 |
Sept. 14, 2006
|
 |
With Cousins Center on market,
groups consider options |
|
High school teams among those seeking new venues |
|
|
|
ST. FRANCIS — Since the Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced that the Archbishop Cousins Catholic Center is for sale, some changes are under way.
Bill Kreitzer, director of building services for the Cousins Center, said he’s been instructed by Wayne Schneider, chief financial officer of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, not to accept building reservations after June 30, 2007.
Besides the approximately 120 employees with offices in the Cousins Center, among the organizations that rent space in the Cousins Center from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee are the Milwaukee Bucks, Pius XI High School swim team, Thomas More High School soccer team, Bay View Parochial Soccer League, the Padre Serra basketball tournament, and more.
The archdiocese rents office space in the Cousins Center to your Catholic Herald, Catholic Charities, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, and the National Office of Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, among others.
Kreitzer remarked that his staff is not planning to embark on any major changes in an attempt to sell the facility.
“We’re not doing anything different right now,” he said. “We’re continuing to keep the systems functioning as normal. With the (staff) we have, we’re keeping the place clean and functional and a welcoming environment to visitors.”
Kreitzer said he has had to turn down a few requests already.
When asked if the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is helping clubs, teams and groups who use the Cousins Center find a new home, Kreitzer said, “not to my knowledge.”
The Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team has made the Cousins Center its practice facility since 1986. According to Kreitzer, the team signed a 10-year lease in September 1997, and that the Bucks can extend another 15 years by exercising their options on three consecutive five-year leases. When asked what their plans are for their future after the Cousins Center is sold, a representative from the Bucks declined to comment.
The Padre Serra basketball tournament has been held at the Cousins Center for more than 20 years. It was first held in the facility in 1970 when it was still De Sales Preparatory Seminary.
“The primary reason we hold the tournament there is the Archbishop Cousins Catholic Center is the heart of the archdiocese, not geographically, but it’s the hub,” said Tony Gahn, tournament co-director. “It was great fortune that the Bucks made their practice facility there. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for these kids.”
The tournament runs for three weeks in March and hosts 32 boys teams and 32 girls teams from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Gahn estimated that about 30,000 spectators attend the tournament over three weeks.
Gahn said the Padre Serra is aware that the Cousins Center is being sold and that they will have to find a new home for the tournament.
“We became aware of the situation when I made the arrangements last April,” he said. “Yes, we have a short list of places; we’d like to keep it at a Catholic location if at all possible.
“The archdiocese and the Bucks have been very good to us, and all of our proceeds from the tournament, we turn over to the archdiocese for vocations,” Gahn explained. “The rent has been extremely reasonable for three weeks; we’re concerned the rent in a new location could take a bite out of the money we donate for vocations.”
Gahn said at last year’s tournament they raised more than $50,000.
Pius XI High School, Milwaukee, has used the Cousins Center pool for their boys and girls swim teams for about five years. According to Mike Laabs, Pius’ swim coach, he’s unsure of the future of the swim team if they cannot continue to practice at the Cousins Center.
“With the closing of the Cousins Center, we’re kind of in limbo if we’re going to have a swim team,” he said. “We’re having a meeting next week to see what our options will be. They’re very limited.”
Laabs said that it is nearly impossible to find a pool to accept the team of 28 girls and 16 boys for three-hour practices. They’ve looked into Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs, but are told that members come first.
“We’ve changed our swim program into a winning program and now our options are next to nothing if we can’t find a place to practice,” said Laabs.
Thomas More High School’s boys and girls, junior varsity and varsity soccer teams practice and play their home games at the Cousins Center. According to Thomas More’s athletic director, Kevin Quinlan, they have done so for the past 10 years. One of the main reasons they like using the Cousins Center is because of its close proximity to Thomas More High School.
“They can walk there, for one,” said Quinlan. “They’re nice, open fields, otherwise we’d have to rent a park somewhere. There are advantages to playing (games) and practicing on the same field.”
However, Quinlan said they’re aware that they will need to find a new practice and home field location and are looking into some options.
“It’s not easy to find varsity-caliber soccer fields, so it will be a difficult search and it will cost more, obviously, and pose a transportation problem of how to get the kids to and from practice,” he said.
The team plans to practice and play at the Cousins Center for the 2006 season.
The relocation of archdiocesan offices is also not an easy task. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan addressed a group of archdiocesan employees housed at the Cousins Center on Sept. 8. He told them he understands their feelings and the difficulty that lay ahead, not only for employees, but also for the retired priests living at the Cousins Center. Kreitzer estimated 15 retired priests reside there. Each is responsible for finding his own housing by October 2007. During the last several months, at least four have moved to different residences.
Archbishop Dolan explained that there have been bids and offers made for the sale of the Cousins Center. In an email to your Catholic Herald, he said,
“We have interest in the Cousins Center from several organizations, but we are still no where near finalizing a sale. They are interesting proposals, but each requires a lot of investigation before any sale could be completed. |
|
|
|
