From: "Hale, C. Kate" <HALECL@uwec.edu> Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 13:14:08 -0600 Subject: In Tom Giffey's Opinion Message-ID: <6DCE403B991434499E60901A1A1EC1625F89FB4E64@CHERRYCOKE.uwec.edu>
You will probably have seen this from today's (Sunday's) Leader-Tel--but in
case not . . .
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-opinions.asp?id=BFTQFKVEB09
Updated: 3/2/2008
Jail foes' protests too late to matter
The issue: Protesters object to plans for a $59.1 million Eau Claire County
Jail.
Our view: The jail is virtually a done deal; where have these objections be
en over the years while the project was being planned?
Woody Allen is often quoted as saying "80 percent of success is showing up.
" If the goal is to influence government decisions, we'll add that the othe
r 20 percent of success is paying attention.
And it's that missing 20 percent that has doomed recent efforts to prevent
the new Eau Claire County Jail from being built next to the existing courth
ouse, near the Chippewa River.
On Feb. 20, a crowd estimated at between 60 and 80 people marched on the Ea
u Claire County Board, objecting to the board's looming decision to approve
a $25 million bond to begin the $59.1 million project. (The bond measure p
assed 17-10.) Jail opponents complain the jail is too costly, that its loca
tion is wrong, that such a pricey project should require a referendum, and
that the board has ignored their objections.
Their objections also imply that the jail project has been pursued in secre
t.
As one letter to the editor published in local magazine Volume One asked, "
Who knew?"
Perhaps that's a fair question. How many of us know anything about local go
vernment decisions? Typically, we only pay attention when something is eith
er going to happen in our backyard or hit us in the pocketbook - both the c
ase here.
In this situation, however, there's hardly an excuse for not knowing about
the jail project, its location or its cost. More than four years ago - in A
ugust 2003 - the County Board requested a study of the jail's space needs.
The study, presented in June 2005, recommended building a new jail across S
econd Avenue from the courthouse - exactly the spot it will be built. Over
the ensuing years, dozens - if not hundreds - of public events have been he
ld to discuss the project, including community forums and public meetings o
f the County Board and its committees. In addition, scores of media reports
detailed the planning process both before and after the board's approval o
f the project last June.
With these facts in mind, it seems the question shouldn't be "Who knew?" bu
t "Where have you been?" Trying to block the jail project now is like dashi
ng breathlessly into a church and trying to stop a wedding after the vows h
ave been exchanged. It's a dramatic but ineffective gesture.
Nonetheless, the anti-jail contingent makes some worthy points. For instanc
e, various maps have shown various footprints for the building and its park
ing areas, leading to uncertainty about which neighborhood buildings will b
e bought and demolished by the county. This puts some small businesses - pa
rticularly Just Local Food Co-op, the downtown's only grocery store - in di
fficult positions.
Protesters also are correct to point out that it's unfortunate the voters w
on't be able to approve or reject the jail spending via a referendum, as th
ey do for school projects. However, it's worth noting that any referendum w
ould have been nonbinding anyway. If taxpayers believe referendums should b
e held for such spending, they should complain to the state Legislature, wh
ich sets the rules, not the County Board, which has to follow them.
Finally, there's the often-repeated objection that the new jail will be on
the "riverfront" and would thwart efforts to revitalize Eau Claire's downto
wn. The word "riverfront" implies it will be built at the water's edge. Thi
s is certainly not the case: The structure will be separated from the Chipp
ewa River by several hundred feet of shoreline, trees, green space, street
and sidewalk. Certainly, it will be visible from the other side of the rive
r, but so is the current jail. Keeping public buildings and the jobs they p
rovide in the downtown will, on balance, help the neighborhood, not harm it
.
- Tom Giffey, editorial page editor