By Teri Knight
The Northfield city Council had their regular meeting last night. Representatives of the Charter Commission presented the final proposed changes to the Charter. The council officially received the amendments. There are many housekeeping items but the biggest change comes in the proposed change of how the city is run. Right now, the Mayor is acting Chief Executive Officer of the City accountable to the City Council. The Charter is proposing the Administrator become the CEO accountable to the council. Charter chair, Jayne Hager Dee says this change complies with State law. The council now has 30 days to set a date for a public hearing.
The council approved retaining Bonestroo to work with the city and the Streetscape Task Force in the development of a Gateway Improvement Plan. There was discussion over an increase of $5,500 above the proposed budget. Members wanted more information on the reasons for the increase. The Streetscape project budget allocated $18,000 to come from the TIF fund. Bonestroo’s proposal came in at $23,500.
Approval of the pre-application for a TIGER grant took up some discussion time. City Administrator Tim Madigan said that, strategically, a matching local fund would give the pre-application a better chance of approval. Two options for the crossings were brought forth, Hwy 19 at Malt o Meal and Hwy 3 at Greenvale Ave. Council chose the Hwy 3 crossing as having the most impact on the community as a whole and a better chance of getting the TIGER grant.
“Make your voice Heard” is the theme of the International Day of Peace planned for today on Bridge Square from 4:30 to 6pm. There will be musicians, speakers and an open mic for the public to express their feelings.In case of rain, the event will be held in the Community Room of the Northfield Public Library. Northfield has participated in this event since 2003.
The Waterford Iron Bridge, in Waterford Township, has been selected as one of 25 sites in the 7 county Metro area to be considered for the Partners in Preservation grant. The grant will bring $1 million in preservation monies to historic places in the Twin Cities. Voting takes place online at facebook.com. Log on to Facebook, search for Partners in Preservation, “Like” them and then vote for the Waterford Iron Bridge. You can vote once a day through Oct. 12. The historic place that receives the most votes will be guaranteed its full grant request, up to $125,000, with the balance of the $1 million being distributed to the remaining sites. You can also get more information on the Northfield Historical society’s website.
The reclamation of Jefferson Road continues. Engineering Tech Coordinator, Sean Simonson, says paving will starts today and the hope is that the project will be 95% complete by the end of next week. Simonson is still asking motorists to use Hwy 3 as an alternate.
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