CF voters push for say on prison

Mayor supports petitions seeking referendum

By Janean Marti and Melody Langacker
Leader-Telegram staff

CHIPPEWA FALLS - Plans are under way for a citywide referendum on a special needs prison at the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled.

Petitions supporting a referendum are being circulated, and supporters are expected to present the petitions to the City Council on Tuesday, June 15.

After listening to viewpoints from prison supporters and opponents who packed the council chamber Tuesday night, Mayor Virginia Smith said a referendum makes sense.

"I am one hundred percent for a referendum," Smith said. "What the city residents say, that's whom we represent and that is who we are going to listen to."

She said she cannot predict the outcome of such a referendum.

"I don't know which side has more support," but the community is beginning to be bitterly divided, she said.

"It is not a pleasant situation. There is a lot of anger on both sides."

The proposal to convert the Highview Building at the Northern Center into a medium-security prison with 300 beds is making its way through the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee.

"There is some apprehension (about any prison), but usually people are open to the economic benefits," said Carolyn Hughes, a legal assistant for state Rep. Tom Sykora, R-Chippewa Falls.

Hughes offered some details about the prison proposal to the City Council and city residents Tuesday night.

The Northern Center, which has housed developmentally disabled residents for more than 100 years, has seen its population decrease in the past few years, Hughes said. The center eventually would close, and converting part of it into a prison would save jobs and help families with relatives already in the facility, she said.

Buster Davis, president of United Professional Union 1199, said the facility would bring economic benefits to the city.

"People are scared of security, are misinformed and feel unsafe," Davis said. "They don't see the economical impact."

Bob Mitchell of Chippewa Falls said a petition favoring the prison has collected more than 1,600 signatures so far from Chippewa Falls and surrounding towns.

Marti can be reached at 723-0303.