Stevens Point municipal liaison Ginger Keimer told the Stevens Point Public Library Board that a city–county land swap has cleared its final committee hurdles and that the city is pursuing plans for a year‑round shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

Keimer said, “the city section of city hall will be returning to the county,” and described parcel exchanges, parking‑lot transfers and the city’s evaluation of renovating the Ellis Street building or replacing it. She said the city has retained an architect to assess costs for renovation versus teardown and that the city is applying for federal environmental cleanup grants for redevelopment sites formerly classified as brownfield properties.

Why it matters: the parcel transfers and redevelopment planning affect downtown land use, parking, and where municipal and county services will be hosted. Board members said the presence of people living outdoors has direct operational implications for library staff and patrons, and any changes to enforcement around public camping hinge on whether a 365‑day shelter becomes available.

Library staff reported an increase in people sleeping outside the library in early April and said they communicated with city officials about code of conduct enforcement on library property. The Library Director said staff emphasized that conduct rules apply on the library property and that they have seen improvement in overnight sleeping and related activities since those communications.

Board members and the liaison discussed recent committee deliberations on a proposed city ordinance that would impose fines or tickets for some outdoor living behavior. Keimer said the city committee recommended “no action” until a year‑round shelter is in place, characterizing the committee’s view as: until a 365‑day shelter is available, the city should avoid fines or ticketing that would criminalize people living outside. She added that establishing a year‑round shelter will require city financing and coordination with nonprofit service providers.

The board also discussed recent operational steps the library has taken to address safety and visibility downtown. The Library Director said the library’s new private security contract has reduced day‑to‑day staff time spent on outdoor maintenance and disruptive incidents. “Walking around maintaining a presence has had a really great, reduction in the amount of staff time and attention that needs to go” toward those issues, the director said, crediting the security presence with both prevention and active intervention when needed.

No formal board action was taken on enforcement or shelter funding at the meeting. Board members urged continued coordination with the city and local nonprofits and said they will monitor the city’s decisions and any changes to enforcement policy.

Ending: Keimer reminded the board about a public meeting that evening at MSTC to discuss a conceptual redevelopment plan and environmental‑cleanup grant applications; the board was invited to follow up with city staff as plans and grant applications proceed.