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County Board wants jail meeting

The issue of keeping the Portage County jail in downtown Stevens Point or moving it somewhere else should come to a head in early November.

A closed session County Board of Supervisors meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, followed by a public informational hearing. The intent is for the County Board to make a decision on whether to build a new jail downtown or find an outlying site when it meets the following week, Portage County Planning and Zoning Director Charles Kell said when the board met Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Kell presented the County Board with several points to ponder before next month's meetings, including a revised downtown jail plan the Jail Study Committee reviewed earlier Tuesday.

The revised plan calls for building an $18.5 million, 200-bed, two-story jail facility at the site now occupied by the Lincoln Center. When more beds are needed, it could be expanded to a 400-bed facility by adding two floors on top of it.

To avoid closing any streets and to provide security, a pedestrian bridge would connect it to the Law Enforcement Center and to the County-City Building. The remodeled Law Enforcement Center would house the jail kitchen, juvenile detention center and Sheriff's Department offices. One home on Elk Street would need to be acquired, but may not be if a proposed addition to the Sheriff's Department garage was shifted, Kell said.

An additional roving guard would be needed during the day shift at a downtown, vertical jail, compared to a horizontal jail built at a remote site, jail consultant Bob Deichman told the Jail Study Committee.

Building a jail at an outlying site would cost roughly the same as the downtown jail, but chances are a jail and Sheriff's Department facility wouldn't be the only new buildings in a cornfield.

"There is considerable debate if the jail and Sheriff's Department move out of the downtown, what goes with it," Kell said.

Because of the cost and inconvenience of transporting inmates to court appearances, court officials would want all court-related offices to move near an outlying jail, Kell said.

Building a new courts facility would cost about $9 million, Deichman said.

None of the costs include site acquisition.

Other county offices could follow the jail and courts because of the synergies of having county offices close together in a campus concept.

"It is in fact very efficient for us," Kell said.

Counties that have split their offices now wish they hadn't, said County Board Chairman Clarence Hintz, who in his role as head of the Wisconsin Counties Association has heard their experiences.

The Department on Aging is looking for additional space - one possible solution if a new county jail and office were built at a remote site would be for the department to move into the Courthouse Annex and turn the Lincoln Center into a halfway house, Kell said. Judges are looking for alternatives to incarceration.

City of Stevens Point officials also have roles to play in any jail decision. Stevens Point owns the Lincoln Center and has talked about possibly swapping the center for space the city is leasing in the County-City Building, Kell said. If the jail and courts were to move, they would need to remain in Stevens Point - the county seat.

At a meeting last week with Kell, Hintz, Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott and city staff, Wescott said he would take the new plans under advisement, but the city wouldn't take any action until the County Board had made a decision, Kell said.

Residents near the Law Enforcement Center remain opposed to a downtown jail.

Bonnie Maher, 1100 Brawley St., suggested the county hold a referendum to decide where to build a jail.

Most of the public comment he has heard is against having a jail downtown, Sheriff Stan Potocki told the media after the County Board meeting. Because the cost of moving the jail is potentially more than $28 million, he said he would like a referendum so the people of Portage County can decide.

"Looking at everything, I still believe if we build a jail, we're going to be cramped in … the way to go I think would be to build a jail outside the downtown," Potocki said at the committee meeting.

Hintz said he wouldn't recommend a referendum. The County Board was elected by the people and it can make a decision on the jail.



	County Board wants jail meeting The issue of keeping the Portage County jail in downtown Stevens Point or moving it somewhere else should come to a head in early November. A closed session County Board of Supervisors meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, followed by a public informational hearing. The intent is for the County Board to make a decision on whether to build a new jail downtown or find an outlying site when it meets the following week, Portage County Planning and Zoning Director Charles Kell said when the board met Tuesday, Oct. 12. Kell presented the County Board with several points to ponder before next month's meetings, including a revised downtown jail plan the Jail Study Committee reviewed earlier Tuesday. The revised plan calls for building an $18.5 million, 200-bed, two-story jail facility at the site now occupied by the Lincoln Center. When more beds are needed, it could be expanded to a 400-bed facility by adding two floors on top of it. To avoid closing any streets and to provide security, a pedestrian bridge would connect it to the Law Enforcement Center and to the County-City Building. The remodeled Law Enforcement Center would house the jail kitchen, juvenile detention center and Sheriff's Department offices. One home on Elk Street would need to be acquired, but may not be if a proposed addition to the Sheriff's Department garage was shifted, Kell said. An additional roving guard would be needed during the day shift at a downtown, vertical jail, compared to a horizontal jail built at a remote site, jail consultant Bob Deichman told the Jail Study Committee. Building a jail at an outlying site would cost roughly the same as the downtown jail, but chances are a jail and Sheriff's Department facility wouldn't be the only new buildings in a cornfield. "There is considerable debate if the jail and Sheriff's Department move out of the downtown, what goes with it," Kell said. Because of the cost and inconvenience of transporting inmates to court appearances, court officials would want all court-related offices to move near an outlying jail, Kell said. Building a new courts facility would cost about $9 million, Deichman said. None of the costs include site acquisition. Other county offices could follow the jail and courts because of the synergies of having county offices close together in a campus concept. "It is in fact very efficient for us," Kell said. Counties that have split their offices now wish they hadn't, said County Board Chairman Clarence Hintz, who in his role as head of the Wisconsin Counties Association has heard their experiences. The Department on Aging is looking for additional space - one possible solution if a new county jail and office were built at a remote site would be for the department to move into the Courthouse Annex and turn the Lincoln Center into a halfway house, Kell said. Judges are looking for alternatives to incarceration. City of Stevens Point officials also have roles to play in any jail decision. Stevens Point owns the Lincoln Center and has talked about possibly swapping the center for space the city is leasing in the County-City Building, Kell said. If the jail and courts were to move, they would need to remain in Stevens Point - the county seat. At a meeting last week with Kell, Hintz, Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott and city staff, Wescott said he would take the new plans under advisement, but the city wouldn't take any action until the County Board had made a decision, Kell said. Residents near the Law Enforcement Center remain opposed to a downtown jail. Bonnie Maher, 1100 Brawley St., suggested the county hold a referendum to decide where to build a jail. Most of the public comment he has heard is against having a jail downtown, Sheriff Stan Potocki told the media after the County Board meeting. Because the cost of moving the jail is potentially more than $28 million, he said he would like a referendum so the people of Portage County can decide. "Looking at everything, I still believe if we build a jail, we're going to be cramped in … the way to go I think would be to build a jail outside the downtown," Potocki said at the committee meeting. Hintz said he wouldn't recommend a referendum. The County Board was elected by the people and it can make a decision on the jail.