Twenty teams competed in bubble soccer, wally ball, ten- nis, spin bike and ping-pong, followed by a relay race to win this friendly competition. Each member of the winning team received a free six-month membership to Elite Sports Club. Other prizes were awarded to the division winners and the team with the most team spirit. Bryon Riesch with attendees at the Team Challenge event at Elite Sports Club in Brookfield. Bryon Riesch speaks to attendees at the Team Challenge fundraiser on Feb. 27. "The event is really appropriately named as a team chal- lenge and I look at paral- ysis in the same light. We are facing a team challenge to find a cure," said Riesch, president of the Bryon Riesch Paraly- sis Foundation. The Freeman wants your community news! We will publish the happenings at your schools and community groups — as well as everyday items. But we need your help to get these announcements and pictures published. Submis- sions must be typed or emailed. No handwritten submissions will be accepted. Please send news items and photos to: news@conleynet.com How to get YOUR news in The Freeman Developer hopes to save historic jail building on museum complex Museum to suspend operations in May because of construction, reduced cash flow Charles Auer/Freeman Staff The Waukesha County Museum complex.

• Cover