Tearman plans to move ahead with reopening overnight shelter
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Michael R. Tearman
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Gale S. Price
JANESVILLE — Mike Tearman plans to reopen the Christian Fellowship and Outreach Center’s overnight shelter that the city ordered shut down June 8 because of building and zoning code issues.
When Tearman will reopen the shelter is unknown.
“There are people who need the services, and I don’t see that it’s being provided for them,” Tearman said. “So I’m going to do everything I can to provide that service for these men. We’re not going away. I got a year lease on that building. I might even buy it when I can get some money.”
Tearman on Wednesday was waiting for blueprints so he could create a floor plan for the conditional-use permit he needs to change his drop-in center back into an overnight shelter.
He said he didn’t have the $500 required to apply for the permit.
“I work 40-plus hours a week and have six children. I don’t get paid for this. I volunteer,” Tearman said.
Another issue that must be resolved before the shelter can reopen for overnight stays is installation of a fire sprinkler system.
“I have verbally told him that overnight use would require sprinklers and did not put it in a letter,” said Gale Price, manager of building and development services for the city. “There’s a variance process with the state he can pursue if he’d like.”
Tearman, however, said Price didn’t say the need for the fire sprinkler system was absolute.
“He (Price) was talking to a fire department guy, and that was something he was looking into. I think he’s still researching the option,” Tearman said.
Regardless, Tearman has been pursuing a sprinkler system.
“We had some people look, and they don’t think the water supply from the city lines are able to support a sprinkler system,” he said.
Tearman said he received a call from a Madison sprinkler contractor who offered to provide a system and install it. Plus, he said a local security company offered a monitoring system with strobe lights, free for a year, as an alternate solution.
“The support has been overwhelming from architects, plumbers, electricians and construction contractors who have called me, and most of them have offered their services to low or no cost,” Tearman said.
Tearman had no idea what a sprinkler system might cost, but Price said industrial sprinkler contractors typically charge $3 a square foot.
“But this is more complicated because of the two floors, lower ceilings and so forth,” he said of the building, which has 2,000 square feet on each of two floors. That could presumably push costs higher.
In addition to providing the floor plan along with the $500 application for the conditional-use permit, Price said, Tearman must provide a shelter site plan that shows the layout of the property and whether he’s going to do anything to the exterior. Then he’ll have to appear before the plan commission, which could take up to eight weeks.
If and when the permit gets approved, Price said he would do a detailed building plan with Tearman “to give him a complete understanding with the code issues involved with the change in use. It’s a complicated project, to some degree.”
Tearman said he’s not so sure he wants to change the building’s zoning.
“Maybe we want to keep it commercially zoned,” he said.
Meanwhile, he continues to operate a drop-in center for homeless men out of the building, 407 W. Van Buren St.
“We feed them. People are still bringing food—breakfast and dinner—in to us. They can go to the Salvation Army for lunch,” Tearman said. “There's always water, fellowship, camaraderie, and we have a great 12-step program.”
Tearman also said he’s open to meeting with neighbors of the Old Fourth Ward Committee, some of whom complained about the overnight shelter.
“It would please me if they would extend an invitation,” he said. “I’d surely make it and answer their questions.”
Jun 19, 2010 at 5:04 p.m.
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I personally think this is a admirable project. But, at this point Mr. Tearman should be extremely accountable to the many people he is expecting to trust him. Is there a reason he is doing this pretty much on his own and not relying on a board of directors to tackle some of the problems that he has encountered?? And is there a non profit status involved in venture?? How does his place of employment (Community Action) feel about him devoting so much time to this project?? As a successful employer, I really do expect my employees to give me an honest hour for honest pay.
Jun 19, 2010 at 4:50 p.m.
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The problem with going public when opening something for the needy is the public wants it in someone elses backyard. The public will nit pick instead of being cold hearted and saying we want it just not near my home.
My family went thru this when they tried to open their doors for people with physical and mental disabilities. It was the first one in the area. It was taking them from institutions and blending them into private homes to help them develop and socialize. The neighborhood went WILD thinking the next Ed Gein was moving in. They atteneded every meeting to try stopping it. Thank goodness a council member had a disabled child and pushed it through. Within a year, the neighborhood was hosting BBQ and personally inviting the house guests.
Jun 19, 2010 at 4:16 p.m.
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Should a neighborhood trust someone who has been so clearly lacking in experience working with the City, so lax in following ordinances, and so naive regarding the good work that the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood association has accomplished, that they yet should believe he could possibly manage a homeless shelter with anything more than the same "innocent" lack of qualifications and inability to cooperate with others more knowledgeable?
Jun 19, 2010 at 3:20 p.m.
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farfnik, snicker all you want, but you obviously have no idea what the committee does to keep the neighborhood safe. (Suffice to say we know -- just as well as the dealers -- which landlords are lazy about background checks and drag their feet about problem-solving.) The drug nuisance ordinance itself owes much to multiple years of diligence by the committee. Of course, we can't wave a magic wand and eliminate the demand for drugs, so it's a battle begun anew pretty much every summer.
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As for the water, the building may have a supply line as small as 1/2". That entire line would need to be dug up out to the street and replaced in order to provide sufficient pressure for fire suppression. This is why there are fire and plumbing codes (in fact, the very first fire code in the US was intended to set common standards for sprinkler systems). This is in addition to any interior work that would be required (I suppose it's easy enough to install in a drop ceiling, but you need things like standpipes and pressure regulators).
Jun 19, 2010 at 2:32 p.m.
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This is not a bad thing. There is sustenance in the Lord!! Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others!
Jun 19, 2010 at 1:39 p.m.
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This is an unfortunate story. From what was reported, it seems as if Tearman leaped into this venture with his heart. Often, this can lead to problems like the ones that caused his shelter to be shut down. I sincerely hope that the issues in question can be resolved quickly as his cause is one that needs to be addressed. Hopefully the people involved with the city will help expedite the process. In the mean time, it is the people in need of these services that suffer the most.
Jun 19, 2010 at 12:50 a.m.
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Good advice, SarahB1. The sad fact is what we're reading now is what should have happened in the first place. What are the building codes that apply? What upgrades need to take place? What is the city permit process? Is my building zoned for the use I am planning, and if not, do I need to seek a variance? Will I need to go through the plan commission? How do I present my plan to the neighbors at the public hearing? This could have been quite a different story if Tearman had simply followed the rules.
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I do hope that the offers of help he is touting are in fact genuine. He was misrepresenting the help and support he had around the neighborhood, so I'm curious to see whether his word improves. He also should not have falsely claimed that he had already met with the neighborhood. Perhaps he will now present a list of the people he did meet with and let us know how they were selected and contacted.
Jun 18, 2010 at 5:42 p.m.
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Andrea may say she is teaming up but she is full of herself. It would be best for her to concentrate on her reality show and leave Mr. Tearman alone.
Jun 18, 2010 at 5:38 p.m.
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Keep on keeping on Mr. Tearman. You might be pleasantly surprised by others stepping up to the plate! It wouldn't surprise me that a lot of support will come from fourth ward citizens that are not associated with old fourth committee ( about 99% of us)
Jun 18, 2010 at 5:29 p.m.
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I happened to watch Andreah Briarmoon's JATV show and she has teamed up with Mike Tearman in a quest to get the shelter open. I bet the neighbors are dancing in the streets!
"Tearman says he's not sure he wants to change the building's zoning..." Apparently he doesn't know enough to realize the zoning isn't up to him. This story keeps getting better and better!
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