Committee joins halfway-house fight A letter in opposition of federal prisoners at Alpine House goes to the full County Board By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle With several letters of opposition in hand, citizens opposing a proposed halfway house on Sturgeon Bay Road have asked the Brown County Board to stand up with them against the Federal Bureau of Prisons. At a meeting Thursday, the Education and Recreation Committee of the board voted to work with corporation counsel to draft a letter against the facility, which would be located at Alpine House, 5628 Sturgeon Bay Road in New Franken, close to the county's Bayshore Park. The letter must be approved by the full board. Since zoning laws do not apply to halfway houses, community members who do not want a facility are looking for strength in numbers. "It comes down to the only thing you can do is present some kind of opposition," said Mike Saharsky, a town of Green Bay supervisor. "You can't fight these things with any zoning." The proposed 19-bed facility would house federal prisoners, many possibly state prisoners, who must live there as a condition of their probation or release. Drug, alcohol or sex offenders could be housed there, Saharsky said. U.S. Rep. Mark Green, state Sen. Alan Lasee and the municipalities have submitted letters in opposition to the facility. Since "not in my backyard" is not strong enough reasoning, the town is relying on three levels of reasoning to submit to the government: There is no employment in the rural area; the town does not have its own police force; and the facility's proximity to a popular park threatens the park's well-being. "I'm concerned because the park system is across the street," said Sup. Merlin Vanden Plas, who brought the concern to the committee. "I just can't see a facility out there for prisoners. It's just not the place for that." Since the town does not have its own police force, patrols near the house would have to be done by the Sheriff's Department, which is under its own financial constraints. "We have no police force at all, so the only security we get is what the county can provide," Saharsky said. One of the purposes of the house is to integrate prisoners back into the community. Saharsky argued there are no jobs available in the rural community of 1,850. Alpine House employees would have to arrange for transportation to any job the residents could get, he said. He said 88 percent of the town's residents own their own home, and there are not many rental facilities for the prisoners to live in after their release. Sup. Kevin Kuehn said he would like to see more information on the home before making a decision. He does not want to see another facility of its kind in north Green Bay, where several already are located. FYI A town of Green Bay meeting to discuss federal prisoners at Alpine House will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at 6028 County K, New Franken. Written comments will be accepted for submission to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.