City seeks prison details from state

BY JEFFREY HAGE

THE CHIPPEWA HERALD

May 18, 1999

The state of Wisconsin should provide the public with preliminary information regarding the conversion of part of Northern Center to a geriatric prison, according to Chippewa Falls officials.

The Chippewa Falls City Council will consider tonight a resolution calling for the state to release public information regarding to prison plans. In addition, the city suggests that the state should begin preparing to obtain a special use permit because city zoning does not allow for prisons within the city limits.

With the proposed geriatric prison having a great impact on the local economy, job environment and land use plans, the time for the state to provide prison plans is now, according to Rod Pike, city engineer.

The resolution going before the city council is a bold request for information on behalf of the city, Pike said.

"We would like preliminary information. We need information," Pike said.

Apparently, the public would like information regarding the prison, too.

In Sunday's Chippewa Herald a public request for specific information was published in an anonymous paid advertisement criticizing the state for failing to hold public meetings on the issue as a means to bring information to the public.

Big business is also getting behind a push for information on the prison issue.

Bill Kelly, senior vice president of operations for SGI, has requested that the city hold public meetings on the geriatric prison. SGI has also requested that the city consider placing the issue before the public in the form of a referendum.

By following SGI's suggestions, the public would have an opportunity to become better informed and to exercise their voting privilege as to whether or not the prison is good for Chippewa Falls and the surrounding communities, Kelly said.

In its resolution the city specifically seeks a preliminary site plan for the geriatric prison and information including the number of beds proposed, the definition of a geriatric prison, an estimate of the number of new employees and their job descriptions, an estimate of jobs to be saved, a description of the security system planned, the maximum number of prisoners allowed and a description of how the prison will function in regards to other property on the Northern Center grounds.