Little Muskego Lake Partnership Hits a Snag Over Land Acquisition Donation

The Little Muskego Lake District (LMLD) had entered an agreement to purchase a parcel of land deemed important to the LMLD's watershed, along with several other partners who put in dollars to acquire the land.

LMLD did not technically purchase the land; the Muskego Lakes Land Conservancy (MLLC), also a partner, currently holds the title.

"The reason that MLLC was selected to act as the buyer in this partnership is that MLLC was eligible to apply for certain grants from the State of Wisconsin DNR (WDNR) while the LMLD (as a unit of government) was ineligible," explained Brian Volkman, member of the LMLD board. "A stewardship grant from the Wisconsin DNR ($231,650) was essential for completion of the purchase."

However, the relationship between the district and another partner group, the Lake Conservancy, which has a four-member board of directors made up of residents Howard Schneider, Bob Bueckers, Sandra Kurka and Ron Ford, has become strained over a $30,000 donation from the Holz Foundation.

LMLD and its partners had received official notice that the grant was approved  back in Dec. 2010. The total purchase price was $480,000, with LMLD contributing $100,000 toward the land purchase, and just under $10,000 in additional costs for surveys, appraisals, etc.

The MLLC contributed $7000 toward the purchase. Other contributors included the City of Muskego, New Berlin, the Little Muskego Lake Association, and the Linnie Lac Lake District.

Earlier the district had been inquiring when the dollars would be received, and the understanding was that they would receive them in fall.  At the September meeting, the question was again raised, and conservancy members acknowledged that they had received the funds. According to Volkman, it was understood by all the involved parties that those funds would eventually be applied toward the purchase price.

District president Larry Lefebvre and district members felt the information, and the money, should have been shared with other partners in the original purchase of the land, which sits just north of Calhoun Park on the east side of Calhoun Road in New Berlin.

Schneider and Bueckers, who were at the Nov. 17 meeting of the LMLD at , said that they felt the matter could quickly be worked out among all of the parties to restore amicable relations.  The conservancy was going to meet on Nov. 22, and would report to the LMLD at their Dec. 1 meeting.