STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — Talk of moving City Hall in Stevens Point to create more space for the Portage County Courthouse will reignite into the new year.
Mayor Mike Wiza and leaders with Portage County will be holding informational sessions with the City Council and County Board later this month on the issue. Wiza says the idea has taken up a lot of his time recently, and they want to make sure the rest of the elected leaders have the same information that they’ve gathered. “We want to tell them a little more about the process we have been working through. When you are a Supervisor or an Alder you aren’t immersed in it 24/7 or even eight hours a day, five days a week. We want to make sure they understand the work that both of our teams have been putting in to find a solution.”
The current City Hall occupies a little over a quarter of the city/county building. Wiza says both sides want to take a strategic approach to the discussions, which have been going on for years.
“Yes, City Hall may move. But we are not leaving downtown, that’s for certain. [That would] give the county the opportunity to utilize this whole building and keep the courthouse and ancillary services downtown while hopefully finding a solution to the dilemma that’s been occurring for the better part of 20 years,” said Wiza.
That dilemma involves a less-than-ideal security setup in the Courthouse. The current setup has Judges sharing entrances and bathroom facilities with defendants, attorneys, and others involved in a case. Wiza says that’s an opportunity for tension from a court proceeding to spill outside the courtroom, where things could go “very wrong.
“It’s a tough situation. Nothing has happened so far, knock on wood, but boy the opportunities are there,” added Wiza.
Wiza says the city has been exploring options for downtown properties that could house a new City Hall. He expects a council decision on that in the next month or two, which would allow the county to start planning a courthouse remodel. If financing and design plans flow it could be three to four years before construction begins.
Other topics Wiza discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Upcoming events in the city and voting update
9:00- Firefighter/paramedic referendum information
14:00- Potential move for City Hall
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