Brian and Nancy Nahey, the founder of the Christian Education Leadership Academy in Pewaukee, have purchased more than 65 acres of land in the city of Delafield.
CELA Holdings LLC, which is registered to Brian Nahey, purchased the property, south of the Bark River, on the west side of Highway 83, from Bark River Farm LLC for $1.7 million. Bark River Farm is registered to Pamela Krainik, of Baraboo.
The purchase gives the Naheys a total of 220 acres of land on the west side of Highway 83 in Delafield.
Three years ago, they purchased two parcels north of the Bark River, on the west side of Highway 83, totaling 155 acres and attempted to open a school at the site, said Roger Dupler, city planner for the city of Delafield.
The 2013 plan was for a private school on the former Walcott Farm would have been redeveloped to include a single school building and sports complex. The plan received approval from the plan commission but fell apart when CELA group did not come up with an acceptable agreement for public use of the green space, Dupler said.
During a public hearing in 2013, CELA representatives said there were 50,000 children within a 15 mile radius and 65,000 within 25 miles of the site.
Brian Nahey said he does not have any plans for the site right now.
“I travel that road and saw the (for sale) sign,” Nahey said. “It ties into the land I have, so I bought it.”
The city has not yet received updated plans for the site, Dupler said.
They had plan commission preliminary approvals and then if fell apart when did not want to come up with acceptable agreement for public use of their green space.
The city has not yet received updated plans for the site and was unaware that CELA Holdings had purchased more land in Delafield, Dupler said.
In fall 2015, the Naheys opened the Christian Education Leadership Academy, or CELA, at Ryan Street, near Highway 16 in the City of Pewaukee. The school serves about 200-250 kindergarten through eighth-grade students.
Nahey said since opening, the school has been “absolutely magnificent.”
“More wonderful than I had ever imagined,” he said. “We have people who really understand what education is all about and what it takes to make it happen. There is so much progress it is unreal. The kids are doing just unbelievable.”
The 170,000-square-foot Pewaukee school is located on a 60-acre campus that includes a chapel that seats more than 800. Annual tuition is $14,750 per student, but the Nahey Charitable Foundation provides a $5,000 credit, according to the school’s website.
