Help decide the best use of this property

To all interested citizens of Houghton County:

Houghton County is fortunate to own a 2-block area west of the County Courthouse, and by brainstorming and working together I believe we can decide THE BEST USE of that land. Voters defeated of the county's proposal to build a justice center, but the problems of overcrowding still exist, and it is important that citizens work to find solutions. Copper Country folks are creative and hard-working, and there is no limit to what we can do together.

But first we need a dream to unite us, and the opportunity that this tract of land, which I would like to call "The County Common", is a godsend.

Sunday afternoon, Nov. 14th, at 3:00 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, 401 Quincy St., Hancock, anyone interested in sharing ideas is welcome to come to a meeting wherein everyone will have a chance to make suggestions. This will truly be a grassroots effort, as we will be talking about land and its potential to heal and nurture our community.

If you want more information, you can call me at 482-4696.

Sincerely, Carolyn (Candy) Peterson

County board considers next step for Justice Center project

Public members looking to help find a solution after failed proposal

November 10, 2010 - By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer (source)

HOUGHTON - Members of Houghton County's Justice Center Committee are interested in sticking with the project, and several Houghton residents are asking what they can do to help.
County citizens voted down a $15 million proposal to build a combination jail, sheriff's department and district court Nov. 2.

The county had postponed any offers for the site, county-owned land across from the courthouse, until after the election. Controller Eric Forsberg said he has received an offer.

Carolyn Peterson offered her assistance with the justice center project. She cited the possibilities the county has with the parcel of land across from the courthouse.

"I'd like to do something to get people together, get people talking to each other, to get over this impasse," she said.

George Dewey and Bill Predebon, both of whom campaigned against the November proposal, also offered their help.

Dewey said he believed the most common reasons for the proposal's failure were the location of the project and the perception of a lack of public involvement.

"I think we have a lot of people who would support another option to address this need," he said.
The board will stay active in some form, said Chair Paul Luoma, though another ballot proposal may have to wait.

"We have to make some kind of a plan to do the jail, to do something," he said.

Commissioner Anton Pintar said voters may have been leery of the cost.

"I can't see coming up with anything much less than $15 million," he said.

Commissioner Ed Jenich thanked the people who had made presentations about the justice center proposal, including Bill Fink, Barry Fink, Truman Obermeyer, Sheriff Brian McLean, Judge Mark Wisti and fellow commissioner Anton Pintar.

"The people spoke," he said. "Nevertheless, we have a facility that is deteriorating. Something has to be done."

Commissioner Scott Ala said he had talked with members of the Houghton City Council who wanted to get involved. He encouraged participation from any interested members of the public.

"If you want to help, it will be accepted," he said.

Houghton Co. Commissioners mtg - Nov 9, 5PM Courthouse

Concerned Citizens,

One week ago, Houghton County voters said NO to the Justice Center.  Tonight, the Houghton County Commissioners will meet for the first time post election.  I do expect they will discuss the election results and hopefully decide how to move forward on this issue.  I plan to be there, and it would be great if you could also be there.  There are opportunities to speak before the Commissioners at the very beginning and end of the meeting. 

I do believe that Houghton County has a real need to improve our County Government facilities.  The real challenge moving forward is to develop a solution to these needs that will find broad community support.  I believe the only way to gain this community support is for the Commissioners to actively involve the community in the process of developing solutions.  We need people who are willing to get involved and help do the hard work of exploring the options.  Please take the time to get involved. 

Houghton County Commissioners meeting - tonight Nov 9, 5PM HoCo Courthouse, top floor.  

- George Dewey 

We won, so now what?

Concerned Citizens,

Houghton County voters by a 3-1 margin rejected the Justice Center bond proposal yesterday (unofficially, 8,926 NO votes to 3,144 yes votes).  Thank you for your vote, and thank you for all your effort talking to friends, attending meetings, writing letters, and displaying yard signs.  Your efforts made a big difference. 

While getting a solid NO vote on this issue was essential, the hard part now is to stay involved and to find a better solution that a majority of HoCo voters will support.  

I am convinced that a majority of HoCo voters believe that the need to do something is real but the proposed "Justice Center" solution was wrong.

What can you do now?  

• Please save your VOTE NO signs.  We will soon try to collect them for possible use next time
  (the wire frame can be reused for next time)
  
• Attend Houghton County Commissioners meetings to speak out for more positive alternatives
  (next meeting is Tuesday Nov 9, 5 pm at the Courthouse).
  
• Attend Houghton City Council meetings to get them more involved
  (next City Council meeting is Monday Nov 8, 6:30pm City Center).
  
• Attend Houghton City Planning Commission meetings to get them involved
  (next Planning Commission meeting is Tuesday Nov 23, 5:30pm City Center).

Thank You!


- George Dewey

Justice Center - voted down in landslide

It appears to be official:

Justice Center voted down

November 2, 2010

HOUGHTON - The proposition for a new Justice Center in Houghton County was soundly defeated Tuesday night.

With nearly 74 percent of the vote and 8,926 votes, those voting "no" overwhelmed the 3,144 "yes" votes - 26 percent of the total vote.

For a full article about the proposition being voted down, see Wednesday's edition of The Daily Mining Gazette.

Daily Mining Gazette story - Nov 2nd

UPDATE

A resounding ‘no’ on Justice Center

November 3, 2010 - By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer

HOUGHTON - Voters rejected the proposed Houghton County Justice Center by a nearly three-to-one margin Tuesday night in the county's most contentious ballot issue.

Eight thousand nine hundred twenty-six voters, or 74 percent, voted against the proposal, compared to 3,144 (26 percent) for it. The proposal would have authorized up to $15 million in bonds for as long as 30 years to build a combination jail, sheriff's department and district court on county-owned land across the street from the courthouse.

"The committee suggested a resolution to the problem and obviously it was not accepted," said Sheriff Brian McLean. "We'll continue to remain positive and hopefully something will resolve itself in the future."

McLean said the county would continue to seek a long-term, cost-effective solution.
"We'll remain vigilant on the topic, and we'll stay with our top priorities," he said. "We'll have to solve it one piece at a time. We'll look for the cooperation of the commissioners and the public."

Daily Mining Gazette story - Nov 3rd

The missing numbers on Camp Kitwen

We have continued to ask the Justice Center Committee for their calculations they claim shows Camp Kitwen is not a viable option. Anton Pintar recently wrote a letter to the editor showing why the Justice Center Committee did not do a realistic analysis of Kitwen. The County Commissioners eliminated Kitwen as a option to consider!

The missing piece of the Commissioner's "back of the envolope" analysis is the income Kitwen could generate by renting beds for inmates from other Counties, the State, and the Feds. Lets say they remodel Kitwen into 110 bed County Jail (only part of Kitwen). Houghton County currently needs 50 beds to manage our historic inmate population (35 ADP times 1.25 ~ 44 say 50 beds) which leaves 60 beds available to rent out. If we again use the standard 1.25 factor to account for issues like inmate classification, peaking, and maintenance, this leaves 60/1.25 = 48 beds available. If we assume they maintain an 80% occupancy rate, this leaves 48 x 0.8 = 38 beds on average rented out. If we use the low end of $35 per inmate per day (plus other costs) this means Kitwen could generate 38 beds x $35/day x 365 days/yr = $500,000 per year. This income will pay for the additional workers needed to run Kitwen and transport inmates to court.

The commissioners ignore the important fact that Kitwen can generate income to help pay for itself. They also ignore that fact that Kitwen is a better location for a big expandable jail. It would be easier and much less costly to expand a jail located at Kitwen. They also try to hide the fact that the State of Michigan Department of Corrections would love to give us Camp Kitwen for $1!

So the truth finally comes out. The County Commissioners prevented the Justice Center Committee from doing a detailed analysis of Camp Kitwen.

I say OPEN KITWEN _ CREATE JOBS !!!!

Super Jail - Vote 'No' - a letter

Vote 'No' on super jail
POSTED: October 30, 2010
http://mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/517401/Vote--No--on-super-jail.html?nav=5092

To the editor:

The proposed Justice Center is too big, too expensive, at the wrong time, and in the wrong place. Voting "No" for this super jail tells our county commissioners to develop a better, cheaper, smarter plan.

Too Big - the Justice Center committee lists four forces that could decrease demand for jail beds. The most important issue is the slow rate of population growth in our area. The population of Houghton County has been stable for more than 50 years (1970 = 34,652 vs 2009 = 35,333), but the plan more than triples the current size to a 110-bed jail. In fact, Marquette County only has an 80-bed jail even though their population is nearly twice that of Houghton County, and Marquette is a U.S. District Court.

Too Expensive - the $15 million Justice Center plan is an unlimited bond and does not include increased operating costs. Remember, the county's loan has to be paid no matter what; when our house values decrease, we will pay more taxes. This super jail does not fit with our small-town values.

People in our county pride themselves on living resourcefully, and this is nothing to be proud of.

Wrong Time - the global economic recession has directly affected our community and this is not the time to increase taxes. The Department of Corrections is planning to close prisons and the state of Michigan Judiciary Committee is even looking at eliminating district courts in small counties like Houghton.

Wrong Place - locating a large jail near the growing downtown area and in a family neighborhood is a step backwards. Camp Kitwen is a cost-effective option that will create local jobs. The wood furnace will be a long term cost savings as the price of natural gas, propane, and electricity continues to rise. Video conferencing for arraignments and a satellite office in the courthouse would save money.

Contrary to the committee's sourcebook, the Department of Corrections has stated, via Representative Lahti's chief of staff, that the state has no need for Camp Kitwen and it would be in our county's best interest to lease the jail for $1 per year.

A super jail in the center of town is not the right plan for our family-friendly community. Because the jail committee did not come to the public for advice, our only option is to vote "No." To get informed, visit www.houghtoncountyjusticecenter.com.

CRAIG MAKENS
Houghton