A push by a handful of residents and two municipalities to consider an alternative site for a new Shawano County government center, sheriff’s department and jail is going nowhere.
County Board Chairman Tom Kautza didn’t hold back on his thoughts at the May 27 county board meeting.
“I say we just keep moving forward the way we have been,” he said. “We’re doing it the right way. We’re informing everybody as much as we possibly can, and it’s as open as it can be. That campaign was just a complete waste of time, staff time and provides nothing productive.”
Supervisors have tentatively agreed to spend up to $121 million to build a new courthouse, a 150-bed jail and new jail auxiliary services.
In April and again at the May meeting, residents pushed county officials to consider building on vacant land south of County Road B (on Shawano’s southern end) rather than on property west of the current courthouse on North Main Street.
“I think in the best interests of all of the taxpayers, before we move ahead with this project, we should exhaust all possible options,” said Bowler resident Tim Steffen. “I don’t think just because this plan has gone this far means it can’t be adjusted or a new plan can’t replace it.”
He said the county should reach out to landowners along County Road B who might be affected by that alternative plan. He also said the county should thoroughly investigate the costs and return on investment for building there.
Shawano resident Timothy Novitski said if The Samuels Group has already reviewed this option, they should be able to provide side-by-side comparisons of the options. Supporters of the alternative site have been told the county can’t make building decisions based on speculation of who might sell their land.
“This entire project has been based on speculation from the moment the county started purchasing property around the courthouse,” he said.
Novitski said the public information meetings held in March were nothing more than a formality. Input from residents was not truly wanted, he said.
“Samuels Group and the county has their decision made, and they’re holding these meetings to check a box,” he said. “The people of this county realize the leadership makes decisions and only after talks to the board.”
The Angelica Town Board and Cecil Village Board both adopted resolutions urging the county to consider a County Road B site.
The resolutions asked for:
• A comparative cost analysis of the existing plan and the County Road B plan.
• Evaluation of annexation requirements and feasibility.
• Detailed analysis of projected revenue from county-owned land and redevelopment of county-owned properties.
• Assessment of long-term operational efficiencies, public safety benefits and life cycle costs.
• Quantification of economic development impacts of each option.
Kurt Berner of The Samuels Group said again the cost of building at a greenfield site would add $80 million to the total, because the current plan does not include building a second jail pod nor a new sheriff’s department. However, both would need to be added at a new site.
Three residents also sent letters to the county urging more communication with Shawano city officials.
Kautza said two communities and three residents is not a groundswell of support for the County Road B plan nor is it a condemnation of how the county has operated so far.
“Nobody else seems to have a problem with it,” he said. “Put it to rest that we’re not hiding nothing. It’s being done out in the open, out in the public, and that’s all there’s to it. This is a waste of time.”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
