Shawano County supervisors will get another update on the future plans for a new courthouse, jail and public library when they gather for their next meeting at 3 p.m. Feb. 25 at the courthouse.
Kurt Berner, of The Samuels Group, told public property committee members Feb. 12 supervisors will have a chance to view a new informational website about the courthouse plans – what’s happened in the past, current conditions and needed repairs, other options that were explored, the path forward, the tax impact and more.
They will also be asked to approve a letter to all taxpayers informing them of the website and inviting them to public informational meetings that will be held in March.
“We’re going to want you to vote … to issue the letter out to the community about the community meetings, as well as direct them to the website,” he said.
The meetings will include a presentation of 45-60 minutes, as well as time for questions afterward. They will tentatively be set in three communities in the county, most likely Shawano, Bonduel and Wittenberg, in the middle of March. Details will be announced after the county board meeting.
Exact floor plans for the proposed courthouse will not be published on the website for security reasons, Berner said.
The tax impact information will include total costs, projected mill rates, average property values and a timeline for a second building phase if all of the proposed project is completed in one phase.
Berner said Peace United Church of Christ in Shawano was evaluated and determined not suitable to serve as the new location for the public library.
“They pulled the structural drawings from Peace and the issue with that is that the first floor, or at-grade floor, the bearing capacity … will not support all the weight of the books,” he said. “Libraries have a lot of weight because of where all the books are; they’re in a condensed area.”
He said unless the books are all placed in the basement level, the existing building is not what is needed.
“There would have to be an addition onto that building that would take care of the books, and the rest of the space would be used for meeting space, which is not the best solution,” Berner said.
He said a drawing of what that addition would look like, including square footage, will be done to see what it would take to make it work. However, he is leaning against that option.
Drawings for a renovation and addition to the current library will also be created so they can be evaluated.
A library board fundraising subcommittee met Feb. 16 to discuss possible fundraising plans for a library building. Options will eventually be forwarded to the full library board.
In March, the county board is expected to vote on whether to proceed with the building plans by setting a maximum dollar amount for the construction project.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
