UW-Whitewater: Regents authorize building lease

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents today authorized a lease by UW-Whitewater of the former Sentry building on Main Street in Whitewater. The UW-Whitewater Foundation will own the building and space will be rented to the university.  The 51,000-square-foot building will serve as a community outreach center for UW-Whitewater.

Enslin said plans for the site include moving the Children’s Center, the business outreach centers and the counseling, speech and language clinics to the facility. It is hoped that eventually the Children’s Center will enroll children from the community. Children’s Center’s services are currently for faculty, staff and students  because of limited space.

“We were pleased to vote for a space that puts services for the community in one location, making it easier for people to access these critical resources.  A future expansion of services for more area children and families is a hopeful next step,” Regent President Regina Millner said.

“I’d like to thank the Regents and the UW-Whitewater Foundation for their support. This building will help us address our space deficiencies and critical academic program and enrollment needs,” Chancellor Beverly Kopper said.

“A primary focus is also on expanding the services we provide to the community. We know our economic impact is more than $407 million annually and we believe the outreach center will help increase the amount of money that comes into Walworth, Jefferson and Rock counties, while providing much needed services.”

The Foundation is scheduled to close on the building in the near future, Enslin said.