Supervisor Jeremy Gretzinger cast the only no vote when it came to notifying lenders the county intends to borrow $29 million for the first phase of a courthouse and jail building project.
“As a supervisor, I listen to the people I represent,” he said at the Aug. 26 meeting of the Shawano County Board. “I’ve been approached by many others out in the county as well. We all feel … this process has still been rushed and a lack of transparency with the public.”
The final step in borrowing $29 million is expected to occur at the Sept. 23 county board meeting. This is the first phase of three-phase plan to borrow up to $121 million to build a new courthouse, a secure connection to the existing jail, a vehicle sally port, jail intake and support areas, and a new inmate housing unit, as well as acquiring land and related furnishings, fixtures and equipment.
The buildings would be built directly west of the current courthouse and sheriff’s department, with the existing courthouse razed and the space turned into a parking lot.
“We definitely need a new justice center, but do we really need to demolish what many consider a historical marker?” Gretzinger asked. “I’m talking about the courthouse.”
Kurt Berner, consultant with The Samuels Group, told supervisors that discussions have started with county veterans groups to get input on where to move the veterans memorial that sits in front of the courthouse. It could be reconfigured into the new courthouse plans or moved to another location off the government center campus.
“I know there are emotions tied to that,” he said. “I want to make sure something is done positively, and we get feedback from the veterans. We don’t need to make a decision on that tomorrow. We’re not going to do work in that space until after the building is built, and then we come over here and do the work with the parking lot, but I would like to get it in the next few months … so we can plan accordingly.”
Gretzinger, a member of the Marine Corps Reserves from 1999-2005, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Now we’re talking about touching the veterans memorial,” he said. “This sits very close and dear to me.”
Gretzinger believes more consideration should be given to remodeling the existing courthouse.
“This courthouse was built roughly about 1956. The Shawano Middle School was built in 1954, but yet in 2016, the Shawano School Board did a referendum and redid the Shawano Middle School to bring it up to par,” he said. “I believe we can still do the same thing here. I do not think it’s still too late. I appreciate everything that The Samuels Group has done to this point. I believe they’ve been misled by some leadership within this building.”
The District 7 supervisor also expressed dismay that the $29 million did not include any funds for a new library.
“We’re talking about grant money for the library. Does this make any sense to you?” Gretzinger asked. “We’re going to bond money for a courthouse, so so-and-so here can have a better office, but my son or daughter or whoever, niece or nephew, friends or family, can’t go use that library, because they’re waiting on grant money? To me, that doesn’t sit very well. I don’t understand why we didn’t bond any money or anything toward that library, and I’m going to continue to vote no to this project until some of this stuff gets rectified.”
He noted the city of Shawano recently invested funds into remodeling the recreation center, and he asked why the county doesn’t do the same for the Shawano Lake County Park or the Mielke Park theater.
“How much have we invested out there lately with that?” Gretzinger asked, referring to the county park. “We have a cold storage building out there at the county park. We got tractors and stuff sitting outside rusting. That should be a priority.
“The Mielke family’s been throwing thousands of dollars at that (park and theater). Yeah, we may paint it but at a very minimal level. When are we going to invest a little bit into that so the taxpayer can benefit?”
The resolution to seek lenders for the $29 million was approved 23-1 with Rick Giese and Steve Pollock absent. There is a vacancy in District 5.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
An aerial architectural drawing of the new Shawano County Courthouse and Jail (and the existing sheriff’s department) will result in the closure of a few blocks of North Washington and West Third streets. Supervisor Jeremy Gretzinger opposed the resolution to inform lenders of the county’s intent to begin borrowing for the project. He said the building plans are being rushed and lack transparency. (File | NEW Media)
