Today’s news update | Council votes to purchase former Union of Youth spot

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• The Northfield city council has voted to negotiate with representatives from the Union of Youth to purchase the property at 303 Water Street South. The site was recently vacated by the Union of Youth, who have moved to another site. The city owns the parcel adjacent to that location. If the sale goes through, the council will have a decision to make down the road, whether to separate the parcels or combine them into one larger parcel. Should a deal be made, the council will likely delegate the reuse and redevelopment of the property to the Economic Development Authority.
• The Rice County MOD squad has received the 2010 Traffic Enforcement Program Award. The award recognizes excellence in carrying out traffic safety initiatives. The award was given at the Region 5 National Highway Traffic Safety Association conference on April 27^th. The MOD squad was established in 2008 to support a high-visibility enforcement team to modify unsafe driving behavior in Rice County. Rice County has been on the state’s 13 deadliest counties list for impaired driving for the past few years, due in part to its high number of alcohol-related traffic deaths and serious injuries. In 2009, though, there were four traffic fatalities, none involving alcohol, that was down from 2008, when there had been 12 fatalities, 3 of which involved alcohol. Rice County deputy Blaine Smith says several law enforcement agencies throughout the county contribute to the success of the MOD squad program.
• More than half a dozen local youth organizations have been awarded Grace Whittier grants. Grace Whittier left an estate gift to Northfield in the late 80s, designating the money be used for youth activities. The Northfield Public School Booster Club, Youth Sports Collaborative, Amateur Boxing Club, YMCA, TORCH, Community Action Center and Northfield Skating school are this year’s grant recipients. In all, nearly $40,000 was requested by various local youth groups, and around $3,400 was granted for 2010.