Plan may bring geriatric inmates to Northern Center

January 21, 1999

Sykora: Some objections based on 'racial overtones'

Remodeling paves way for prisoners

By Janean Marti

Chippewa Falls News Bureau

CHIPPEWA FALLS -- A decision Wednesday by the state Building Commission makes way for establishing a geriatric prison at the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled.

The move could save some of the center's 600 jobs.

"If I was a betting man, I would bet there will be a geriatric prison at Northern Center," said state Rep. Tom Sykora, R-Chippewa Falls.

The Building Commission, which coordinates and plans the state's building programs, voted to remodel the Crestview building at the center to make room in another building for Department of Corrections use. Members of the commission include Gov. Tommy Thompson and Administration Secretary Mark Bugher.

By remodeling Crestview for use by nonambulatory residents, all the center's residents could be moved out of the Highview building, making room for geriatric prisoners.

The Department of Administration is seeking $5.6 million in the next state budget to establish an approximately 300-bed prison to house elderly inmates who require extra medical and nursing care, Sykora said.

Department of Administration officials were not available for comment this morning.

An emphasis on moving the developmentally disabled into smaller group homes has contributed to population declines and staff downsizing at all three state centers for the developmentally disabled. The Highview building at Northern Center is equipped to handle residents who require a high level of nursing care.

"We are moving forward here with our downsizing, but we are also moving forward on the assumption corrections will eventually get this building," Northern Center Director Betty Blessinger said. "We see this as really positive for Northern Center."

The Building Commission's action takes the state one step closer to siting the geriatric prison at the center, pending legislative approval. There are 589 employees and 240 residents at the center.

Public support is "the next major hurdle," Sykora said. "There is still a guarded concern among some people on who the prisoners are going to be."

A small group of people in the Chippewa Valley oppose a geriatric prison here, and some base their objections on "racial overtones," Sykora said. Some claim "all prisoners are black," and that's wrong, he said.

Prisoners housed in a nursing-type facility could qualify for federal Medicare dollars, which could save the state money for housing and care, Sykora said.

"We have found examples of opinions that a facility that is government-owned and primarily used as a health care institution could qualify for some federal funds," he said.

Marti can be reached at 723-0303.