OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – After years of financial struggles and code violations, the Oshkosh Arena is up for sale.
The ownership group behind the facility is behind hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property tax payments, making the future of the building a bit murky.
“We are working with any interested party that’s interested in considering purchasing the arena and answering questions as we can,” City Manager Mark Rohloff said. “We certainly want to keep the Herd here in Oshkosh. They started here and we want them to stay for a long time.”
In March, the property was listed for sale with no price tag. During Tuesday’s meeting, the city’s common council went into a closed session to discuss possibilities.
In addition to Herd games, the Oshkosh Arena has hosted concerts, shows and winter farmers markets.
“It is a premiere venue,” Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rob Kleman said. “We want to be supportive of the Herd, support the arena and those activities and look forward to that in the future.”
Its primary use has been the home of the Wisconsin Herd — the Milwaukee Bucks G-league affiliate. In a statement to FOX 11, Herd President Steve Brandes said:
The Wisconsin Herd is actively preparing for the 2024-25 season in Oshkosh.
“They have a significant impact on the community whether it’s economics, their contributions, jobs and all that that goes into it,” Kleman said. “They’ve really been a great asset to Oshkosh and our surrounding region.”
Despite the uncertainty, keeping the Herd in Oshkosh would be in the city’s best interest according to Kleman. Rohloff agrees.
“I look at the Herd with the arena as you would a anchor store in a mall and losing an anchor store certainly would have an impact.”
The listing comes as the ownership group, Fox Valley Pro Basketball, owes over $300,000 in property tax payments. According to city records, more payments are due at the end of the May and July.
“We’ve had this experience with the arena for the last few years where they haven’t paid their taxes initially,” Rohloff said.
FOX 11 reached out to to Fox Valley Pro Basketball for comment. We have not heard back.
Last month, the Oshkosh Area School District announced it would move its high school graduations from the Oshkosh Arena to the Sports Center on the UW-Oshkosh campus. The district’s superintendent cited the uncertainty of the venue’s future as the reason.
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