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By MaryHelen Swanson
Haven’t heard much about the new county jail lately? Neither has the county board. And they are anxious to know the status of the planning.
Last week, the commissioners put a temporary halt to the project by not approving more soil testing on the 59 acres purchased as the site of the new jail east of Center City.
According to County Administrator John Moosey, five spots on the acreage were tested before the land was purchased.
When the site plan was crafted, the site for the jail was found to contain wet and loose soils and would need fill, to the tune of about a million dollars.
So last week Moosey brought in a proposal from Independent Testing Technologies, Inc., to do 28 split-spoon soil borings on a grid layout at 150-foot spacing across the site. The cost was to be just over $7,300.
As this was the first jail business to come up in several weeks, it brought on questions from the commissioners who wanted to know what’s been going on with the jail planning.
Moosey said they’ve been keeping low key because they are still working on numbers, to come up with what the board will accept.
Commissioner Bob Gustafson, who is a member of the jail group putting together the project, said the whole point of that group is to lay out the best place for the jail building ... for all the components on the site.
That would include a future justice center (courts) law enforcement center and perhaps some commercial aspects.
The problem, Board Chairwoman Lynn Schultz said, is that the county is paying its consultant a lot of money and not getting the feedback that was promised.
Commissioner Ben Montzka agreed with Schultz about hearing from David Pracher, the jail consultant, but he also suggested that the board should approve the soil testing.
But his main concern was that he wasn’t hearing support from his colleagues for a large jail.
He asked Commissioner Mike Robinson for an opinion, as Robinson also sits on the jail committee. Robinson said little.
It took two motions to approve the soil borings.
The first, by Gustafson, failed for lack of a second.
Then following discussion, stepping down from the chair, Schultz moved and Gustafson supported her motion to approve the geotechnical services.
A roll call vote was taken with Montzka, Robinson and Commissioner Rick Greene voting no.
Following the second failure to approve the soil borings, Gustafson made the statement that the whole project was now sitting dead in the water.
Chairwoman Schultz directed Moosey to make arrangements to have Prachar report to the full board.
In other business, the board:
• Postponed action on revisions to the county’s citation powers ordinance. The revisions would give power to the Reserve officers to write tickets and drive old squad cars when they cover things like the threshing show. Moosey said the purpose of the Reserves is to provide services at lower costs than hired personnel. He recommended that Sheriff Todd Rivard attend a board meeting to discuss these issues.
• Approved a conditional use permit for Patty Zimmerman to operate a cattery for breeding purebred cats at her home in Fish Lake Township, with 11 conditions, one being the total number of cats over one year of age be reduced to 15. Presently she has 25 adult cats on the premise.
• Approved a conditional use permit for Tory Schaefer to operate a dog kennel with 14 conditions, in Chisago Lake Township.
• Approved a conditional use permit for Harold Anderson of Chisago Lake Township to operate a print shop as a home occupation, with seven conditions.
• Discussed the zoning amendment on the adult use ordinance. For months the county has held meetings and public hearings on an amendment modeled after a Morrison County ordinance pertaining to the placement of adult use businesses in the county. Several areas in the county, known as Limited Business Districts, have been delineated as places where such businesses could be located. There remains questions and concerns on the part of the commissioners, but Zoning Director Mary Darragh Schmitz reminded them that the county’s moratorium on adult use businesses expires in July. The idea behind the amendment is to be as restrictive as possible while complying with the Supreme Court ruling that these businesses must be allowed. The board intends to look at the amendment further before approving it. The county’s planning commission has approved the amendment and assistant county attorney Kristine Fluge has given it strict scrutiny.
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