Deadline Passes for Historical Society to Buy Fire Engine House

A for the Port Washington Historical Society to purchase the historic fire engine house has ended, leaving Port Washington officials waiting to make a sale to any interested party through a broker.

The building is listed for sale with , and Port Washington City Administrator Mark Grams said the realtor has spoken with a number of interested buyers — though no one has given an official offer.

"If we don’t sell (it) that means we've got about a $230,000 hole in the budget we’ve got to fix," Grams said. "That money is going to be used for the rent on the new senior center."

RE/MAX will during the six-month sale contract.

And as efforts for the sale continue, the Port Washington Historical Society pleaded again with the Common Council on Wednesday to keep the building under city ownership.

"We are part of the city, we promote and help to enhance the quality of life for Port Washington, its citizens and its visitors," said Jackie Oleson, the society's president. "We understand that hard choices have to be made, and this is an opportunity that now will be lost by all of us."

Historical society members had hoped the city would lease the building to the group for a $1 a year, similiar to an arrangement they have with the city for the , where the society .

The historic fire engine house, 102 E. Pier St., became available after the  moved to a new location. The building earned state and national recognition as a historical site in 2009.

Nancy Haacke, a member of the historical society who helped collect signatures for a petition against the sale, also spoke at the meeting.

“Going door-to-door, being on the streets of Port Washington, the citizens really want this for the historical society,” Haacke said. The group presented the council with signatures at Wednesday’s meeting; the group had collected about 500 signatures near the end of July, but did not mention a new total with the additional signatures.

Suzanne Bruner read a letter to the editor printed in the Ozaukee Press and submitted by the Saukville Historical Society, expressing its disappointment over the loss of this building.

The Saukville Historical Society maintains a museum in its own historic fire engine house, and said in the letter it felt “deep regret that Port is selling the fire engine house.”

“If Saukville can do it, why can’t Port?” the society wrote.