Venture Architects has been chosen by a pair of Shawano County Board committees to complete a facilities master plan and schematic designs for county properties.
The contract will not exceed $110,000. It was approved by the executive committee and the public property committee, with the county board set to debate the issue April 15. (Visit www.newmedia-wi.com for details of the vote.)
“We can’t do everything, but we have to start somewhere,” said Jim Davel, county administrative coordinator in early April, prior to the committee meetings.
He reiterated again that the county has spent more than $1.1 million on plans and studies of county buildings the past several decades. The only significant changes generated from those studies was a remodeled sheriff’s department and construction of the Huber Work Release Center.
There were two proposals, the other from Somerville Architects. However, the Somerville proposal included the use of a Minnesota company that would only handle proposed changes to the sheriff’s department, jail and justice center, while Somerville would concentrate on the courthouse, library and other sites.
“This Venture group has more people in house that will do the whole thing,” said Tom Kautza, county board chairman.
The executive committee agreed to use money from the general fund’s unassigned account to pay Venture Architects.
The main facilities to be studied are the courthouse, jail and sheriff’s department. The library is also part of the mix.
Kautza, at the April 9 executive committee, threw another idea out for consideration.
“I want to look at eliminating the Huber Center altogether and move them people back over here. Or if we build something new over here, we put a small Huber over here,” he said. He added that the current Huber center could become the county’s own inpatient center for the Department of Human Services. “We take care of (the patients) right here in the county. There’d be no hauling them around trying to find someplace in the state to take them.”
Inpatient services with the county DHS continue to climb while state reimbursements have remained steady for several years, compelling the county to make up the cost difference.
The inpatient care costs were nearly $600,000 over budget in 2024, forcing the county to dip into its general fund to pay the shortfall.
“That worked out well for Green Lake and Waushara counties when they did theirs,” Supervisor Randy Mallmann said about running an inpatient care center.
He was referring to the two sites visited by an ad hoc committee that recommended the creation of a building plan for Shawano County.
Kautza also said there may be a state program to help with the remodeling costs of the Huber Center if the county agrees to accept a set number of clients at a reduced rate.
“It’s not going to go over too good, I know that, with the sheriff’s department and DHS,” he said. “The county’s bleeding money. Why keep spending it, and you’re shipping it off elsewhere?”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
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