Portage County Board gives approval to purchase Plover land for possible new jail and justice center
STEVENS POINT − Portage County officials will move forward with purchasing land in Plover with the idea of building a new jail and justice center on the property.
The County Board approved the plan to buy about 42.24 acres of land in Plover for about $1.267 million. The approval allows county officials to proceed with the process of buying the land, which is near the Portage County Highway Office and Solid Waste Department.
Once the details are worked out between county officials and the sellers, Worzella & Sons, the issue will have to go back in front of the Portage County Board to approve the budget change and decide where the money for the purchase will come from.
The Portage County Space and Property Committee looked at several pieces of land, said County Board Chairman Al Haga. They sent a real estate agent to investigate the two properties the committee had chosen as best, and the agent came back and said the Worzella property was the only one that would meet the county's needs.
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Stevens Point offered some land for the county to buy, but it came with stipulations, Haga said. The city wanted restrictions on the use so that the county could never place the courts or administration on the property.
One thing everyone agreed on was that no one wants to live with a jail next to their house. If the county had bought the land from the city, at least two residents would have had the jail right behind their property. It would have been like having a jail in your backyard, Haga said.
Board member Jeanne Dodge said she was excited about the property. The current Portage County Sheriff's Office isn't big enough to park all the squad cars and the sally port, which is used for bringing inmates into the jail area with the squad cars, requires tricky maneuvering to get in and only holds one squad, she said.
Portage County Sheriff Mike Lucas said the land is at an ideal location. The Sheriff's Office stores its emergency equipment at the Portage County Highway Department. Lukas said he's always worried about his deputies having to drive through the city to respond to emergencies. If the county does move forward with a new jail on the property, officers responding to calls would not have to go through the city, Lukas said.
The purchase of the land does not mean the county is going to build a new jail, Portage County Executive John Pavelski said. The county would have to decide on plans and costs of building a new law enforcement center and jail, and the County Board would have to approve it.
In May, the Portage County Board recognized the need for a new jail that the county planned to make part of a justice center and place on current green space at the edge of the city. The city opposed plans to move the courthouse out of the downtown area. The plan got a majority approval, but failed to get the 18-vote super majority it needed for funding the project.
The County Board approved the land purchase Tuesday by a vote of 18-6.
Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Portage County Board gives approval to purchase Plover land for new jail
