Possible Development at New Berlin Gravel Pit Looks LIkely, but is News to Muskego School District

A development going into New Berlin's last large tract of farmland east of Moorland Road has increased the likelihood for the development of part of a gravel pit at I-43 and Racine Avenue into a business park. The costs to develop this park holds some interest to the which has been asked to share in a portion of the sewer extension in the past.

The project, called Mill Valley, would be worth $150 million to $200 million, and would feature a mix of commercial and industrial businesses, according to an article that ran in Muskego NOW.

The cost for the sewers would account for nearly $8.3 million, and New Berlin officials had been trying to interest Muskego in paying a big chunk of that because development would put more money into the pocket of the Muskego-Norway School District, whose jurisdiction includes the gravel pit.

With the new development on the east of Moorland, the cost for the sewer extension would go down to $2.9, as service would be brought nearly a mile and a half closer to Mill Valley.

However, MNSD said in an email sent to Muskego Patch they would not be interested in taking on a portion of the costs despite a promise of state aid.

"We followed up with a letter to (New Berlin) Mayor Chiovatero on June 8, 2010 detailing that by our estimates, a project with a value of $160,000,000 would cause our school district to lose $1.6 million in state aid which would then have to be offset with an identical increase in tax levy," Scott Ecker, Director of Business Services with MNSD, said.  "This would result in a levy increase of over 5%."

Ecker said the district was "surprised to learn that New Berlin was moving forward with a plan."

"We (meaning our school district) met with New Berlin city officials and Muskego city officials in the spring of 2010.  At that meeting we shared our fiscal analysis with both New Berlin and Muskego where we asserted that because of how the state education funding system works, Muskego-Norway school taxes would actually increase with this development," Ecker said. 

The recent lower numbers would not change their opinion, according to Ecker, who added, "We have not heard anything from the City of New Berlin since June 2010 and we stand by our analysis."