Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-16

made IN the present room now occupied
for jail and sheriff? Shall we put in
some kind of heating arrangement for
the whole court house, and use the
basement in part for purposes of the
furnace and wood room? Shall we use
some portion of the basement for vault
rooms in which to store papers and
unused matter connected with some Of
the other offices? 1t is especially true
in tn, County Clerks office and the
County Treasurer office, that the
present vault room is wholly insufficient,
and further storage room somewhere is
needed. Shall the county in this con-
nection build house for the sheriff,
and shall we add as part of it, jail
such as is provided in many of the
counties?
These matters are matters of much
importance, and your committee is not
prepared at the present time or at the
present meeting of the Board to make
any definite recommendation as to
what ought to be done, and as to what
plan ought to be adopted.
We therefore ask that we be granted
further time in which to consider this
matter, and that W be authorized to
visit the jails Of one or two other
counties; for instance, the one at
Wausau and the one at Sparta, and
make further report to you as to what
we think should be done with regard to
this matter.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
Dated November 16, 1894.
GEO. L. WILLIAMS,
JOHN SCHNABEL,
F. PHILLIPS,
Court House Com
The committee were given more time
and authorized by the county board 10
visit iails at Wausau and Sparta, and
make a complete report on this matter
at next meeting of the Board.
At the next session of the County
Board which convened in February
1895, the Court House Committee made
the following report:
To the Honorable Chairman and
members of the County Board of Wood
County.
conference.-the the undersigned
Court House Committee, to whom was
referred the communication from the
said Board of Control regarding the
Jail of this County, and who were
authorized by you at your last meeting
to visit two jails Of other counties and
report to you at this meeting, beg leave
to report as follows.
On the 30th of January we visited the
new jail and sherif7s house at Medford
in Taylor county. This building we
| found in good condition, but were not
wholly pleased with its plans and
general arrangement.
On the 9TH oe February we visited
the new jail and sheritfs house at
Sparta. This building was constructed
i'll 1891. 1t is built of brick and stone,
solid walls. The jail part and the
sheritt's house are all under one roof.
In the jail there are seven stone cells
and q bath and water closet cell. These
occupy the first or ground floor. Above
these are two other stories in each OF
which are six steel and iron cells
capable of holding twenty prisoners
| Two of the iron and steel cages being
used as bath and closet room. In the
sheriff part are five sleeping rooms on
| the second floor, and on the first floor
are kitchen, pantry, dish closet, dining
room, parlOr, hall and sheriff7s office
cellar under all but jail part.
We were informed by the Chairman
of the Committee of the County Board
that this building completed cost
Sl6500.00. 1t is heated by steam and
has all of the modern improvements
including an efficient system of plumb
ing and ventilation.
The plans for this jail were drawn by
an architect of Milwaukee,, Koch, and
we procured from the Chairman of the
Court House Committee copy of most
of the plans, which we have with us,
and the same are open to inspection by
the members of this Board. The plans
| w hinh wp hayp bOuavpr ara not ly
there had to be some notifications
owing to matter Of expense. Of course
these plans are the property of the
architect, and we suppose that we are
not entitled to use them without the
consent of the architect
We are firmly convinced that the
i building at Sparta is just about wha1