By MaryHelen Swanson

Four of the five Chisago County commissioners agreed last week to hire a ìwatch dogî for the proposed new jail project.

Sheriff Todd Rivard brought with him to the board meeting David Parchar, a jail consultant, most recently associated with the building of the new St. Louis County jail. Parchar was Rivardís recommended choice for consultant.

The Sheriff said it was not necessary to advertise for the position as it is a professional service.

Parchar, from Duluth, has been in the jail business 27 years and has helped with the building of eight jails.

He was hired for a one-year contract at $3,000 a month with reimbursements (travel, etc.) up to $5,000.

And if the county wants him to continue beyond a year, the costs will be the same, he said.

He will perform a multitude of duties in connection with the new jail, beginning by assisting in obtaining appraisals on two jail sites and the selection of the final site.

Parchar will assist the county in hiring an architect and a construction manager.

A good jail, Parchar said, is clean, quiet and safe and the most efficient design is a one-story building.

In a memo to the board, Sheriff Rivard said, ìThe consultant will lead us through the process and hopefully eliminate the mistakes that are commonly made when jails are built.î

He said the consultant would be ìour trusted watch dog through the entire project.î

Rivard said Parcharís rates were ìan excellent bang for the buck.î

Commissioner Lynn Schultz was concerned with public education about the jail project.

Parchar informed her that before he was in jails, he was a teacher. He said it was not a challenge, but an opportunity to work with the public.

Commissioner Rick Olseen said he sees Parchar staying on board for three years, until the jail is built.

Commissioner Ben Montzka asked if anyone had seen Parcharís resume. He wanted to see it before he voted to hire Parchar. Montzka was the lone dissenting vote in the hiring.

Montzka also said he was surprised the county didnít consult with its architect of record and he asked where the money was coming from to hire Parchar.
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Rivard noted that the county has $390,000 for the jail land purchase, it could come out of that, he said.

That was supported by County Administrator John Moosey who also noted that the $6,000 cost of land appraisals would come out of that fund.

Olseen supported Rivardís choice in consultants saying the sheriff had looked at many jail facilities and that he (sheriff) was impressed with the St. Louis facility.

Harris mayor seeks road funds

Rick Smisson, mayor of Harris, was on hand last week to ask for the cityís fair share of county dollars in turnback money for Ginger Avenue.

Smisson had been under the assumption the county would fix Ginger Avenue before the turnback.

Now, he told the commissioners, a letter says theyíll just get $75,000.

Smisson said his city is not seeing tax dollars coming in as much as going to the southern part of the county.

He said he was trying to ìjump startî and clean up Harris and bring it into the 21st century.

County Engineer Bill Malin noted that the amount going to Harris would be closer to $100,000.

In regards to the county not investing in the city of Harris, Malin passed out a sheet of paper detailing road construction projects in the city since 1999. In all, the seven projects totalled $3,069,592.

Malin suggested that the county give Ginger Avenue a 2-inch mill and overlay at a cost of about $65,000 and give the rest of the money to Harris to take care of other issues, such as plugged storm sewers.

The mill and overlay might be done this year.

Malin said this would be fair to other cities in the county, and fairness, he said, is his objective.

Board chairman Mike Robinson also noted that Harris residents pay about a half million dollars in taxes a year. He reminded the mayor that the county has given back over $3 in road projects.

In other business, the county board:

ï Delayed action on construction of a cold storage building for the highway department for a couple of weeks.

ï Was introduced to Nick Thompson, the new Minnesota Department of Transportation area manager who updated the board on projects and said ìfunding is an issue that delays things.î

ï Approved the creation of a Volunteer Bailiff Program. Individuals, most likely retired persons, would assist the bailiff in the courtroom doing things like paper work that would free up the bailiff to attend to better security procedures. The cost to the county is minimal - a shirt, lunch, etc. It was agreed that this is a first step in improving much needed security in the courtrooms.

Administrator Mosey said it will add the extra sense of security on the third floor. A memo from Kathleen Karnowski, court administrator, said the Bench and Court Administration were in support of this initiative.

ï Approved a new sergeant position in the courts also.