ST. PAUL — A 68-year-old man who has spent two decades in the Minnesota sex offender treatment program is on the verge of provisional release after a special court panel granted his placement in a four-bed residential facility in rural Olmsted County.

The three-member panel’s order last month paved the way for Benjamin Gissendanner’s conditional release. It came to light Tuesday when the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office announced a community notification meeting is set for Aug. 18 in the township southwest of Rochester where Gissendanner will live as soon as September.

Gissendanner, who previously served prison time for rape convictions, will be subject to electronic monitoring, outpatient treatment, regular chemical screening and several restrictions, including on Internet use. He’s only the fourth offender in the program to reach this stage, with one of the others returned to the secure treatment program due to violations of his release conditions.

“Ben’s really looking forward to it, but with good perspective,” said Gissendanner’s attorney, Lisbeth Nudell. “He knows what he has to do, and he’s ready to do it.”

Nudell said she’s confident his monitoring and ongoing treatment program will work.