Citizens for Accountability in Jail Expansion

NEW SITE

2009-03-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is the new website for Eau Claire Jail information:

http://www.eauclairejail.com/

This blogger site will decompose shortly...

back and forth...

2008-07-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

This article, from the Leader Telegram, reveals the wide margin of error that County staff are operating with in predicting costs for this project. Please probe and reveal more, local media!

Eau Claire County jail job numbers change again

By Andrew Dowd

Leader-Telegram staff

Flak from Eau Claire County Board members and the public prompted Sheriff's Department leaders to cut the staffing request for additional employees to run the new jail.

After presenting a 37.5 full-time equivalency request last week in committee meetings, Sheriff Ron Cramer and Jail Administrator Dan Bresina said they cut that number to 20 by Tuesday night's County Board meeting.

"We're down to 20 this evening," Cramer said.

After an erroneous request for 19 employees had been made, followed by the 37.5 figure, board member Pat LaVelle said he's worried the Sheriff's Department will ask for even more staff after opening the new jail in April 2010.

"I'd like to see it at 20, but I'm afraid it's gonna go higher," LaVelle said.

Board member Ken Fulgione razzed county staff for proceeding with a multimillion dollar construction project without a firm budget on the day-to-day costs to operate the new facility.

"I am totally astounded that this continues to go on," he said.

Staffing costs weren't the only jail issue County Board members railed on Tuesday night.

The county incurred $5,000 in added costs for delays in closing the purchase of a property bought for the new jail.

"Basically it's a penalty for not closing it on a timely basis," county attorney Keith Zehms said.

The County Board approved purchase of Gerald Mattson's house at 741 Second Ave. for $148,000 plus $25,000 in relocation expenses at its June 17 meeting, but the deal didn't close until Tuesday morning.

County Board member Will Fantle asked why the county was delayed in its purchase.

Project manager Frank Draxler said there were multiple people working on the deal with Mattson, and he didn't know why closing did not meet the deadline.

"I don't have the full story," he said. However, he added that it would be brought to the Administration Committee next week.

In his status report to the board on the new jail and courthouse remodeling project, Draxler said it still is coming in at the approved price and timeline.

"We are still on budget; we're within the $59.1 million," he said.

If the county can secure rezoning for the jail from the Eau Claire City Council in August and construction begins in mid-October, Draxler said, the budget should hold despite increases in building materials costs.

Dowd can be reached at 833-9204, 800-236-7077 or andrew.dowd@ecpc.com.

- The request for 20 additional positions for the new Eau Claire County Jail will go to the Judiciary and Law Enforcement Committee next week before proceeding to other committees and then the County Board.

Easy, Important Action: Letter Writing

2008-06-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hey jail-alternative proponents!

Here are some example letters you can send to your city council members. It is best to
edit them a little, or write something completely from scratch or by using the issue
list below, but any letter is better than no letter - The city council needs our
help to act, and that starts with the number of letters they receive.  A paper copy
is much better than an email. Both 'at large' city council members, and your
ward/district representatives need to hear from you. If you can hand write a letter,
it's even better.

We are also at various events encouraging people to sign these letters.  Consider
coming this Thursday at Phoenix Park 6PM for the concert series, we will have a tent
setup with info to hand out.

Here's that link for letters once again!

slow news day

2008-06-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...

From WEAU.com:

New Jail Brings Jobs

Nearly two dozen new jobs will be coming to the area once the new Eau Claire County Jail is built.

Sheriff Ron Cramer says the Law Enforcement Committee approved 19 new correctional officer positions for the jail opening in 2010.

And Cramer says it benefits more than just the jail, since promotions could be made from the jail to put more deputies on the road.

He says the approval will go to the Personnel Committee, which will start recruiting workers next year. end story

County Struggling to gain Momentum

2008-06-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

This TV piece makes it clear how hard the County is struggling to maintain an image that the Jail project is moving forward. This is NOT news, this is speculation. Instead of talking to citizens in EC County or nearly half the County Board members that present very clear alternatives to the downtown jail project, or further investigate the recent announcement that it's likely to cost millions more than even a few months ago, this is what we get. When will they stop wasting our money on this failed project and take the high road?

The jail doesn't need to be downtown for the Sheriffs and Police to communicate efficiently. The jail doesn't need to be downtown for detectives to get more room. And the main word in the headline that still reveals the precarious nature of the downtown jail: could (not will!).

From WEAU.com:

Local Law Enforcement Could Soon Share a Space

Plans to expand and remodel the Eau Claire County jail and courthouse could have a big impact on two local law enforcement agencies. In fact, the Sheriff’s Department and the Police Department could eventually share the same space.

Sheriff Ron Cramer says the two department have been talking about sharing spaces since the county started planning big changes to the current courthouse. He says moving-in together would help make day-to-day operations more efficient.

"Communication is so much a part of what we do in our job day-to-day with the public and with other law enforcement agencies,” Sheriff Cramer said. “So, I think that communication will be enhanced."

"Anytime you're sitting side-by-side it's just going to facilitate increased communication,” added Police Chief, Jerry Matysik.

But, the collaboration could mean even more to the Police Department. That’s because Chief Matysik says his staff has been dealing with a space-crunch for quite some time.

"Our detectives are really kind of packed in like sardines back there,” Chief Matysik said. “We don't have proper facilities to do very many interviews at one time."

If this shared spaces plan doesn’t work out, he says the Police Department will have to move somewhere else.

"That would be detrimental to us here at the Sheriff's Department, because we share a lot of information back and forth,” Cramer said.

Sheriff Cramer says combining the two departments also saves the county $2 million on the courthouse project.

He says it would also make this one of the first areas in the state where the Police and Sheriff’s Departments work within the same area.

One Root of the Problem

2008-06-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

From TV-18:

New Study Highlights Eau Claire's Tough Justice System

Eau Claire’s chief of police reacts to a new study that shows the county has one of the toughest justice systems in the state.

The study, conducted by the National Institute of Corrections, says more people are arrested and sent through the court system in Eau Claire than in other parts of Wisconsin. Jerry Matysik, Eau Claire Chief of Police, says more crimes are reported in Eau Claire than in some of the other counties it was compared to, and so, naturally, more arrests take place.

Matysik does acknowledge, however, there are some things that can be done to ease the burden on the county’s justice system, which some experts say is operating beyond capacity.

“We can perhaps take some of the more minor offenses and instead of charging them as crimes, look at city ordinance citations, perhaps, that might reduce some of the stress on the system,” says Matysik.

Some of those minor offenses could include disorderly conduct, minor drug possession, and minor shoplifting.

Last week, Chief Matysik shared his ideas with other agencies within the county’s justice system. He says it is too early to know when any changes could take place.

Inflation Rates Raise Jail Cost

2008-05-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

TV-18 Reports that every month the project is "delayed" it costs an extra 230,000 dollars. Wow. In just a few months that adds up to a MILLION DOLLARS because of poor planning.

Here's the story from their website:

Inflation Rates Could Impact Jail Project

Inflation could drive up the cost of the Eau Claire County Jail expansion project if it’s delayed.

Contractors say the rate of inflation for construction projects in this part of the country is double the national average. They say that’s due to supply and demand, in addition to increased fuel costs.

Contractors consider inflation when locking in prices for a project. However, when a project is delayed, inflation can have a major impact on additional costs.

“If you take a $10 million project, and you assume that five and a half percent is correct, it costs them about $46,000 every month that they don’t start the project,” explained Don Carlson, Vice President of Operations at Market and Johnson, the construction company that will be building the new jail.

With the current rate of inflation, Market and Johnson says the jail project could cost an extra $230,000 a month if it’s delayed. However, the company expects the rate of inflation to continue to rise, which would also increase the cost of any potential delays.

Index

2008-05-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

Index of Jail Infomation

University Analysis of Jail Site

2008-05-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Visit this link to some great information compiled at UWEC.

"At the end of February, 2008, the Jail Division, National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Bureau of Prisons (NIC) released the Eau Claire County Local Justice System Assessment. The report was provided as technical assistance to the leadership of justice agencies and units of government operating the justice system within Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.

"Recommendations in the report include the need for improved public participation, better analysis of existing data, and use of UWEC expertise to analyze data. Our University, with its emphasis on faculty-student collaborative research, is ideally suited to make just such high value contributions to local environmental and social needs and issues, and many departments have already been involved in doing so.

"One example of the contribution UWEC can make to the jail issue is from Dr. Christina Hupy’s Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) class, Spring 2008. In the class, geography major Beth Ellison created a series of maps that show the location of the currently proposed new jail in relation to NIC jail siting recommendations. See the maps here.

May Meetings

2008-05-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

CAJE meeting TONIGHT!     

Monday May 5th at 7pm.

AT the  NEW LOCATION for our May meetings:

The Unitarian Church at 421 S. Farwell.  We will be meeting in the basement and the
assumption is that we enter on the side of the church.  A sign will be placed on the
entrance door with the name of our group.

April Update

2008-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s meeting will be at 7pm at the Congregational Church as usual.  Things are
falling into place for the next phase of our work.

In the coming weeks we will be meeting at a different location and meetings in May
will be bi-weekly.  We will continue to be in touch with each other by phone and
email as we work on the next phase.

So for tonight; same time and place.  Next time and place will be announced soon. 


And don't forget to:

*Keep your Mondays open. 
*Keep circulating those petitions. 
*Keep writing editorials to the Leader Telegram. 

*Call and write the reps and keep up the pressure.  Let your representatives know
that you are watching them and expect them to keep the best interest of their
constituents at heart. 

*Talk to your friends and neighbors about the Jail project and let people know what
we are facing.  Amazingly I still meet people every day who don’t know about the
impending jail and are horrified when they hear of it.  Our most important moment on
this project is still to come and we’ll need lots of supporters to rally round.  If
people are interested in any further rallies for our cause, or similar action, and
they are not on our list, get their email addresses and we’ll notify them when the
time comes.  They don’t have to come to every meeting in order to come to a rally.
Some people are willing to show up for a rally but don’t have time to come to
meetings. 

Everyone’s efforts are appreciated and every action you take, big or small, matters.
This is a grass roots effort and we are struggling for the beauty and quality of
life of our town.  Remind your neighbors and your representatives that the town
belongs to all of us.

Pray for spring and keep up the good fight! 

Emily Beach

meeting update

2008-04-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

A Reminder to everyone that CAJE will be meeting Monday evening, as usual, at 7pm at the first Congregational Church.

Last week we reviewed our work so far and talked about strategies for the next couple of months.

** Our current focus should clearly be on getting our point of view across to the City Council, while our opponents are doing the same. It is important that our council members hear the voices of a large number of their constituents. I think I can even say, a large majority of their constituents, after the enthusiastic responses that all of us had from people we met while knocking on doors during the week before elections. So it is extremely important that we all send thoughtful messages to our City Council reps. now as they are considering whether or not to vote to rezone the property next to the waterfront for a jail. We, of course, are hoping that they will not rezone the property, thereby necessitating that the jail be moved elsewhere.

We decided that we would, at tomorrow's meeting, be considering the positions of each of the City Council and County Board members with the intention of making sure that each one has heard our message.

Ken indicated to us that he is going to be bringing up the suggestion of an amendment to the County Board at his first meeting as a supervisor. This will be to introduce allowing the public the opportunity to speak for at least 3 minutes each on topics of their concern to the County Board before the meetings begin. Up to now, no one other than county board members has been allowed to speak at these meetings. Those of you who attended our first rally will recall that we were warned before entering the board room that we were not allowed to speak at all. Ken would like to change that and I think we all applaud him for this bold move.

The next County Board meeting will be on this coming April 15th, for those who would like to attend. We will all be watching with interest to see if the County Board will choose to listen to its public by accepting Ken's suggestion.

I have been notified that CAJE will need to find an alternative meeting place for May 2, 5, and 19 as the church, which has been very generous to us with meeting space, does have another function for the space on those dates. If anyone has any suggestions or leads on another space, that information would be most welcome.

Kudos go to all who worked tirelessly on getting out the word during the campaigns and all those who have worked on petitions. They just keep coming in, and I plan to have the names counted by tomorrow evening.

Ned and I did a tour of the existing jail on Friday, and it was indeed an eye opener. Clearly something needs to be done, but whereas somewhat bigger and/or more organized may be in order, huge is not better, and I also still firmly believe that if we have a new building that it does not need to be on the waterfront in our historic neighborhood.

I am also more convinced than ever that jail is not the appropriate place for either a mental health facility or a rehab. center and indeed neither is likely to happen with the 20K that they have set aside for programing by the time they build a new 60 million jail. Buildings don't rehabilitate people or give them jobs when they get out of jail, nor do they prevent people from returning to jail.

It is my personal opinion that what funds we have should be spent on programs to treat those with mental illnesses and addictions outside of the jail environment, to increase the ankle bracelet program which seems to be working well according to the Lieutenant who gave us the tour, and to provide work training and jobs for inmates upon release. If we were to do this it is my belief that far fewer secure beds would be needed.

Keep up the good fight.
See you all Monday evening.

from an email by Emily Beach

Jail Design Guide

2008-04-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

For those who just can’t get enough to read or need help getting to sleep at night.

Here's the Jail Design Guide for small & medium size jails.... put out by US Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections......

Chapter 3 deals with Major Design Considerations >>Item #1 (pg 38) talks specifically to site location.....

On page 44 > I quote >>>> “....In general, the jail should not be near a school, a housing area, a church, or a recreation area” I think someone missed that in our design ,,,,

There is also a section that talks about determining needs ... establishing costs (including operations) ... involving community etc...

I makes good reading and would be beneficial to all concerned
Ken

Ken Fulgione
County Board Supervisor Dirtict 22

Ken@Fulgione.net
715-577-4197

New County Board Members!

2008-04-01T20:51:00.001-07:00

We have won 3 new seats and one incumbent!!! Ken Fulgione, Ardyth D. Krause, and John Prince are going to be new County Board Supervisors, and Tammy Schraufnagel is back in.

Ted Barr and Eric Zeegers made an amazing show of votes, though not quite enough to win this time. Hope you'll try again next time and I'm sure we'll all be supporting you again. The number of votes for these gentlemen says something in itself though for our cause.

Everyone did an amazing job all these many past weeks. And we all deserve this joy of the victories. But, there is still alot of work to do. We're not there yet.

See you all next Monday evening, with bells on!!

"Referendum" by Electoral Process

2008-03-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Local elections on Tuesday April 1 will have an impact on jail plans. Please spread the word, write down the names you want to vote for, and take a friend...

election info

Public Access TV Discussions

2008-03-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

These were originally broadcast on Eau Claire Community TV.

Eau Claire Jail Expansion History

County Board and our ever expanding jail

Cost of the Jail, Alternatives, and new Data

2008-03-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

A personal message from Emily Fleisher Beach:

As we all know, and as was mentioned at the CAJE meeting last night, City Councilman Brandon Buchanan has declared himself to be completely in our court in terms of where he stands on the "No Jail on Our Waterfront" issue. He joined us at our last rally and he will be of great help to us in the upcoming voting when the city council has to decide on whether or not to allow rezoning for the planned mamoth jail downtown. Brandon is running for re-election this coming Tuesday, April 1st. CAJE as an organization can not endorse candidates but as an individual I highly recommend this industrious, young progressive candidate and encourage you to vote for him and ask your friends and neighbors to do the same.

Simultaneously running for county board are; Tammy Schraufnagel, Ken Fulgione, John Prince, Eric Zeegers, Ardyth Krause, and Ted Barr, all of whom are not only fine and qualified candidates but also solid supporters of the No Jail cause.

Brandon Buchanan has lots of yard signs at the Democratic Headquarters. You could stop and pick one up on your way through town. If transportation, or time, is a problem and you'd like one, please call me 552-0179 and I'll be happy to bring one to your home. Or email me and give me your address. Likewise, I know that Ken Fulgione has yard signs and possibly others. All have leaflets and information. Let me know if you would like some information to share with friends and neighbors, and I will connect you with the right person. It would be nice to acknowledge the fine work that these incumbents have done and the good work that we hope the new candidates will be able to do. Emily

2008-03-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm running as a write-in candidate for the county board in District 28, which includes the east side hill. Since the county board refused to allow the citizens a voice by referendum, I have decided that we here in District 28 need an alternative to John B. DeRosier, who has voted repeatedly for the project which, as you know, will cost more and be larger than what is currently proposed.

Please forward this to anyone you might think is interested enough to show up at the polls on Tuesday, April 1. They need to write my name in the appropriate space under the District 28 heading.

Thanks,

Ted Barr

Vote for our town!

2008-03-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

A few of us attended the Televised presentation by Public Access TV of candidates for County Board the other night. This program will be shown soon on PAC TV.

Four pairs of two candidates, each running in opposition to the other, took questions from the audience regarding their qualifications for the job and their views on town issues. Not surprisingly nearly an hour of the 90 minute show was devoted to issues concerning the building of the jail.

The candidates were equally split in their views on the jail. Each of districts 13,19,22 and 26 had one candidate who was "pro jail on the waterfront" and one who was definitely for saving our waterfront from having a huge, expanding jail on it.

The individuals who expressed their support of the waterfront and historic district and are in favour of placing the jail outside of town are:

District 13 - Eric Zeeger,
District 19 - John Prince,
District 22 - Ken Fulgione,
District 26 - Tami Schraufnagel,
District 28 - Ted Barr.

I felt that all four candidates spoke very well defending their positions on the jail this evening and most importantly, expressed their concern for wanting to hear from the public they are running to represent. It was brought up that the public has often, especially of late, felt completely disenfranchised where county issues are concerned. The issue was raised about the lack of will many incumbents seem to have had in holding a referendum for the much debated jail issue, leading their constituents to feel marginalized.

The only incumbent among the four was Tami Schraufnagel whom I very much hope will be voted in again, along with the other three. The reason it is so very important that we get all four of them in to office in this election is that this would give us the much needed majority on the county board to possibly overturn the plans for the current jail site in the Historic Randall Park Neighbourhood, on the water front.

If you live in any of these districts please speak to your friends and neighbours about these fine candidates, and by all means get out and vote on April 1st, or vote by absentee ballot before then if you want to make sure to get your vote in. I believe that the ballots are already at City Hall. Every single vote is extremely important. Individuals in the past have won on margins as small as 3 to 8 votes. You could be the one person who tips it in a direction that will save our town.

The future of the quality of life in our city is truly at stake. Thank you for all you do.

an email from Emily

Jail Advisory Team Meeting Friday

2008-03-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

I wanted to call your attention to a meeting on Friday regarding the future of bicycle/pedestrian/transit issues around the proposed site for the Eau Claire County Jail. The "Community Advisory Team", which supposedly will have input on the outward appearance and public function of the jail/courthouse and the jail/courthouse site, is having a meeting to seek input from their hand-picked community representatives. I have gone to these meetings and advocated for bicycle/pedestrian/transit issues in the past, but now finally they are focusing on those issues with an agenda item. Regardless of your opinion on the jail, we need to make sure they know we value the bike trail that it is proposed to be near, and we want transit and bicycle access to be viable so that they take fewer houses for parking now and in the future.

The remodeling of the current courthouse is also a factor here - for example, they are thinking about having only one public/employee entrance to the courthouse which would face the west parking lot and ultimately discourage people from walking from the downtown.

If you want to come to this meeting and debate the merits of the location, site plan or the exterior of the jail that is fair game too, as you can see on the agenda below. Do not let the early 7:30am time for the meeting discourage you -- that is one way the county has gotten this far.

-- Jeremy Gragert

Great turnout to support City Council

2008-03-11T11:15:00.001-07:00

TERRIFIC RALLY LAST NIGHT! Thanks to all who attended and all your efforts at getting the word out. It paid off. There were about 75 people lining the sidewalk in front of the City Hall last night waving banners and signs to the support of honking cars along the street. Among those present were both County Board and City Council members. The mood of SUPPORTING THE CITY COUNCIL TO STAND UP AND SAVE THE WATERFRONT was certainly evident. It was very festive and yet very serious at the same time.

PETITIONS: Special thanks to all of you who gathered lots and lots of signatures. Our "woman on campus," photographer and student friend, Allison, gathered over 150 by herself and with friends. I saw people everywhere gathering signatures. It was great. And the tally is that we have 713 new ones, as of today, in addition to the 1000 that were gathered a year ago.

CAJE ON TV: There was a wonderful special program on public access TV this past week where Ken Fulgione, Jeff DeGrave, Will Fantle and Maureen Slausson had a round table discussion about the proposed jail and showed us what the implications are for the future of our city if we expand the jail once again in the down town area. I don't know if it is playing again but if you missed it and want to see it, please let me know. I taped it. What struck me was that even though I knew that they were all four on the same team the program was objective, factual, and very informative. It was clear that a lot of time and care went in to the preparation. Great job done.

OK, WHAT'S NEXT? *We're still gathering signatures for another few weeks so keep 'em coming. When you have a bunch either turn them in to Just Local or Eclectica, or call me, Emily, #552-0179 and I can come around and pick them up.

* We are all keeping our eyes and ears open for anything going on in relation to our cause. If you find out about anything, like a meeting happening that might be of significance, a news article about us, anything at all that might be important for us to know about, please let me know and I'll pass the word on. Hope you all saw the coverage on the front page of the Leader Telegram this morning. Now they all must know that we're not giving up.

*Keep the letters to the Editor coming.

*Write the City Council members and urge them to not re-zone the city waterfront property for a huge jail that will only keep expanding in the years to come. Snail mail is good but if what you have time for is email, that's good too. When you send an email it will bear more weight if you sign it with your full name and street address. Here is the string of City Council email addresses.

The link to the city council page.

* COME TO THE NEXT RALLY, if you are getting this email, you will get an announcement of when it will be.

*COME TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS AT THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, AND BRING A FRIEND, EVERY MONDAY AT 7 PM. SEE YOU THERE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO.

from an email via emily with photos from jeremy

Keeping the Pressure On

2008-03-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Front Page in Tuesdays Leader Telegram.

Also a great "It seems to me" by Maureen Slauson.

And will you take a moment to vote in the online poll at WEAU?

Which site plan is it?

2008-03-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

As a part owner of Just Local Food Cooperative, I have taken a keen interest in the jail proposals. I hope this letter can clarify how this plan is negatively impacting our ability to plan for successful growth of our downtown grocery store.

We moved our grocery to the location on First Avenue, a former food distribution center, for many reasons, among them: the location along the river, adjacent to a neighborhood and the University, across from the regional bike trail, and to be a part in of a unique small business district revitalizing downtown Eau Claire. While I personally oppose the jail plan as proposed, I write today with concern on how the small businesses are being treated. I have spent the past two years trying to figure out how our buildings fit into the jail plan. And as of this week, they still don't know!

As a contrast to this, the Historic Ivey house on Second is shown standing in all scenarios.

An aerial view released March 4 shows no laundromat, no grocery store buildings, but a small parking lot on corner is the same, about 20 spaces. This, of course, is "just a drawing", but it shows the Eclectica building, theater, and others quite realistically. And it isn't consistent with other drawings that show either the laundromat and grocery existing; no laundromat but with grocery; or just a parking lot. Which is it, County Planners?

According to the site plan released Feb 27, the laundromat is gone and the 770-774 buildings are shown standing, but ominously titled "parking 18 current 46 future". Look closely at the drawing and you will see that they are tearing down the laundromat, a long-standing well-appreciated service in town, with customers like the fire department and fire victims, for exactly six parking spaces.

The buildings occupied currently by Just Local Food Cooperative equal six parking spots too, Lannigans Heating and Cooling six, as well as an adjacent building with retail and housing, would then count for the remaining 10 parking spaces to be added along the river.

In this aerial view from just a few weeks ago, Feb 14, we see the buildings of 770-774 intact. What changed? The Eclectica and Theatre buildings are still remarkably realistic, but the buildings on First have changed. Will they reappear in April? Also, in that Feb08 County update the map inside again shows the buildings standing and overlaid with parking! Which is it!?!

It appears that nothing is clear when it comes to these properties. The county claims the landlord is willing to sell. The owners were willing to sell to the grocery co-op at a fair market price, then the county announced their expansion plans and started buying nearby properties at above market prices. Of course the landlord is willing to wait to make more money, and won't invest in buildings slated for parking spaces in the meantime. The grocery, growing, needs small but serious investments in the buildings to grow through the hot summer season. Without a clear plan from the county, the grocery is forced to close or move at their own expense. Is the County obligated to compensate individuals and businesses directly affected by their expansion plans?

My request is simple:

Will the county be ripping these buildings down for parking?

If so, please tell the businesses located in them to move so they can survive, now.

If not, please officially declare the buildings off the future County campus map and allow whatever businesses choose to locate along the beautiful Eau Claire riverfront to invest in the properties without fear of them being torn down for parking spaces.

Sincerely,
aaron ellringer

Sign the Petition Online

2008-03-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

Sarah has created an online version of the Jail Petition that folks can sign. Since this is being combined with our other petitions, you should not sign both this and a paper petition, nor should you go to this site if you already signed the 2006 petition.

Rally at 6PM on Monday

2008-03-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

Citizens Plan Rally at City Hall to deliver Support Petitions

The Citizens for Accountability in Jail Expansion is in the process of collecting additional signatures opposing the current location of the County Jail and supporting other alternatives. The petitions are available in several locations throughout Eau Claire and at the website: www.eccaje.blogspot.com Citizens can get a petition to pass or to sign by calling 552-0179. Volunteers will also be collecting signatures at various times at the Public Library, US Post Office & downtown coffee shops. More details available.

At this time there are well over 1200plus signatures that have been collected. Those signatures collected by Monday will be delivered to the City Clerk to be forwarded to the City Manger and City Council after the Rally in front of City Hall at 6:00PM on Monday March 10th.

The Rally at 6PM on Monday in front of City Hall is being held to Support of the City Comprehensive Plan and to let our City Council know that many citizens will support their efforts to oppose the location of the expanding county jail on our downtown river front. The Rally is attempting to raise awareness of this issue as it relates to the city council.

CAJE is trying to let citizens know that this issue will be coming before the City Council soon for required re-zoning. CAJE and other citizens in Eau Claire believe that the City can and should tell the County to go back to the planning boards and select one of the many other alternatives available for the jail location. The Rally will also stress the importance of letting the city council and the plan commission members know how you feel about the heritage we will leave for Eau Claire by selecting this location for an expanding Jail facility.

Citizens, Taxpayer & voters can make a difference and this issue is not over until the City Council votes on the required re-zoning of this area. The Rally on Monday is intended to focus attention on just that issue.

For additional information about this press release please feel free to contact Ken .