Ad hoc building committee taking shape

The search continues for Shawano County Board Chairman Tom Kautza as he seeks to find business representatives to serve on an ad hoc building committee for the county.

Kautza told the Shawano County Executive Committee on July 17 he has two reps from the central part of the county but still needs someone from the western area. He believed he had a name of someone from the eastern part of the county but discovered the person, while owning a major business in Krakow, lives in Brown County.

“We’re trying to find a business member from out west,” he said at the start of the meeting. “We have one from toward the east, central, but I’m not having any luck getting anybody from out west.”

With Greg Strayer of Bonduel and Sam Crawford of Shawano committed to serving, Jim Davel, the county’s administrative coordinator, said John Jacobs Jr. of Green Valley Dairy had also been contacted. Supervisor Kathy Luebke said Jacobs lives in De Pere.

“Quite frankly, it was very hard to find somebody from the east, because you know, the way Pulaski’s cut,” Davel said.

Kautza said if he’s not a county resident, he can’t serve.

“Take him off the list then,” he said.

Other supervisors suggested Jacobs may have a manager or someone else who is a county resident who might want to serve.

“We will go back to looking for the east and the west,” Kautza said. “We’ll drum up somebody. If not, then maybe I’ll add a county board member or two.”

Supervisors Matt Pleshek and Randy Mallmann have already been tapped to serve on the committee, which will review county buildings and recommend whether to continue repairing and updating them as needed, remodel them or build new. The focus in on the courthouse, jail, sheriff’s department and library.

Pleshek is also the engineer for the city of Shawano and can answer questions about the streets and utilities in the area of the courthouse and sheriff’s department if new buildings are proposed. Mallmann is general manger of Dearco Distributors, so he offer input from someone looking at the choices from a business perspective.

“I know some of the senior members on the board are going to look cross-eyed at me for that,” Kautza said of picking two newer supervisors.

Department heads who will serve are Grant Bystol of the highway department, Scott Frank of the land conservation department, Clerk of Courts Ethan Schmidt and Chief Deputy Ty Raddant.

Kautza said Bystol and Frank have no direct interest in the project and are good department heads. Schmidt can represent the court system if talks involve a new justice center. Raddant will represent the sheriff’s office, even though he plans to retire next year, as noted by Sheriff George Lenzner.

Supervisor Randy Young, who serves on the Executive Committee, also serves on the Public Property Committee, which met July 11 when he brought up concerns about why bother with creating this ad hoc committee at all.

“To me, I think the project’s a go,” he said then. “But, what if the ad hoc committee comes back and says no? The County Board would look a little foolish to move forward with it.”

Kautza said this was the suggestion of the consultant, who said this was the best route to take.

“It lets the taxpayers be in on it,” Kautza said. “The taxpayers decide.”

The ad hoc committee’s recommendation will not bind the board.

“The ad hoc committee’s purpose is to answer the big question,” Davel said. “Do you continue to do what you’re doing? Do you renovate? Or do you build? That’s the only question for the ad hoc committee.”

Any recommendation will be forwarded to a home committee.

“That’s when you get more to a design phase of exactly what you’re going to need,” Kautza said. “There’s is just the overall assessment.”

Young said the ad hoc committee is a step backwards.

“Because, we already know that,” he said. “We’ve already looked at the assessment. We’ve already looked at what they’ve said about this building. To me, it’s a step back to get another committee going to answer the questions we’ve had answered already.”

Davel said he expects the committee to meet four times – an introductory meeting, tours of the county facilities and others that show what could be built, a question-and-answer meeting and the final meeting to vote on a recommended path forward.

“You have to get buy-in from the taxpayer,” he said. “They would have a better understanding of the overall issue. They could also go out into the community and speak with the residents.”

Kautza said businesspeople would look at the issue from a business perspective, not a political perspective.

“This is not about this building. It’s not about the sheriff’s department. It’s not about the jail,” Kautza said. “It’s about the whole picture. That’s why the department heads that we picked. It’s about what’s looking at what you have and what is needed, not what you have and what you want. Complete outside abstract look.”

Among the information needed for the committee is an updated cost scenario for repairs and updates at the courthouse, jail, sheriff’s department and heating plant. A facilities assessment by Somerville in April 2023 needs updates with more realistic figures.

“I’ve reached out to Somerville on this,” said Steve Dreher, maintenance department manager. “Some of Somerville’s prices that they pulled out of a book somewhere and put into the facilities assessment are by no means accurate to any degree. We found that out with the whole jail project.”

The original jail project was estimated at $415,000. The latest estimates for that and related work is $1.855 million.

As another example, Dreher cited a proposal to add new pipes for sinks. But, because the existing pipes are behind a masonry wall, access can only be obtained by ripping down the wall and reconstructing it. However, the wall also holds up the roof, which means pulling out the ceiling and the light fixtures while rebuilding the wall.

“Those are the type of things we need to get accurate pricing on,” he said.

kpasson@newmedia-wi.com