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A professional planning firm has been selected to lead Chisago County toward construction of a new jail or justice center.

The commissioners voted unanimously last week to hire a Colorado firm, Liebert and Associates based on a quote that they’d develop jailbed numbers and projections and aid in packaging the project, for an amount not to exceed $93,000.

County Administrator John Moosey said the work schedule for the planner and the citizen Task Force to begin working together will be set “in a few short weeks.” He added that of the firms quoting for justice center planning services, Liebert and Assoc. seemed capable of bringing a good project forward in a cost-effective way.

~ The Chisago County Historical Society notified the county commissioners that a historic site plaque was going to be presented to the county in August, and that a marker for the old courthouse would be erected by the Center City Historical Society, on the yard of the Government Center.

The old wood courthouse is now at Almelund Threshing Grounds and stood in Center City until 1990, when it was moved to make way for the modern facility.

~ It was announced by a Wyoming community member and library booster Sheree Vincent that groundbreaking for the Wyoming Branch Library is August 5 at 7 p.m., and county commissioners are all invited.

The County Board also approved the contract with the low bidder on the three library projects. The bid itself had already been awarded to Gopher State almost a month and half before. There is a law requiring a bid to be contracted within 45 days of awarding.

In other matters:

The Board approved amending the Conditional Use Permit for the wastewater treatment plant in Chisago Lake Township North.

The Chisago Lakes Joint Sewage Treatment Commission sought the amended permit to allow for a major plant expansion. Commission Engineer Chuck Janski told the planning commission members at the public hearing that the Environmental Assessment had been completed by necessary agencies and the issue of the new lines from Stacy and Wyoming which will be hooking into the commission system are being discussed at a later date.

The joint sewer commission has scheduled a special meeting for August 5 to review bids on the nearly $10 million expansion and could award the project at that time. The joint commission expects completion on the new plant and related systems sometime in late summer 2006.

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