Posted: 3/21/06
CJC options unveiled, public forum held
By David Heiller and Jane Palen
Argus News Staff
The shape, size, and cost of a proposed Houston County criminal justice center (CJC) became a little more clear last week.
But where it will be located still remains a big concern for many people.
The CJC committee held two meetings on a snowy March 16 to look at the plans and the cost, which is estimated at $15,710,130.
About 25 people, the majority of them county employees, attended the first meeting in the basement of the courthouse that afternoon.
An evening session at Caledonia Middle/High School drew about 100 people, many of whom raised questions about why the 70,000 square foot building should be located on the site of the current courthouse.
Those objections came out at the earlier meeting too. Option B, which is south and east of the courthouse, will impact more people than an off-site location, Bob Klug said. Buying farm land off site would provide room for expansion, he said. Klug owns a home at 222 East South Street. Option B brings the CJC close to the Klug home.
Gary Klug, who is on the Caledonia City Council and is Bob Klugís brother, said an off-site location would eliminate the need to take homes that people might not want to sell, he added.
But that could be an issue off-site as well, commissioner Ann Thompson said.
Gary Klug also noted that Options C1 and C2 would eliminate some businesses. He felt the board had its mind made up for an on-site location.
ìIt boils down to local decision,î jail planner Dave Prachar said.
The CJC committee looked at a variety of properties, and concluded that the on-site choice was the best, Prachar said.
Efficiency would be greater with an on-site building, several people said. Bonnie Goetzinger, who is the financial assistance supervisor for the county department of human services, said social workers are in the courtroom a couple times a week.
County attorney Rick Jackson added that court cases often donít stay on schedule, and with an on-site location, staff can keep working until it is time for their appearance.
A closer location would make it easier for departments like zoning and assessor to consult with Jackson on legal issues, Thompson said.
Commissioner Kevin Kelleher said on-site was not a perfect spot. ìI donít believe thereís a Garden of Eden out there thatís willing to have that jail,î he said.
Commissioner Tom Bjerke said the board had to look at infrastructure costs such as utilities and roads. ìWeíre looking at that bottom dollar we have to justify,î he said.
Three options
Architect Rich McCarthy of Klein McCarthy and Associates presented three options to the CJC committee. These were also displayed to the public prior to the evening meeting.
The drawings included computerized drawings showing the buildings from different angles, as well as site and floor plans.
Option B seemed to be the preferred one, as it has been in the past. Option C1 is east of the current jail along Pine Street. Option C2 runs east and north of the current jail. McCarthy read the pros and cons of each location.
Option B would include 170-190 parking spaces, which McCarthy said would be adequate.
Prachar said that people should take the estimated price of $15,710,130 as just that, an estimate. ìThis is conceptual,î he said. ìItís not going to be $19 [million] and itís not going to be $12 [million].î
The proposed CJC wold include a 42 bed jail, law enforcement center (sheriffís department), two courtrooms, and office space for county attorney, court administration, judicial, court services, and victim services.
CJC committee member Russ Krech said he was hearing from people who were wondering why the court system needed to expand.
Prachar answered that as the jail population increases, so does the court services. Times are changing from misdemeanor ìsnowbirdsî in the old days who would come in the fall and leave in the spring, he said.
ìTheyíre not misdemeanors anymore. Theyíre coming in on meth cases for 6-9 months,î Prachar said.
Jail administrator Mark Schiltz said the new facility would be a one-year lock up facility, compared to the current 90-day limit.
Dave Klinski asked if the current jail could be incorporated into the new one. ìI know itís a sacred cow,î he said. ìIn spite of that, can you still milk the cow?î
It can be used for other county offices, commissioner Dave Corcoran said.
Public share views at CJC forum
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
A variety of opinions concerning the proposed criminal justice center were expressed at a public forum held Thursday evening at the Caledonia Middle/High School auditorium.
Plans for the criminal justice center were displayed for public viewing beginning at 5:30 p.m., and a public forum began at 6 p.m. The forum lasted until about 8:45.
Mark Schiltz, jail administrator, began by giving an overview of the project and explaining some of the reasons behind the exponential increase in the number of prisoners that t the county must house.
One factor, said Schiltz, is the state legislature which issues mandates that affect the county. Those include mandatory jail time for DWI offenses in which the driver has a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or above, and the law which allows state prisoners to serve their time in county jails when they have less than 180 days of their sentence remaining.
Earl Welch, a member of the jail study committee, spoke to the length of the process which brought the committee to this point. The committee was formed in May of 1996.
ìWe would like to move forward. Ten years is long enough,î said Welch.
Third District Commissioner Ann Thompson, who represents the City of Caledonia, said the criminal justice coordinating committee, which was formed in 2002, considered other locations for a CJC, but always came back to the on-site option for reasons of security and to eliminate travel for staff.
ìOur energies have been directed towards the on-site plan because we felt we had firm reasons. Until we know that on-site is not an option, we wonít explore the other possibilities.î
Consultant David Prachar and architect Rich McCarthy were present at the forum.
Caledonia City Councilman Gary Klug started off the public comment portion of the meeting by asking about plans for expanded parking.
The architect, Rich McCarthy, explained that with Option B, which connects the criminal justice center to the courthouse to the south of the present courthouse, there has been discussion about purchasing the Sno-Pac property on Pine and East South Street for parking.
Dan Bergin, a citizen opposed to the location of the Criminal Justice Center being constructed on-site, commented that, ìThis is the dumbest place you could put a jail. Why knock down some houses and ruin a neighborhood to make it more convenient for a few people? You guys have been at this 10 years and this is the best you can do?î
Second district commissioner Kevin Kelleher addressed the security concerns of increasing the number of prisoners from 14, the number of beds in the current jail, to 42, the number of beds that the new jail would have and which could be expanded to 82 if necessary by bunking the beds in the cell.
Kelleher said there would be less risk with a new facility because transfers would not take place as they do now.
ìThe 26 inmates that are housed outside the county were all arrested here and processed here and are brought back here for court. There will be no additional prisoners. You will never see a prisoner,î he said.
An off-site location would reduce efficiency, Kelleher said.
Bob Klug asked the commissioners to discuss ìnuisanceî issues such as increased traffic on South Street due to the closing of the circle around the courthouse. There is currently no plan to address that issue.
Klug asked where emergency vehicles would depart from. He was told that that has not yet been determined.
Another question concerned the evacuation of prisoners in an emergency. McCarthy said that in an emergency, prisoners are evacuated to a different portion of the facility. There will be fire doors and a sprinkler system in place. The prisoners will not have to go outside.
Another resident, Peggy Perry of Caledonia, asked if the county was looking far enough ahead.
ìWIll 82 beds be adequate 50 to 100 years down the road?î she asked. Also, Perry asked if the county planned to use eminent domain and take ìwhatever property is most convenient.î
Commissioner Kelleher said that ìAll things are on the table. But there is no plan to use it (eminent domain) except under extreme conditions. I wonít tell you itís not an option.î
In response to a comment from Fifth District Commissioner Tom Bjerke that the county would probably buy homes around the courthouse square as they become available, Perry said, ìYou are basically turning a residential area into a large parking lot. Youíre asking us wreck a historical downtown on purpose.î
Not everyone who commented at the forum was against the CJC being built on the courthouse site. Bob Burns, former mayor of Caledonia and son-in-law of Earl Welch, said that building the CJC at a more remote location would ìBe another nail in the coffin of downtown Caledonia.î
ìItís not going to be a bad-looking building. Itís not going to detract from the neighborhood. I am in favor of keeping it in downtown Caledonia.î
Another citizen, Scott Betz, asked ìWhy are we building a small jail downtown? Why not build a bigger jail on the outskirts of town and have a regional facility?î He said that the fairgrounds would be a good location for a regional facility.
Mary Mell asked the commissioners about the ìbottom line.î
ìWho is going to decide? Is it a done dealî Where does our voice come in, or have we lost it?î
Commissioner Kelleher responded that we have a representational democracy in which elected officials make decisions on behalf of their constituents.
ìThe county board will be making the decision,î he said.
Mike Morey, mayor of Caledonia, said at the conclusion of the meeting that he has some unanswered questions regarding a buffer zone and parking.
The meeting was taped and will be broadcast on the local cable channel in Caledonia and other communities in the county. Those times will be announced in The Argus and on the Argus website, www.hometownargus.com
Community members opposed to the CJC being built next to the present courthouse plan to attend the next several county board meeting to voice their concerns, according to Bob Klug.
Thursdayís public meeting was adjourned without a commitment on the part of the county board to proceed with any options other than those presented at the meeting which place the new CJC on the present site.
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