ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ) – Conversations about replacing an aging prison in Allouez are once again heating up.
State Representative David Steffen, a Republican from Howard, is spearheading the effort to move on from the 121-year-old Green Bay Correctional Institution.
Steffen released an op-ed on Thursday that proposes a two-facility complex, one which would hold 900 people and a second 300-bed building that would offer mental health treatment, education and job training with a goal geared towards rehabilitation.
Somewhere in rural Brown County would be the site of his proposed facility.
A separate proposal from the village of Allouez has also proposed redeveloping the prison property, which is alongside the Fox River.
It would cost $200 million to modernize GBCI and improve safety, according to Steffen.
“One of the amazing facts that were released in that report that we just got our hands on is there is only five percent of that facility that doesn’t need repair,” explains Steffen.
Steffen claims his proposal would save taxpayers as much as $170 million over 20 years, while not specifying how much it would cost.
He also adds that the proposal would go beyond simple dollars and cents, rather providing much-needed safety for staff.
“There are mission-critical issues that are existing within GBCI,” says Steffen. “We need to make sure that we have an environment that is safe for those employees.”
A listening session set for noon-1 p.m. May 4 at the Allouez Village Hall where Steffen will discuss his proposal.
His proposal now goes to the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee and it would need to be signed into law by Governor Tony Evers.
Evers did not include any money for GBCI improvements or replacement in his 2019-21 budget proposal.
