A HOT BUTTON. The Omaha Depot building was controversially torn down for a parking lot.

Now that the county has the results of the jail referendum in hand, it’s possible that the most divisive local issues of the decade may be coming to a close (we’ll see ...). It made us wonder what other issues have created a divide in Eau Claire over the years. Here’s quite a few:

• North Barstow Redevelopment District
We look there now and see Phoenix Park, RCU, a farmers market pavilion, and mixed use apartment buildings, but don’t forget that this was a development many years (and many tears) in the making. This required the relocation of 22 residences, demolition of old buildings, riverfront treatment, and street closures. An activism group from Madison even came up to help stir the pot.

• Lake Street Bridge
Before this construction the only bridge downtown was on Grand, but a flood plain review placed it under water in the 100-year flood event. The allocation of funds for it required a referendum. Downtown businesses pointed to the bridge construction as a factor in several closures, while the city pointed to a recent development called London Square Mall.

• Clairemont and North Crossing
When the city wanted to expand Clairemont from two to six lanes in the 70s, people put forth petitions and screamed at meetings. This was similar to the building of North Crossing, when neighborhoods organized in staunch opposition to avoid adding traffic to their rural settings.

• Highway 53
When this project arose, the city had three options: build 53 right through Eau Claire, build it on the outskirts of Altoona and almost circle around the town, or build it right through Altoona. The third option is what went through, and citizens were up in arms because of the spinoff development that Altoona could gain from this. The city council approval led to nearly all of the council members losing their seats in the next election. (And lest we forget hullabaloo about the 53 bypass project from just a handful of years ago.)

• Fairfax Pool
The installation of the city pool required three referendums. One was to determine the number of pools, another was to configure the location, and the last was to decide the kind of pool and the cost.

• Breaking Up First Avenue
First Avenue used to run straight from Water Street to Madison Street, but the decision to close off a portion and create a walking/biking trail for pedestrians saw some angered opposition from nearby businesses and drivers unhappy about taking a few extra turns.

• The Old Train Station
In the late 80s, Holsum Bread tore down the historic downtown Omaha Depot building made of Superior Granite (much to the chagrin of residents) to make way for a parking lot.

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OTHER AREA CONTROVERSIES OVER THE YEARS

• Early 20s: Winter Dam floods Ojibwe village of Post and inundates graves of ancestors.

• Late 40s: Going from Mayoral to City Manager system.

• Early 70s: Tribal takeover of Winter Dam against power company.

• Early 90s: Electioneering and takeover of city council that twice forced a change in local elections.

• Early 00s: Cleghorn school closure.

• Mid 00s: Xcel wants to build a nuclear power plant near Durand.

• Late 00s: Closing Little Red school.

• Late 00s: The Chippewa Falls Sand Mine.

– Controversies suggested by Tom Reiter, the city’s associate planner; Brian Amundson, the city’s public works director; and Frank Smoot, Chippewa Valley Museum Editor