Is Milwaukee County footing the bill for removing Deep Thought? What's next for the abandoned boat
After the boat's removal from the lake on May 6, questions remain about how much of the bill Milwaukee County will be left to pay.
In an email to County Executive David Crowley and other department officials on May 7, County Board Supervisor Steve Taylor wrote: "The fun and games are over and I am asking for full transparency on the final cost and if Milwaukee County is paying for any shortfall."
In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Taylor shared his concerns about the financial impact it could have on the already cash-strapped county and hopes that there are legal avenues that could be investigated to prevent taxpayers from covering the cost of its removal.
"The story's not over," Taylor told the Journal Sentinel.
The journey of Deep Thought began when it was left stranded during a thunderstorm by a Mississippi couple in mid-October after they ran out of gas and landed on the lakeshore. Since then, unsuccessful efforts to remove the boat placed it as one of Milwaukee's signature attractions with visitors coming from all over.
And pilgrimages turned to a funerary tribute on May 6, when a crowd of about 100 onlookers gathered to cheer and mourn as the boat was dragged out of the lake.
Crowley's office did not immediately respond to questions.
The county's park department signed a $55,000 contract with a Milwaukee-based company, All City Towing, to remove the boat, according to a statement from the county.
Supervisor Sheldon A. Wasserman, whose district was a temporary home for Deep Thought, told the Journal Sentinel that the dollar amount was the upper limit the county was willing to pay for the boat's removal.
All City Towing is holding Deep Thought, and it is unclear how much storing the boat with the company might cost. Wasserman said he expects the boat to be held there for two or three months until the county sorts out the legalities of the boat's ownership.
"It's junk. It's not gonna be repaired," he said.
While Wasserman doesn't know exactly how much or if the county will have to pay, but he suspects the money would be pulled from an emergency fund.
At least two donations to help finance Deep Thought's removal from the Milwaukee shoreline hit headlines.
In late April, an anonymous donor contacted Milwaukee's Mayor Cavalier Johnson to provide financial support for part of its removal. It is not clear who or how much was proffered. Since then, the anonymous donor has not contacted the county, and no formal offer has been received, according to a statement from Wasserman.
A week later, the Daniel W. Hoan Foundation donated $10,000 to the effort.
The county continues to investigate pursuing legal avenues for reimbursement, given the tenuous nature of the boat's ownership. In mid-April, it was determined that Milwaukee County was responsible for salvaging the boat as it was left on county property by its Mississippi-based owners, Sherry and Richard Wells, after they ran out of gas.
The couple previously expressed an inability to pay for the boat's removal.
Wasserman suggested in his weekly newsletter that the original owners from Michigan, who sold the boat to the Wellses, may ultimately have to pay. At the time, the Milwaukee County corporation counsel was working on an outline for who was legally responsible to pay for the boat.
Wasserman has since clarified that the corporation counsel's office would not pursue legal action against the Wellses.
'There are ongoing questions about who holds the title, and if the transfer was never properly completed, the original owners may still be liable,' Wasserman said on May 6. 'Either way, Milwaukee County residents shouldn't be forced to cover the cost of cleaning up after out-of-state tourists who abandoned their boat and their responsibility.'
In the event the county is left to pay the final bill, Wasserman said that the county is seriously considering chopping up the boat and selling parts of it as mementos.
"There's a real market there from what we've been seeing," Wasserman said, adding that any potential money could be put toward paying off the salvaging company.
The day of the boat's removal from Lake Michigan, an MATC student sold a handful of salvaged pieces of Deep Thought for $10.
Taylor has since requested an agenda item to go before the appropriate committees — possibly including the county's finance, parks and culture and judiciary and law committees — to glean more details about any other additional costs the boat's removal could have on the county.
"It's kind of funny how it's taken a life of its own," Taylor said of Deep Thought. "But we need to just wrap this story up."
Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com. Follow her on X @Vanessa_Swales.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County might pay for removal of abandoned boat Deep Thought
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