Color-coded images presented to Oconto County supervisors Wednesday provided an early view of how a law enforcement center will be designed to fit the property north of the courthouse.
Ken Anderson, of Potter Lawson, showed views of the facility, both from above and from the side, to convey the size of the footprint the facility will make on land where 14 residential and commercial buildings are now located.
County committees met with the architects Wednesday to review the initial design proposals for the center before select staff members met in the afternoon to discuss more detailed floor plans. Construction of the $30 million center is scheduled to begin in August 2015, with completion in late 2016.
The one-story facility will include offices for the sheriff’s department, housing for up to 175 inmates and space for jail support. A 304-stall parking lot is also part of the design. The center will be attached to and blend in with the courthouse complex, Anderson said.
“We want the building to tie into the whole campus,” he said.
The jail will be built to house 148 inmates, although double-bunking can bring the capacity to 175, without the need for renovations to the facility or extra staffing. An additional pod, constructed in the future if needed, would add space for another 75 inmates, bringing the jail capacity to 250.
“Anything beyond that, we’re going to be talking about additional properties,” Oconto County Administrative Coordinator Kevin Hamann said.
He predicted a capacity of 250 will serve the county’s needs for several decades.
Part of the facility will be built on Adams Street, and Hamann said discussions with the city of Oconto regarding vacating the street are proceeding well.
By the end of November, the county will have gained ownership of 13 of the 14 properties north of the courthouse where the center will be built. The committees discussed the acquisition of the last property in closed session Wednesday.
The county looks to move as many of the buildings as possible before the highway department begins demolition. Hamann said the Oconto Fire Department plans to use two buildings for firefighter training.
The next major step in the design process will be approval of the schematic design Nov. 5. A completed design should be completed by February, then construction documents will be prepared before bidding starts in June.
The county plans to move the 911 dispatch center from the courthouse complex to the law enforcement center to address what Hamann called operational concerns. The new location will allow for public access after hours and provide windows in the office, which Hamann said are important features for dispatchers.
“It may be a little more costly, but I think it’s the best decision for the life of this facility for say, the next 50 years,” he said.
The space vacated in the courthouse can be converted into a technology services data center, Hamann said. He also recommended the veterans services office, now on the third floor of the courthouse, be moved to the first floor once the sheriff’s offices are vacant, to provide easier access for veterans.
Meeting rooms, an employee break room, medical examiner’s office and storage space were also proposed for the reuse of the space.
Hamann said the county could also construct a fourth courtroom for large trials, jury assembly or other court-related needs. He said high-profile trials draw larger audiences than the county’s courtrooms can accommodate.
“I think (the reuse plan) addresses a lot of the issues we have now with our current facility—not all of them,” he said. “Some of it will be costly to redo, but some will not be costly.”
Funding for courthouse renovations are not part of the $30 million outlay, and Hamann said he will request funds in the 2017 budget for the changes.
“We’ll be discussing it further once the sheriff’s department is gone,” he said.
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