Sheridan Park Still Top Pick for Police Station

Tuesday, August 17, 2004, Sheboygan Press, By Bob Petrie, Sheboygan Press Staff

The Sheboygan Common Council is sticking with Sheridan Park as the place to build the city’s new police station.

Council members voted to stay the course Monday night, narrowly rejecting a resolution by Ald. Juan Perez to rescind its Aug. 2 vote to locate the $10.8 million law enforcement facility in the 157-year old park at South 14th Street and New Jersy Avenue.

The vote was 8-6, meaning the Sheridan decision stands, despite a spirited effort by the newly formed Friends of Sheboygan Parks urging the aldermen to change their minds. The Aug. 2 vote was 11-4 in favor of building the station at Sheridan.

“I think we did our best,” said Vickie Hall, one of the group’s leaders. “I still don’t feel we are the vocal minority … that was not my experience in talking to the people on the street.”

After the vote, Hall said the group “probably will be exploring other avenues” but declined to say what they would be.

About 50 park supporters packed the council gallery, spilling outside the chambers. Before the meeting, roughly 30 people marched in front of City Hall, holding signs with slogans such as “Honk for Sheridan Park” and “Parks belong to the People”.

“We all need police, but we’re in an area where our kids need a place to play,” said Charles Rogers, who lives across from the park on New Jersey Avenue.

In addition, the group says it collected 900 petition signatures from people wanting to keep the park.

“We’ve got the entire city covered,” Dan Verhasselt, a park supporter, told aldermen. “Your constituency in overwhelming fashion doesn’t want the park to go”.

But others said Sheridan Park is underused and the police station could help bring safety and stability to the surrounding area.

“It’s become a very unsafe neighborhood; the park is part of the problem,” said Gina Steinhardt, who lives nearby.

“I wouldn’t let my kids go to that park without being supervised.”

Mayor James Schramm, who had publicly preferred the city acquire a county-owned site of North 23rd Street for the police station, said he hopes Monday’s vote would be the last.

“We need a new police station,” Schramm said. “We’ve waited long enough.”

Ald. Bill Wangemann said the location and the site itself, which would allow for multi-story construction and a lower level-parking garage, are ideal for the station.

“Sheridan Park will not be destroyed. Sheridan Park will be maintained as much as humanely possible,” he said.

Perez, who had voted against Sheridan Park being used for the station, said his move to rescind the earlier vote was based on behalf of residents who wanted to keep the park.

“This is one time the council has an opportunity to correct something we shouldn’t have done,” Perez said.

The council vote was as follows:

Aldermen voting to let Sheridan Park remain as the council’s choice for the staion: Dan Berg, Anthony Bonnett,k Bonnie Cerda, Marge Segalle, Don Van Akkeren, Silas Vander Weele, Bill Wangemann, Mike Warner.

Aldermen voting to rescind the Aug. 2 vote: Jim Graf, Richard Manny, Marilyn Montemayor, Juan Perez, Bob Peterson and Bill Stephen.’’Absent and excused: Dennis Baumann and Eric Rindfleisch.