PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Residents across the state are waiting to see if projects important to their area will be included in the next two-year state budget — and that includes in Allouez, the home of the 126-year-old Green Bay Correctional Institution.
Out of dozens of people who attended a special meeting at Allouez Village Hall Thursday night to hear from state lawmakers on the possibility of closing the prison being included in the budget, perhaps no one knows the need more than Jeffrey Watson.
“It’s the roughest, toughest prison you can think of,” said Watson. “Well deserved. Well earned.”
Watson was an inmate at GBCI and echoed others in attendance in applauding their area representatives in coming together to advocate for the prison’s closure.
A 2020 study determined Green Bay Correctional is beyond repair. It is also consistently hundreds of inmates over its design capacity and the subject of criticism for having inhumane conditions, including rodents.
Allouez officials would also like to see the prison land redeveloped to add millions of dollars in tax base for the village.
“I want to see some revenue come from that, and the prison is not really doing it for us,” said Brian Baeb of Allouez.
Democratic State Senator Jamie Wall and Republican State Representatives David Steffen and Ben Franklin told residents what they know about the potential of the prison being included when Republicans draft their budget proposal.
“The corrections budget has not yet been scheduled, and that may be a good sign in that it leaves space for more conversations about how we can move forward with this,” said Wall. “Everybody has told me there has been good conversations that have been happening about this. It’s just they weren’t the same good conversations and whether we can square that circle or not is the challenge.”
Wall says at a minimum, he’d like to see planning money in the budget for building a new juvenile facility in Northeast Wisconsin. It’s one of many physical steps Governor Tony Evers proposed to free up beds to close GBCI by the end of 2029.
Franklin says he’d also like to see planning money, as well as a deadline for the prison’s closure.
“So that we can hold ourselves accountable at the state level to get it closed,” said Franklin.
“What can we do to help?” questioned Judy Kimball of Allouez. “What can all of us, as citizens of the area, do to promote the right cause?”
Wall recommended reaching out to state lawmakers with the most influence.
“The leadership of either house, all the members of the finance committee — they kind of have a responsibility to all of us, not just their districts,” said Wall. “I would urge you folks here, and you folks in the audience, to reach out to those people as appropriate as well.”
The hope is a budget is passed in time for the start of the next fiscal year starting July 1.
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