MUST we have a jail addition on this choice piece of almost-riverfront land? MUST we take THIS land off the tax roles? MUST we raze this neat-as-a-pin neighborhood to put up an impersonal government building--even razing one of the oldest buildings in our neighborhood, one seen in old photo's shot from the river?
Isn't there a piece of city-owned land you could swap with the County--one on the periphery with easier-Interstate access for visitors--that could be used for a new jail.
Admittedly, we need more jail space and interest rates now are optimal for getting the job done. The time is right; the location is problematic.
Penny France
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Who Knew?
On Tuesday night, February 5th, the Eau Claire County Board approved the purchase of 2 properties totaling $490,000 which they intend to move or demolish to clear a site for the construction of a nearly $60 million jail.
Who knew?
How many residents are even aware that the county board has approved the new $60 million jail?
How many residents know that the proposed site is between First and Second Avenue directly adjacent to the beautiful Chippewa River downtown?
How many people know how much this will raise their property taxes?
How will a waterfront jail fit with the Comprehensive Downtown Development Plan? Who knows the results of an environmental impact study? Was there one?
It seems to me that there are a lot of important questions that the people of this county need to be asking their elected officials before we can commit to such a large scale project that will impact the entire community for decades to come.
Who knew?
Eric Zeegers
Candidate for County Board
Letter to County Board
I am concerned about recent actions of the County Board and groups within county government regarding construction of a new jail. In a recent motion, the County Board approved what was proposed as a $59.1 million expenditure for a new county jail. My primary concern is that the entire process has been, ultimately, an end-run around voter review and approval via a referendum, which is the ordinary and legal way to secure approval of public projects over $60 million. Every effort has been made to “fly under the radar” of voter review and approval.
I was present at one of the first “community advisory meetings,” held at Lakeshore School. The presenters tried very hard to make their presentation seem to be informational only. However, when I asked whether the decision regarding not only what was to be built but also whether there would be such a project had already been made, after much hemming and hawing, I was told that the decision had, in fact, already been made. It was, in other words, a “done deal.” The whole process, from the beginning to the present time, has been deceptive.
Now, most recently, I understand that a test of the site has been done. Results indicate that land instability would require the use of pilings as supports for any structure on the plot of land along Ann Street. Although I am not an expert on construction, even I know that that will add substantially to the cost of construction. I have been told that the response of the group which is pushing the project forward is that they will simply make changes in the building specifications to stay within the $59.1 million. This means to me that this group has every intention of keeping this issue away from a referendum. Every person with whom I have spoken about this project, both proponents and opponents, have acknowledged that $59.1 million is not the full cost of the project, even the full cost of the funding which will have to come in a bond issue (or two bond issues). Most estimates range between $100 million and $150 million. Even the $59.1 million which you have approved will add 15% to my property tax each year for the next thirty years.
We have not had full disclosure to the voters, and the issue has not come before them in a referendum. We would not permit our school district to do this. We ought not to permit the county to do this. Let the group which is proposing the project make its case to the voters, in the same way that we require the school district to do this to secure approval of a bond issue. I am opposed even to building the new jail, and especially on that site. However, if the voters indicate their approval, then I will stand down from the issue. If the voters do not have the opportunity to approve or disapprove the proposal and the bond issue and when they discover that your action has led to a 15% to 30% increase in property taxes over the term of the bond(s), I believe that you will face the ire of the taxpayers. I realize that your approval of the $59.1 million was not for a bond issue; it was to come from the county’s budget. However, the effect on the property tax is the same.
If you were one of the persons who voted to approve this matter, I strongly encourage you to make a “motion to reconsider” the original motion (following Robert’s Rules of Order). Bring the issue back. Require full disclosure. Ask for an itemized estimate of the full cost of the project, to determine the actual size of the bond issue which will be necessary or the full impact on the county budget. I think that the strategy is to get the walls and roof on the ground and then to come back for funds for completion, a two-strike strategy. I am hopping mad about this because some persons are trying to pull the wool over the county residents’, taxpayers’ eyes. I do not like to see things decided in the smoky back room. Bring this issue out into the light of day. Let’s thrash it out in the public forum, with full disclosure.
Thank you for reading my concerns. I know that you will give them serious consideration. I fully expect this issue to be taken up by the County Board as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Nick Smiar
Letter to Editor
Dear Editor:
How many taxpayers in Eau Claire County are aware that their property taxes have increased because of a major expense the county has taken on, without seeking the consent of the voters through a referendum? I am referring to the County Board’s decision to proceed with the construction of a new jail. The proposal is to build a new jail as an addition to the county building, extending along Ann Street, east of the present building, taking the properties on both sides of Ann Street out to First Avenue, and maybe more.. The reported estimated cost of the building is $59.1 million, although I do not know anyone who has seen the itemized estimate, and so we do not know if that estimate includes all costs for the entire project or just a “bare bones” estimate to put up the walls, floors, and roof, and then add on the rest of the cost when it is too late. A recent land survey indicates that pilings will have to be built to support the building, which will certainly increase the cost. A more realistic estimate may be as high as $100 million.
For any project which is more than $60 million, there must be a referendum in which the voters can approve or disapprove of the expenditure, which we often see when the school district wants to build a new school or make major renovations.
This project seems to be “flying under the radar” of voter review. We may, in fact, need a new jail, and it may have to be where it is proposed. However, I want to see voter review of such a major expenditure. Let the case be made in public through a referendum. Do not put this financial burden on the taxpayer without that referendum. I have heard that even the current estimated cost would increase our property tax by 15% for each year over the next thirty years. We would not allow the school board to do this; we certainly should not allow the County Board to do it. Let’s have full disclosure and voter review through a referendum.
Nick Smiar
Eau Claire – A Great Place to Spend Time
9 February 2008
Dear City of Eau Claire Council Member,
Please take a firm stand against the expansion of the county jail complex onto First Avenue along the Chippewa River. Why this project even remains a possibility is a mystery to me. This county imposition on our city is an insult to our community and runs counter to the very goals toward which much of the Eau Claire community has been working, including efforts of Downtown Eau Claire, Inc., UWEC Strategic Planning, Eau Claire Redevelopment Authority, Eau Claire’s Historic Preservation Foundation, Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Commission and others. For numerous social, economic and environmental reasons, the proposal must be quashed immediately.
The City is, and should be, proud of its recent accomplishments and efforts along the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers. These include Phoenix Park and the Farmer’s Market, the multiple bike/pedestrian bridges, the ongoing redevelopment of the tire factory, the Chippewa River State Trail connecting the Old Abe with the Red Cedar Trails, the possible purchase of riverfront property around Oxford Avenue, the North Barstow Redevelopment project, and so on. Having a three or four-story monstrosity placed at the center of all this positive improvement is incongruous and will be with us for decades.
To place a jail in such a prominent place, in the heart of our community, at a hub of state recreational trails, will make it a defining feature of our city and part of our identity. What are people to think of such an overwhelming structure on the landscape from across the river, from the Lake Street Bridge, while fishing or floating the Chippewa River, while biking down the State Trail? Forget UWEC as the most beautiful UW campus, Eau Claire will be known as that city with the new jail downtown. Great for La Crosse, rotten for us. And the possibilities for new city mottos and logos will be endless – “Eau Claire: Wisconsin’s most beautiful place to do time;” images of fishermen in black and white striped waders; signs along the Chippewa River warning canoeists not to pick up hitchhikers. You get the picture.
Compounding the disgrace of having a modern jail as the cornerstone of a revitalized downtown Eau Claire is having to pay for it. The cost of the jail has been disingenuously underestimated at $59.1 million. (Is it true that projects of $60 million or more require a supermajority to get county board approval but those less than that don’t?) No such project gets done without significant cost over runs. Other reasonable estimates of the project bring the cost of the jail closer to $100 million or more. If one includes the expenses related to hiring additional staff to operate the new jail over the next 15 years, the total bill begins to approach $200 million. City residents, who make up 67% of the county’s population, will have to pay for most of it. By some estimates, this comes to over $2500 per person. Why are we willing to do this when we cannot even raise a comparative pittance of that amount for our city’s schools and teachers? Shame on us! It does not take a creative policy genius to imagine what impact $200 million or $59.1 million or a fraction of that, spent in the county and city on education, community development, small business enterprises, opportunities for youth, social programs, riverfront enhancement, etc. would do for improving our city, maybe even reducing our need for an expanded jail.
On top of actual costs, the opportunity costs of placing the jail on the riverfront will further detract from the city’s coffers. Will county facilities pay taxes as residential or commercial properties do? Moreover, if it is true that the county intends to house prisoners from other jurisdictions to generate revenue, such income will go to the county. Should the City be so generous with taxpayer resources when we have our own serious financial needs?
This is not to say we may not need to work on our correctional facilities. I value and greatly appreciate the role of local law enforcement, and if there truly is a need for a new jail it should be done in a manner consistent with actual needs of community, law enforcement, prisoners and city-wide goals and planning. A downtown riverfront is not the place. Our riverfront is prime for redevelopment that meets the needs, desires, dreams for, and pride in, our community.
The alternatives for First Avenue are exciting. The city could find architectural possibilities from pictures of Eau Claire in local archives, small businesses could make the area a destination for walkers and bikers, and Eau Claire could be integrated across the Chippewa River. Instead of a jail on its tourism and promotional materials, the city could promote its extraordinary number of pedestrian and bike bridges. We have six such bridges in our small city, with at least one other in the plans. This integration between environment, residence and business would be the envy of other cities our size. We want people to come to Eau Claire because they want to, not because they have to.
Demonstrate your care for the City of Eau Claire, its people and environment, by putting an immediate stop to discussions that entertain a jail on our precious waterfront asset. It is a waste of resources, energy and time and seems to have already involved sneaky and behind the scenes shenanigans – no two explanations of what is going on are consistent. (For example, the map of the proposed jail and its parking lots as posted on the County’s website is different from the architects’ drawing provided for the February issue of The Progressive Outpost). Our community expects you to work productively with the County toward meeting all of our needs, but not to roll over for them. In the long run, Eau Claire County will thank you for it.
Thank you for your efforts on this issue specifically and for your work on the City Council more generally. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this issue, and would enjoy the opportunity to discuss them with you in person.
Respectfully,
Paul Kaldjian
East Side Hill
Dear City of Eau Claire Council Member,
Please take a firm stand against the expansion of the county jail complex onto First Avenue along the Chippewa River. Why this project even remains a possibility is a mystery to me. This county imposition on our city is an insult to our community and runs counter to the very goals toward which much of the Eau Claire community has been working, including efforts of Downtown Eau Claire, Inc., UWEC Strategic Planning, Eau Claire Redevelopment Authority, Eau Claire’s Historic Preservation Foundation, Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Commission and others. For numerous social, economic and environmental reasons, the proposal must be quashed immediately.
The City is, and should be, proud of its recent accomplishments and efforts along the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers. These include Phoenix Park and the Farmer’s Market, the multiple bike/pedestrian bridges, the ongoing redevelopment of the tire factory, the Chippewa River State Trail connecting the Old Abe with the Red Cedar Trails, the possible purchase of riverfront property around Oxford Avenue, the North Barstow Redevelopment project, and so on. Having a three or four-story monstrosity placed at the center of all this positive improvement is incongruous and will be with us for decades.
To place a jail in such a prominent place, in the heart of our community, at a hub of state recreational trails, will make it a defining feature of our city and part of our identity. What are people to think of such an overwhelming structure on the landscape from across the river, from the Lake Street Bridge, while fishing or floating the Chippewa River, while biking down the State Trail? Forget UWEC as the most beautiful UW campus, Eau Claire will be known as that city with the new jail downtown. Great for La Crosse, rotten for us. And the possibilities for new city mottos and logos will be endless – “Eau Claire: Wisconsin’s most beautiful place to do time;” images of fishermen in black and white striped waders; signs along the Chippewa River warning canoeists not to pick up hitchhikers. You get the picture.
Compounding the disgrace of having a modern jail as the cornerstone of a revitalized downtown Eau Claire is having to pay for it. The cost of the jail has been disingenuously underestimated at $59.1 million. (Is it true that projects of $60 million or more require a supermajority to get county board approval but those less than that don’t?) No such project gets done without significant cost over runs. Other reasonable estimates of the project bring the cost of the jail closer to $100 million or more. If one includes the expenses related to hiring additional staff to operate the new jail over the next 15 years, the total bill begins to approach $200 million. City residents, who make up 67% of the county’s population, will have to pay for most of it. By some estimates, this comes to over $2500 per person. Why are we willing to do this when we cannot even raise a comparative pittance of that amount for our city’s schools and teachers? Shame on us! It does not take a creative policy genius to imagine what impact $200 million or $59.1 million or a fraction of that, spent in the county and city on education, community development, small business enterprises, opportunities for youth, social programs, riverfront enhancement, etc. would do for improving our city, maybe even reducing our need for an expanded jail.
On top of actual costs, the opportunity costs of placing the jail on the riverfront will further detract from the city’s coffers. Will county facilities pay taxes as residential or commercial properties do? Moreover, if it is true that the county intends to house prisoners from other jurisdictions to generate revenue, such income will go to the county. Should the City be so generous with taxpayer resources when we have our own serious financial needs?
This is not to say we may not need to work on our correctional facilities. I value and greatly appreciate the role of local law enforcement, and if there truly is a need for a new jail it should be done in a manner consistent with actual needs of community, law enforcement, prisoners and city-wide goals and planning. A downtown riverfront is not the place. Our riverfront is prime for redevelopment that meets the needs, desires, dreams for, and pride in, our community.
The alternatives for First Avenue are exciting. The city could find architectural possibilities from pictures of Eau Claire in local archives, small businesses could make the area a destination for walkers and bikers, and Eau Claire could be integrated across the Chippewa River. Instead of a jail on its tourism and promotional materials, the city could promote its extraordinary number of pedestrian and bike bridges. We have six such bridges in our small city, with at least one other in the plans. This integration between environment, residence and business would be the envy of other cities our size. We want people to come to Eau Claire because they want to, not because they have to.
Demonstrate your care for the City of Eau Claire, its people and environment, by putting an immediate stop to discussions that entertain a jail on our precious waterfront asset. It is a waste of resources, energy and time and seems to have already involved sneaky and behind the scenes shenanigans – no two explanations of what is going on are consistent. (For example, the map of the proposed jail and its parking lots as posted on the County’s website is different from the architects’ drawing provided for the February issue of The Progressive Outpost). Our community expects you to work productively with the County toward meeting all of our needs, but not to roll over for them. In the long run, Eau Claire County will thank you for it.
Thank you for your efforts on this issue specifically and for your work on the City Council more generally. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this issue, and would enjoy the opportunity to discuss them with you in person.
Respectfully,
Paul Kaldjian
East Side Hill
Leader Telegram article
An article covering the recent CAJE meeting is posted on the Leader Telegram website.
Updated: 2/12/2008
See it.
Updated: 2/12/2008
| Jail plan rankles residents |
| Group wants $60 million expansion proposal stopped |
| By Brad Bryan |
| Leader-Telegram staff |
See it.
TV-13 coverage
From their website:
| Expanding the Eau Claire County Courthouse and Jail |
Last Updated: 10:45 PM Feb 5, 2008
The Eau Claire County Board is moving ahead with plans to expand the courthouse and jail.
Monday night board members discussed buying a home at 113 Ann Street and one at 762 First Avenue. On a vote of 16 to 9 members authorized the county lawyer to complete and finalize the purchases so it can use that land for expansion.
Progressive Outpost article
County Jail Project Threatens Downtown Food Cooperative
By Jeremy Gragert, Eau Claire
The Progressive Outpost – February 2008 (Published January 29, 2008)
The $59.1 million Eau Claire County building renovation and jail project approved last year, which includes a massive new three-story jail being sited between the current county building and the Chippewa River, is very close to the Just Local Food cooperative grocery at 772 First Ave. For months, preliminary site plans have shown a parking lot replacing the building that Just Local Food currently leases, making the worker-owners of the cooperative more than a little nervous about the future of their store.
“We want to stay here. It’s a great spot for a grocery store,” said Aaron Ellringer, a worker-owner who has been exploring Just Local Food’s options if the building’s owner, Gerald Niblett, agrees to sell the building to the county. Currently, the county is in the process of having the property independently appraised so an offer can be made to Niblett, said Frank Draxler, the city-county purchasing director who has taken on the role of project manager for the expansion project.
About half of all properties east of the current county building, between Lake Street and Grand Avenue, are under threat of being acquired by the county for either the new jail or new parking lots. The exceptions include all the Grand Avenue businesses, the houses directly on Lake Street, and the Victorian home at 751 Second Ave. Ellringer of Just Local Food questions why the building that the store operates out of was not given similar protection by the Eau Claire County Board.
Some county board members are wondering the same. County board supervisor Maureen Slauson, whose district includes the county building area, said she doesn’t understand why all of the commercial buildings along First Avenue are under threat by a riverfront parking lot. “There are a number of people on the county board who do not want to see this gone,” Slauson said, adding that the buildings have historical and aesthetic value even if they did not house the only grocery store in the downtown.
It has been grumblings like that that may have caused the latest jail site plan (released as a draft on January 11) to leave almost all of the commercial buildings on First Avenue intact, with the exception of a portion of Eau Claire FabriCare, an operating dry cleaning and laundry business at 768 First Ave. The sudden appearance of the commercial buildings on the plans surprised Ellringer of Just Local Food, because he said that Draxler and the acquisition firm hired by the county to appraise the property, Timbers-Selissen Land Specialists, Inc., has always made it quite clear to him that the county intends the store to be a parking lot before the end of the year.
“In order for us to stay here we need to improve the infrastructure of the buildings,” Ellringer said. “Nobody is going to improve the infrastructure of the buildings if the county is threatening to buy them and rip them down.” Because of that threat Just Local Food has been working with the city for months on finding a new location in the downtown, rather than spending time and resources to buy or improve the building they are currently occupying.
But recently, Chuck Gable, of Eau Claire, has been in contact with Just Local Food about how he could help financially support improvements to the buildings so that the cooperative could stay. Gable has even been in contact with Niblett about purchasing the buildings before the county makes an offer on them, but Niblett is waiting for the county’s offer first. Gable says removing the buildings and the businesses along First Avenue would be a mistake. “These buildings were built in the 1800’s for food distribution,” Gable said. “Just Local Food is providing the same service as the people who built the buildings had.
It is unclear whether Niblett, the owner of the properties, will sell to the county following the appraisal that is expected to be complete by February. According to Draxler, if Niblett does not want to sell at the price offered to him, the county is obligated to pay for a second independent appraisal, and if a deal can’t be worked out after a third appraisal the acquisition goes in front of a judge. In the end the county has the power to condemn individual properties, but not without the approval of the county board.
Draxler said the county has not had trouble acquiring properties to date, with each property acquisition having to get the approval of the county board. Draxler said that the county board has the final say, for example, over whether the buildings along First Avenue are purchased by the county or not. Supervisor Slauson, quoted earlier, said she would vote against the county purchasing the buildings. For the time being, Draxler says, the county is planning to offer Niblett a price for the buildings and will try to negotiate a purchase sometime in early February.
“My priorities are working with the site plan and making sure we have adequate parking,” said Draxler. “If we don’t need those buildings (for parking), we aren’t going to take the buildings.” Draxler said there is no set number of parking spaces required at this time, but at a minimum, the county would prefer to replace the number of parking spaces lost when the new jail is built on top of current surface parking. “It’s mainly up to how much parking we need and the cost of acquisition,” Draxler said, about whether to acquire certain properties outside of the jail footprint.
Draxler admitted that the owners of Eau Claire FabriCare, the dry cleaning business next to Just Local Food, do not want to sell their building to the county either. “FabriCare is concerned with its client base,” said Draxler, a base that is primarily people who dress formally and work at or near the county courthouse. A move elsewhere, even if the county pays FabriCare to relocate, could shut down the business if the cliental can’t be maintained.
To answer concerns of community members, one project workgroup formed in December, called the Community Advisory Team, has representatives from the neighborhood and area businesses and is charged with providing input on the outward appearance of the jail building and the basics of the site plan. Representatives of the Milwaukee-based firm Venture Architects, which has the contract for architectural and engineering services for the project, attend the meetings. Venture presented the latest site plan on January 11 showing the Just Local Food building on the plan for the first time. When asked why the buildings were on the site plan, Draxler said: “It was just the way the architect drew it at the time.
According to County Clerk Janet Loomis, the Community Advisory Team has no real decision-making power, and therefore the meetings of the workgroup are not given public notice. Technically, members of the general public are allowed to attend but must contact the county for meeting times and locations. Draxler said discussion of specific businesses would not be allowed at future Community Advisory Team meetings, which are scheduled every three weeks for the months ahead. It would not be appropriate to publicly negotiate the future of the buildings, and the Advisory Team does not have that authority anyway, Draxler said. “I’m not going to allow discussion of Just Local Food at those meetings,” insisted Draxler.
The future of the buildings, and whether Just Local Food will have to relocate, is expected to be decided by the end of March. Ellringer said the grocery cooperative is looking at all of its options, and are hoping to be included in discussions with the county officials and Timbers-Selissen, the firm hired to handle acquisition for the county. Ellringer summed up the uncertainty: “It’s a rollercoaster, that’s for sure.
Upcoming Meetings:
held in Rm 2550 of the Eau Claire County Courthouse
Public Open Houses
Wednesday, February 20 – 6:00pm
Wednesday, April 2 – 6:00pm
Community Advisory Team
Friday, February 1 – 7:30am
Friday, February 22 – 7:30am
By Jeremy Gragert, Eau Claire
The Progressive Outpost – February 2008 (Published January 29, 2008)
The $59.1 million Eau Claire County building renovation and jail project approved last year, which includes a massive new three-story jail being sited between the current county building and the Chippewa River, is very close to the Just Local Food cooperative grocery at 772 First Ave. For months, preliminary site plans have shown a parking lot replacing the building that Just Local Food currently leases, making the worker-owners of the cooperative more than a little nervous about the future of their store.
“We want to stay here. It’s a great spot for a grocery store,” said Aaron Ellringer, a worker-owner who has been exploring Just Local Food’s options if the building’s owner, Gerald Niblett, agrees to sell the building to the county. Currently, the county is in the process of having the property independently appraised so an offer can be made to Niblett, said Frank Draxler, the city-county purchasing director who has taken on the role of project manager for the expansion project.
About half of all properties east of the current county building, between Lake Street and Grand Avenue, are under threat of being acquired by the county for either the new jail or new parking lots. The exceptions include all the Grand Avenue businesses, the houses directly on Lake Street, and the Victorian home at 751 Second Ave. Ellringer of Just Local Food questions why the building that the store operates out of was not given similar protection by the Eau Claire County Board.
Some county board members are wondering the same. County board supervisor Maureen Slauson, whose district includes the county building area, said she doesn’t understand why all of the commercial buildings along First Avenue are under threat by a riverfront parking lot. “There are a number of people on the county board who do not want to see this gone,” Slauson said, adding that the buildings have historical and aesthetic value even if they did not house the only grocery store in the downtown.
It has been grumblings like that that may have caused the latest jail site plan (released as a draft on January 11) to leave almost all of the commercial buildings on First Avenue intact, with the exception of a portion of Eau Claire FabriCare, an operating dry cleaning and laundry business at 768 First Ave. The sudden appearance of the commercial buildings on the plans surprised Ellringer of Just Local Food, because he said that Draxler and the acquisition firm hired by the county to appraise the property, Timbers-Selissen Land Specialists, Inc., has always made it quite clear to him that the county intends the store to be a parking lot before the end of the year.
“In order for us to stay here we need to improve the infrastructure of the buildings,” Ellringer said. “Nobody is going to improve the infrastructure of the buildings if the county is threatening to buy them and rip them down.” Because of that threat Just Local Food has been working with the city for months on finding a new location in the downtown, rather than spending time and resources to buy or improve the building they are currently occupying.
But recently, Chuck Gable, of Eau Claire, has been in contact with Just Local Food about how he could help financially support improvements to the buildings so that the cooperative could stay. Gable has even been in contact with Niblett about purchasing the buildings before the county makes an offer on them, but Niblett is waiting for the county’s offer first. Gable says removing the buildings and the businesses along First Avenue would be a mistake. “These buildings were built in the 1800’s for food distribution,” Gable said. “Just Local Food is providing the same service as the people who built the buildings had.
It is unclear whether Niblett, the owner of the properties, will sell to the county following the appraisal that is expected to be complete by February. According to Draxler, if Niblett does not want to sell at the price offered to him, the county is obligated to pay for a second independent appraisal, and if a deal can’t be worked out after a third appraisal the acquisition goes in front of a judge. In the end the county has the power to condemn individual properties, but not without the approval of the county board.
Draxler said the county has not had trouble acquiring properties to date, with each property acquisition having to get the approval of the county board. Draxler said that the county board has the final say, for example, over whether the buildings along First Avenue are purchased by the county or not. Supervisor Slauson, quoted earlier, said she would vote against the county purchasing the buildings. For the time being, Draxler says, the county is planning to offer Niblett a price for the buildings and will try to negotiate a purchase sometime in early February.
“My priorities are working with the site plan and making sure we have adequate parking,” said Draxler. “If we don’t need those buildings (for parking), we aren’t going to take the buildings.” Draxler said there is no set number of parking spaces required at this time, but at a minimum, the county would prefer to replace the number of parking spaces lost when the new jail is built on top of current surface parking. “It’s mainly up to how much parking we need and the cost of acquisition,” Draxler said, about whether to acquire certain properties outside of the jail footprint.
Draxler admitted that the owners of Eau Claire FabriCare, the dry cleaning business next to Just Local Food, do not want to sell their building to the county either. “FabriCare is concerned with its client base,” said Draxler, a base that is primarily people who dress formally and work at or near the county courthouse. A move elsewhere, even if the county pays FabriCare to relocate, could shut down the business if the cliental can’t be maintained.
To answer concerns of community members, one project workgroup formed in December, called the Community Advisory Team, has representatives from the neighborhood and area businesses and is charged with providing input on the outward appearance of the jail building and the basics of the site plan. Representatives of the Milwaukee-based firm Venture Architects, which has the contract for architectural and engineering services for the project, attend the meetings. Venture presented the latest site plan on January 11 showing the Just Local Food building on the plan for the first time. When asked why the buildings were on the site plan, Draxler said: “It was just the way the architect drew it at the time.
According to County Clerk Janet Loomis, the Community Advisory Team has no real decision-making power, and therefore the meetings of the workgroup are not given public notice. Technically, members of the general public are allowed to attend but must contact the county for meeting times and locations. Draxler said discussion of specific businesses would not be allowed at future Community Advisory Team meetings, which are scheduled every three weeks for the months ahead. It would not be appropriate to publicly negotiate the future of the buildings, and the Advisory Team does not have that authority anyway, Draxler said. “I’m not going to allow discussion of Just Local Food at those meetings,” insisted Draxler.
The future of the buildings, and whether Just Local Food will have to relocate, is expected to be decided by the end of March. Ellringer said the grocery cooperative is looking at all of its options, and are hoping to be included in discussions with the county officials and Timbers-Selissen, the firm hired to handle acquisition for the county. Ellringer summed up the uncertainty: “It’s a rollercoaster, that’s for sure.
Upcoming Meetings:
held in Rm 2550 of the Eau Claire County Courthouse
Public Open Houses
Wednesday, February 20 – 6:00pm
Wednesday, April 2 – 6:00pm
Community Advisory Team
Friday, February 1 – 7:30am
Friday, February 22 – 7:30am
SING SING SING
by Ken Fulgione
It seems to me that we are missing several important issues and just accepting the placement of the new county jail in downtown Eau Claire as a done deal. During the entire process there has been an outpour of location opposition from the public. They have politely been given their opportunity to speak and then ignored. Downtown Eau Claire is not the appropriate location to try to shoe-horn in this structure… but no matter what is said ~ the band plays on. Aside from the new discovered additional costs in the neighborhood of ½ to 1.5 million dollars for piers or some type of enhanced foundation needed to build the jail in the otherwise unstable ground, the county will also be spending unreported hundreds of thousands of dollars to put on a secondary skin and cosmetic façade towers to make the jail look like it is not a jail….. The large expanse of windows overlooking the riverfront & bike trail are all added cost and will not actually show in the cell blocks located in the building inside the façade.
These absurdities go well to compliment the fact that the city spent almost 2 years developing a comprehensive plan that allowed for protection of the homes on Lake St and the creation of a Court House Campus in that area ~ not a 4 story jail. The city has purchased land along the riverfront….. added bike & walking trails, and has spent enormous sums in developing the river front and Phoenix Park … all now to be overshadowed by the downtown county jail.
And this initial project can by no means considered complete. After the enormous fancy faced jail is squeezed into the site, the county’s parking problem will be increased. Even before counting the added staff that will be needed to man the 2 story jail (they are not in the budget by the way) there will only be a net increase of 15 parking spaces…. And with the jail planned to be able to go up to 4 stories high and a new court house planned to remove homes on Lake St … when do you think the parking ramp will be added to the tax rolls?
I feel like we need R2-D2 to say …. “Obie-One my City – you are our only hope”. The County board with its normal back to the public has ignored the public opposition & rejected the idea of allowing for a Referendum on spending the 59.1 million initially budgeted for this project. (That is close to $100,000,000 without cost overruns by the time it is outdated and paid for) The public’s last hope and only opportunity to speak out against this project, lies with the City. The land still needs to be re-zoned and the City’s new Comprehensive Plan will have to be changed in order to allow the building of this monstrosity to continue. The money spent to date can be easily re-couped by the County, and the City can say NO!!! … the jail does not belong downtown.
Several county residents have already started to form a group calling for Accountability in the Jail Expansion project and it is very likely that the City Council will be forced to overcome a Super-Majority vote in order to approve the necessary re-zoning. If the Plan Commission & City Council are affected by an enraged public and the re-zoning does not pass….. then the County will be forced to consider other alternatives that would be less detrimental to downtown Eau Claire.
So if you are outraged by location of a Downtown fancy skinned jail along the river or by the rejection of you having a voice by referendum in the expenditure of such a large sum of tax dollars > call the City Council. If you think the long term plans of a 4 story jail and a new court house and the removal of the Lake St homes is not in the best interest of our downtown development efforts > call your City Council. If you feel that the County Board should turn their chairs around and face the public and listen to their constituents then send them a message > call the City Council and tell them to reject the Re-zoning and not to change the City’s Comprehensive Plan…… And why you are on the phone or sending e-mails, let the County Board hear from you. You may have spoken before and been ignored …. but it ain’t over till Yogi Bear sings.
Next Meeting
Citizens for Accountability in Jail Expansion:
We have grown and plan to contact the next 1000 this week. Thank you …. to those who had time to come out on a frozen night to attend a meeting to discuss strategies to stop the Riverfront Jail Façade. We left the meeting with the promise to start contacting the media – the county board – the Plan Commission & the Eau Claire City Council with our concerns and comments as to why shoehorning in a jail along the riverfront is detrimental to the city of Eau Claire…. should not be done without a public referendum …. and is going to be un-necessarily wasteful of taxpayers money and on and on and on. Please join in the efforts.
The best thing about the Riverfront Façade Jail is that there are so many reasons why it should not occur that we will have unlimited things to write about. PLEASE DO MAKE SOME CONTACTS. The attached file will provide you with all of the email addresses for the County Board & the City Council members. Contact them all.
We also will be sending out letters to as many of the 1000 signatures in opposition as we can the next couple weeks…. And I would hope you all will talk to at least 2 more people and bring them along to our next meeting FEBRUARY 18 AT 7PM AT 1ST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH across from Randall Park.
If you can not make that meeting ~ we will also be gathering at the County Board Open House in the County Court House 2nd Floor at 6PM on FEBRUARY 20th to talk with the board members in attendance…. Bring along a sign & send them a note and let them know you are coming.
(this was an email sent by Ken Fulgione)
Upcoming County Meetings:
held in Rm 2550 of the Eau Claire County Courthouse
Public Open Houses
Wednesday, February 20 – 6:00pm
Wednesday, April 2 – 6:00pm
Community Advisory Team
Friday, February 22 – 7:30am
We have grown and plan to contact the next 1000 this week. Thank you …. to those who had time to come out on a frozen night to attend a meeting to discuss strategies to stop the Riverfront Jail Façade. We left the meeting with the promise to start contacting the media – the county board – the Plan Commission & the Eau Claire City Council with our concerns and comments as to why shoehorning in a jail along the riverfront is detrimental to the city of Eau Claire…. should not be done without a public referendum …. and is going to be un-necessarily wasteful of taxpayers money and on and on and on. Please join in the efforts.
The best thing about the Riverfront Façade Jail is that there are so many reasons why it should not occur that we will have unlimited things to write about. PLEASE DO MAKE SOME CONTACTS. The attached file will provide you with all of the email addresses for the County Board & the City Council members. Contact them all.
We also will be sending out letters to as many of the 1000 signatures in opposition as we can the next couple weeks…. And I would hope you all will talk to at least 2 more people and bring them along to our next meeting FEBRUARY 18 AT 7PM AT 1ST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH across from Randall Park.
If you can not make that meeting ~ we will also be gathering at the County Board Open House in the County Court House 2nd Floor at 6PM on FEBRUARY 20th to talk with the board members in attendance…. Bring along a sign & send them a note and let them know you are coming.
(this was an email sent by Ken Fulgione)
Upcoming County Meetings:
held in Rm 2550 of the Eau Claire County Courthouse
Public Open Houses
Wednesday, February 20 – 6:00pm
Wednesday, April 2 – 6:00pm
Community Advisory Team
Friday, February 22 – 7:30am
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