Portage County Space and Properties committee reviews $5M courthouse Phase 1 plan, jail design progress and approves sale of 2040 Jefferson Street

The Portage County Space and Properties Committee on Feb. 1 reviewed the Phase 1 courthouse renovation plan, heard progress updates on the county’s Law Enforcement Center design and capital projects through 2032, and approved the sale of a surplus county building at 2040 Jefferson Street in Stevens Point.

Committee Chair opened the meeting and introduced the director’s report. Todd (Director) said staff are moving county operations from 1039 Dallas into a newly acquired warehouse at 3349 Church Street and that the Treasurer’s Office carpeting replacement began this week. “There’s not a lot of moving pieces right now. It’s the sale of the health care center and trying to get our stuff out of 1039 Dallas and moving into 3349 Church Street,” Todd said.

Why it matters: staff and the board are sequencing multiple large facilities projects so short‑term moves and interim fixes do not stall longer‑term renovation work. A staff member summarized the Phase 1 courthouse scope as a multi‑million‑dollar effort that includes a single point of access, updated family‑court space, updated audiovisual systems across branches and design work for the register of probate. The staff member said the overall Phase 1 effort has been presented as a roughly $5,000,000 program in internal briefings and that external design meetings and public engagement are beginning.

Procurement and schedule: staff reported they purchased a scanning unit for the sheriff under a federal GSA contract and noted a 16–24 week lead time for delivery. They also said an RFP for security services is due and that the RFP includes language allowing, by mutual agreement, the selected vendor to be used at other county facilities; the committee was told there is no current plan to replace the library’s vendor.

Jail and Law Enforcement Center: the staff member told the committee the Law Enforcement Center (jail) project has advanced through value engineering and is ready to move from schematic design into design development. Land purchase for the project is complete, architects are engaged, and additional internal teams (highway, IT) have been added to the project team. The staff member said cost reductions have been identified that “won’t dramatically change the quality or the way the jail is going to operate,” but did not provide specific line‑item savings.

Public engagement and website updates: committee members asked when project webpages would be updated. Staff said they prefer to post stable, concrete materials and expect to present a website update when design development produces materials for public viewing; staff referenced a recent open house with roughly 30–40 attendees and said photos and writeups are being gathered.

Solid waste and other projects: staff reported a solid‑waste project kickoff with Amanda designated as project lead; the team is near schematic design and plans to post project information on the website. The committee also reviewed an itemized capital project list for 2027–2032 and recommended removing or delaying certain projects (for example, a chiller replacement at the LAC because a new LAC is planned and several items tied to the new Law Enforcement Center were adjusted or deleted).

Property sale approved: after discussion of condition and program relocation, the committee moved and seconded a resolution to approve and authorize sale of the county property at 2040 Jefferson Street (described in discussion as a former peer‑support facility, sometimes called Rock Point). The motion, moved by Ed Eagleson and seconded by Weir, was called and the committee signified approval. The transcript records the motion as passed; the record in the transcript shows vocal 'Aye' responses and a single named opposed prompt ('Geary') during the roll. The committee discussion earlier had noted building repairs would be substantial (handicap ramp, cabinetry, paint) and that program services have relocated, prompting staff and a member to recommend surplus sale to reduce county liability.

Costs and clarifications: the committee discussed several cost estimates and sequencing questions. Staff cited a roughly $500,000 estimate for Church Street parking lot resurfacing, explained that poor subbase and prior sinkhole/fuel‑tank collapse at the site could increase scope and cost, and noted sprinkler and water‑main work tied to the 3349 Church Street warehouse. Staff also described contingency options if existing LEC chillers fail (renting a chilled‑air truck and temporary generator power could restore cooling in roughly 48 hours but would be expensive). Where the transcript presented ambiguous numeric shorthand (for example, a phrase transcribed as “that’s 325”), the committee minutes did not clarify whether amounts were thousands or millions; the committee record therefore treats those entries as not specified pending budget documents.

What’s next: staff said design development meetings begin this month for courthouse and jail projects and the committee set its next meeting for March 4. The committee asked for website analytics and additional public‑facing materials as projects reach milestones.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the 12/04/2025 meeting minutes (motion recorded as moved by Eggleston), approved a motion related to a joint meeting item (motion moved by Hiddleston) and approved the sale authorization for 2040 Jefferson Street (motion moved by Ed Eagleson; second by Weir). The transcript records vocal 'Aye' responses for these motions; no full roll‑call breakdown or final dollar sale terms were entered in the transcript.

Sources: Committee meeting transcript (Portage County Space and Properties Committee), Feb. 1. Direct quotes and paraphrases in this article are drawn from committee remarks by Todd (Director), the staff member presenting project updates, and statements entered in the meeting record.