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The Chisago City Council unanimously approved a proposal to construct an $8 million  Lakes Area Police Department facility on land Chisago City currently owns near its fire department.

Chisago City agrees to provide the land at no cost, and proposes the structure to be funded with Lindstrom paying $3.5 million and Chisago City $4.5 million for the new building.  

While the two cities currently split police department operating costs equally, Chisago City officials said the unequal split is being proposed in acknowledgement that Chisago City has more available open land and is likely to grow at a faster rate than Lindstrom, in the next 20 years.taylors falls lame duck 

Lakes Area Police Department service territory includes both cities and is currently housed in the rear portion of the City Hall and Community Center in Lindstrom. The current space is inadequate and does not function well. 

After repeated attempts to receive state funds to help finance a new police building failed over the past 10 year, the two cities have not been able reach a mutual agreement on how to proceed. They disagree on how to fairly pay for a new shared building and where it would be located.

In an attempt to break the stalemate, Lindstrom recently hired consultants to look into renovating the existing city hall/community center as a new LAPD  police department building and holding cell facility with an expected use of 15 years.

Chisago City, however, has not been enthusiastic about investing in remodeling Lindstrom’s building with little space for future expansion.

Following its own workshop meeting earlier this year to discuss the issue, the Chisago City Council entered a contract agreement with the construction management team at Kraus-Anderson. The goal was to design an affordable new building that could meet the police department’s space and expansion needs for a minimum of 15 years.

Police Chief Bill Schlumbohm and Lindstrom City Administrator Dan Undem then met with Kraus-Anderson’s team several times to discuss building parameters, and the resulting draft design was reviewed by the Chisago City Council at a Sept. 22 workshop meeting. 

The draft proposal was then reviewed by the Lakes Area Police Department (LAPD) subcommittee. The subcommittee consists of city administrators Pechman of Chisago City and Undem of Lindstrom, and mayors Judy Chartrand of Lindstrom and Jeremy Dresel of Chisago City.

 Now that the proposal has been approved by the Chisago City Council, Administrator Pechman will forward it to Lindstrom administrator Undem for official consideration by the City of Lindstrom.

Key elements of the proposal include:

- Chisago City will pay costs of legally dividing the property as needed.

- the property will be transferred to Lakes Area Police Department.

- The existing 20-25 year  agreement between Chisago City and Lindstrom for law enforcement remains in place.

In comparing its proposal with Lindstrom’s plan to renovate the existing city hall building, Chisago City points out that the Lindstrom site is 1.5 acres and  is an irregularly shaped lot which makes future expansion difficult. Chisago City’s proposed 2.25 acre lot is rectangular and provides a more practical footprint for construction, parking, operations and future expansion, and the impound lot is already there. 

Chisago City now awaits Lindstrom’s response. 

“Lindstrom took a lot of time to give their building renovation proposal to us,” said Mayor Dresel, “and this is our effort to respond.”  

    

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