Koester Court in Northfield was built in the 1980’s. It is nearing the end of it’s obligation to remain affordable and could eventually go on the open market. Housing Director, Janine Atchison said, “so there’s a big push by Common Bond Communities to purchase this property so that it remains affordable”. Common Bond is a non-profit organization whose efforts surround affordable housing. They currently manage Greenvale Place and Wellstone Commons. Early estimates on rehabilitating the 95 units within
the 4 apartment complex would be about $10 million. Common Bond is looking at loans and federal tax credits. In the meantime, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs will be performing a Housing study. Atchison said, “to let us know where we’re at with housing, what our needs are for housing. so we put in a proposal for the Capstone project and we were one of the very fortunate ones to be chosen”. They met last week with members of the project which will begin within the next few weeks. The results will be presented to the HRA on August 10th. Rice County performed a similar study in 2012. I’ll have more tomorrow on other programs available to residents through the Northfield HRA.
NH&C sails through Financial Audit – but will healthcare in general?
The Northfield City Council heard a presentation from Clifton,Larson,Allen Auditor Rob Sheely regarding the Northfield Hospital & Clinics 2016 financial results. Administrator Ben Martig remarked, “the Auditor emphasized too that with the strong financial management of the Hospital that we have as well that they’re reinvesting in smart ways back into themselves, staying modern, bringing in new services”. There were no adjustments and no difficulties in the audit. NH&C holds a BBB+ rating. The elephant in the room is the state of Healthcare costs. Sheely talked about the 2 options presented in legislation right now, full repeal or piecemeal change. Projected outlays show that Major Health Care Programs are predicted to continue to escalate and grow to 6.9{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} of GDP, the fastest and largest of any spending category. The corresponding deficit would be to escalate federal debt from $15 trillion to $25 trillion in 2027, the highest since 1947. NH&C – Presentation
Rook is back, Phenow moves on
Suzy Rook is back. She’s replacing Brad Phenow as the Rice County Regional Editor for APG Media. The Northfield News reports Phenow’s been with the parent company since 2014 and has served in various positions. Phenow told KYMN that he’s leaving for another opportunity although he and his family will be staying in the area. Rook joined the compnay in 2007 in the Northfield office and served as associate editor then moved to regional editor for APG with the news operations for the company’s newspapers in Waseca and St. Peter, and Le Sueur County.
Caution on scams
If you get a call from a person asking you about Storm Damage and wanting to stop by your home to give you an estimate, be cautious. Ask if they’re licensed and require proof. There’s been one report so far of a scammer. If you have any doubt, hang up and report it to the police at their non-emergency number.
