Downtown Jail Fight Heats Up

Is commerce really moving back to downtown? Are there statistics to back this up?

Also, in terms of the figures thrown out about $120,000 in property tax revenues vs. how much the jail saves taxpayers per year, did the special committee that reviewed the project (for a second time) have access to this data?

The disparity is that one group is arguing using intangible costs of placement of the jail vs. the tangible ($$) costs of the city and the special committee. It's time to admit that this battle is being fought on two separate playing fields: the rational, and the irrational.

Janey, you should know by now with the way the economy and the environment are head that short-term solutiuons can lead to serious long-term problems. As such, it's a really poor idea to just OK a project for immediate, rather than long term jobs. This project seriously neglects the future of downtown Eau Claire, and jeopardizes potentially far more jobs as commerce migrates back downtown. The mall will not be a viable avenue for much longer, whereas the Downtown is. What your proposing, essentially, is placing a jail in the mall. Good luck with that.

Janey - though I appreciate that one wants "work," but I certainly don't see a short bit of business gained by contractors as justification for years [and years and years and years] of impact on the downtown. Although, it is no surprise. That kind of thinking is behind countless historic trainwrecks. So much for the old notion that what we do should have future generations in mind.

Didn't they revise the plans so that the new jail isn't on the river front? I think the County has tried to appease everyone and not just shove this down our throats. In the mean time a lot of construction and specialty trade contractors are waiting to get their people to work on this project. I know b/c the company I work for would like some of that work. Our employees want to get back to work. IMHO the City Council should vote "yes" to approve these plans. Like it or not-the jail in downtown EC is here to stay. Move on.

Volume One has made a huge impact with our Downtown Revitalization. We are looking at prime river front property that is the connecting point between two tax incremental funding districts (TIF) that are showing great promise for the future growth of Downtown Eau Claire.

The vacant properties now are the way they are because of County threat and neglect.

If this project is stopped now in this location the City of Eau Claire could realize more than $120,000 annually in property taxes. With this plan $0.00.

Come to Council Chambers on the 15th and 22nd and help us get the downtown project stopped and make the county realize they can do a complete justice center in an industrial/commercial site using green technologies so we can save long term operational costs.

I'm not against a jail downtown, and in fact I think it's probably a good idea for the economy - there are plenty of other businesses the county could buy out, and yes, it may cost more, but in the long run, pulling in more city-workers to the downtown area would probably be a good thing, especially for restaurants. However, placing a jail (or any government property) on the waterfront (a high taxation, high visibility piece of land), in a downtown, is a bad idea, period. It limits the business growth, the civic design and livability, and wastes highly taxable land for something that produces no taxes (though in this case, the jail would supposedly make money). It seems to me a compromise on this is placing the jail in the downtown area, but not on the most valuable land in the city. Common sense. I don't even think that point is debatable - you're placing a jail on the potentially most expensive land in Eau Claire. Short sighted solution to something that will affect the city for HUNDREDS of years.

The article Julian wrote in the Leader Telegram was excellent, for those who have yet to read it. But it did beg some questions:

Where is the extra $10 million going to come from to put it outside of town? Will the new location pay for itself? What if I don't think it's worth a 10 million dollar "sacrifice?" And as for livability, why not build a community structure where employees can walk to work, rather than putting it outside of town where people have to drive cars to get to the job?

The problem with CAJE is that the group is accountable to no one in the city. At least the City Council is an elected body - CAJE does not speak for me. I think they've missed the mark here. I could have seen it if they had been looking for the cheapest option, but this committee might as well just be named NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard.

Hey Peter, perhaps you should consider that using riverfront property for a jail, rather than to help establish a burgeoning downtown epicenter for the community where arts can flourish is incredibly hindering to the arts and development of our community.

Good cities lead to a stronger culture and come from good city planning. This is not good city planning - it is efficiency over livability. Not everything that is efficient now is efficient for the future. The jail aims to continue the trend of ignoring future downtown development (and taxes) in favor of an efficient, short-sighted solution.

word.

Volume One has never claimed to be unbiased about the jail project, peter, as it greatly affects the culture of downtown Eau Claire. Yet, on the flip side, we've made plenty of fun of the "Special Committee to Resolve Jail Space and Site Needs" right here on this website. At the end of the day, we assume our readers are smart enough to form their own opinions, no matter what they are reading. (Do you honestly think people are getting their jail news solely from one blog post?)

And hey, if you organized a pro-jail rally for tonight, you'd have been mentioned, too. At any rate, I'm sure the county could use your voice at the upcoming hearings on June 15 and 22. If you feel so strongly about the money wasted on the jail delay, maybe it's time you stopped being so silent and did something about it.

Mike,
Thanks for that wonderful unbiased reporting we have come to love from both you and FOX News. Never mind the fact that your readers may want to develop their own opinions regarding landuse policy in the city. I have been a huge fan of Volume One since the early days. I hope the build the new jail in the same place it has always been, at the current site, and stop wasting time and money. Then I hope Volume One can go back to Arts, Entertainment and Culture.
Thanks,
Peter “a.k.a. One of the silent masses who thinks we should build it and move on…..”