HORTONIA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The state’s Department of Corrections is addressing a plan to build a new youth prison in Outagamie County.
Hortonia was chosen by a state committee as a top replacement site for the Lincoln Hills facility near Wausau, but some people who live in Hortonia, like Tim Manion, want the state to build somewhere else.
“We are outraged that it was handled this way, and we’re in a position where we are absolutely against putting it in Hortonia.”
Governor Tony Evers announced plans to build the new youth prison in Hortonia a little more than a month ago.
Hortonia’s town board says the decision took members by surprise.
Residents also vocally opposed the facility and gave the DOC’s assistant deputy secretary Shannon Carpenter an earful at Hortonia’s last board meeting.
Carpenter had listened to some of the issues residents voiced and said she’d be taking their feedback back to the DOC.
Tuesday night, more than a handful of state employees, including DOC secretary-designee Kevin Carr, showed up in the town of Hortonia to present more information on the project and try to address some of those concerns.
“The purpose is to answer whatever questions we can tonight, and if we can’t answer the questions that you have tonight, we’ll answer them in the future.”
Department of Corrections staff, along with the Department of Administration staff, the DOA’s Division of Facilities Development and Management, as well as architects with the BWBR design firm gave a presentation on what constructing the new facility will entail.
Manion wasn’t impressed.
“Rather than listen to a presentation about the building process, I think it would be fruitful to open the floor for some of our questions and get answers before we go any further on the building process.”
Some are worried about safety and security…
“There are no bars, no gates,” said Hortonia resident Julie Kramer. “Kids leave, kids steal cars everything else, so how are you going to protect the citizens?”
Who these youth inmates would be is one concern. Carr couldn’t sugarcoat it…
“The kids that would be in this facility, they’ve done some serious things.”
And whether the new building even fits the town’s zoning codes…
“It just seems that this proposal has not respected all of the results of the planning commission, with regard to zoning,” said Hortonia business owner Holly Boettcher.
Others feared what building this juvenile correctional facility could do to the area chosen.
“Doesn’t it make more economic sense to cut the cord here and maybe take it to New London where they’re enthusiastic about the project?” Manion questioned.
“This is not New London, this is Hortonia, or take it somewhere else, but you have to have a plan B, and my question after all that dialogue is do you have a plan B?”
Manion and others in attendance would shortly learn there isn’t one.
“The site has been chosen,” said Carr. “To answer your question specifically, there is no plan B, at this point.”
The proposed site near the intersection of Highway 15 and 45 is a marshland.
Hortonia residents say it would be near impossible to build on.
One resident said, “There’s no way on God’s green earth that the Department of Natural Resources or K4 regulations would ever allow that site to be built.”
Carr and other DOC representatives tried to ease some of those concerns and apologized for not being more transparent with locals about plans for the proposed youth prison.
“I personally and deeply, from the bottom of my heart, apologize. I should have had a little more foresight in advising the governor on this matter, as far involving you, the community in this process.”
The state owns the land where the youth prison site is being proposed.
According to the DOC, bids on the project will start this winter, with construction planned for next spring.
