MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee organization is concerned about a building they consider a nuisance property at Holton and Burleigh.
City records show its condition isn’t the only problem. The owner owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes going back to 2012.
Despite the delinquency, Milwaukee has refused to foreclose on the building. Our Lighthouse team went looking for answers to find out why the city wouldn’t touch it.
“What a kid can receive here is hope and healing and they do,” said Ashley Schoof.
Handprints on the wall show all the children served by this youth resource center called STRONG.
“They definitely have a past or a trajectory that isn’t positive for them,” Schoof said.
Watch: Neighbors call on city to repossess building that’s $279K behind in taxes
Schoof is proud of what her organization offers inside its building, but she can’t stand what kids in their program have to walk past outside.
“We are a business trying to do really good things in the community and this is allowed to happen,” she said. “Why is this allowed to happen?”
The building next door has holes in its roof, bricks tumbling to the sidewalk, and shattered windows on what’s supposed to be a glass repair shop.
“One morning I found a bullet, not a casing, but the actual projectile,” said STRONG’s safety officer Adam Meyers.
Meyers claims it’s more than just an eyesore.
“I think what’s going on next door is a public health concern,” he said. “I think it’s also a quality of life concern”
Schoof and Meyers contacted city leaders to find out what could be done.
“We’re trying to reach out to folks to get some change and we don’t hear anything,” Schoof said. “How can we create change?”
They eventually learned the city is well aware of this property, including its owner neglecting to pay taxes.
TMJ4 showed up and found the property owner, John Bagrowski, inside the glass shop.
“John, do you know how much you owe in property taxes on this building?” reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“No,” Bagrowski replied.
“It’s $279,000,” Jordan said.
“OK,” Bagrowski replied.
“How come you haven’t paid property taxes since 2011?” Jordan asked.
“It’s not my building, it’s my wife’s so you’ll have to talk to her about that,” Bagrowski replied.
“It’s under your name right here,” Jordan said.
“I know, it’s her building,” Bagrowski replied.
The city says the property is on what’s called a ‘Do Not Acquire’ list.
City records show the list includes 152 properties called ‘Brownfields’. The Department of City Development says they are all at least three years behind on tax payments.
A city spokesperson tells TMJ4 that Milwaukee won’t foreclose on those properties because they’re contaminated and could create an expensive liability that Milwaukee can’t afford.
It’s an issue Milwaukee’s Department of City Development, the Department of Neighborhood Services, and the alderwoman for the district all refused to address on camera. TMJ4 provided weeks to accommodate Jordan’s interview requests.
Bagrowski says he knows his building is considered a Brownfield.
“It’s just something I really don’t want to discuss right now, OK?” he said.
Back at STRONG, Schoof says the city made them an offer months ago. The first part required them to pay their neighbor’s property taxes plus interest from 2023 which amounts to $12,000. Schoof says the city’s offer also mandated STRONG operate a for-profit business on the property so they would have to pay property taxes themselves.
Schoof says they declined because the strings attached didn’t make sense for their non-profit.
“What do you think the city should be doing here?” Jordan asked.
“Working in collaboration with the people that want to help make this a better corner, a better neighborhood and really working together to find a solution instead of shifting liability over to an organization,” Schoof replied.
After TMJ4 pressed for answers, the Department of City Development says it sent staff back to STRONG to try to come up with another solution that “provides amenities to the organization.” Amenities Schoof hopes will end with the building coming down, providing room for her organization to grow.
The Department of Neighborhood Services says it sent a crew inside the property Monday with the owner's permission. DNS says they found multiple building code violations. DNS says the building can no longer be occupied if the issues aren't corrected by Thursday.
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