Column: When it comes to progress, mind the rake

By Dan Kontos

With all the warm weather as of late, it’s hard not to think of spring activities, such as painting, lawn care, and the like.  With that, a cautionary tale is in order.

For fans of the animated TV show The Simpsons, you are probably familiar with the long-running gag involving the character Sideshow Bob, and his propensity to step on garden rakes, thus spoiling his well-laid plans. Let’s not allow this to happen to Portage County.

While we enjoy the mild weather, thanks in no small part to global warming I’m sure. Sorry, wait, I just spit out my coffee a bit laughing…  Alright, pull yourself together.

Where was I? Oh yes. While we enjoy the warmer weather, and we are thinking about being out and about doing our obligatory springtime activities, beware that we do not step on any rakes.

What do I mean? On Tuesday, the County Board considers the purchase of just over 42 acres of land in the town of Plover for a new jail and law enforcement center. It seems that after decades of inaction, misfires, and political incapacitation, the first steps to finally resolve a county-wide deficiency that is a true mandated function of the County, may actually be moving forward.

Is this the absolute ideal solution? Of course not. No solution is utterly flawless, and detractors will always cling to any deficiency in the plan in order to sabotage the entire project. I’ve warned in the past that we have a tendency to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If we do not guard against it, we may step on the proverbial rake again.

Experts and other knowledgeable people know that this project is in great need, and long delayed which has opened the County up unnecessarily to safety and liability issues. It’s no secret that I concur. Anyone with any credibility on this matter agrees that something needs to be done. The battles have mostly been over how to achieve a solution.

Infighting, hidden agendas, and one-upmanship have brought us to this point. Not everyone can get their way on everything. That’s the nature of a representative government.

Something needs to be done, and the interests of Portage County as a whole should be the primary driving factor in any decision. Can we agree on at least that?

Was it the first choice? No, there have been many, many attempts to solve this impasse by other means. These struggles have, up to this point, led to nothing but frustration, unnecessary ill will, wasted time and money, and lost opportunity costs. It is by the sheer grace of God that we have not had more injuries and deaths due to inaction.

Are there aspects of this plan that are less than ideal? Of course. Challenges and changes will need to be made for prisoner transports. Opportunities to examine other land options, like the 12.6-acre plot off of Highway 66, will be lost. Inmate access to transportation and other services will be impacted. Yes, it’s less than perfect, but it is good. Many of you should have done something different years ago, but those doors are closed now. Such is reality.

Perhaps the overall project was just too large. Maybe this is a better way to break up our real property problems into more manageable and palatable chunks. It’s not flawlessly ideal, but certainly better than what we are doing now.

I love the supervisors on the County Board, and respect their service and commitment. So in that light, I warn you to take care, and watch out for that rake that you may step on.

Don’t let perfection be the only acceptable solution. Don’t be overcome by the chattering class, and by those who have a poor understanding of the whole picture. Don’t be cowed by partisans, and by those who bray the loudest.

Please, can we finally solve this issue. There are lots of other problems to tackle. I urge you to take the win, and move on.

So, with that, let’s meet over a glass of milk or an adult beverage to talk about all of it, boldly, honestly, like adults, and with a healthy respect for each other. Until then, God bless, and get it done.