Dundas Council accepted the auditor’s report for 2016. That clears the way for the budgeting process. City Administrator John McCarthy said the City’s expenses were a lot less than revenues. Some of that was grant dollars received in 2016 for dollars psent in 2015. Council looked at the Streets department and the Parks department. They’re going to be lowering the Street Department’s budget and raising the Parks Dept. budget. The change will be small with a reduction in the overall spending by
$2,000. McCarthy says a big chunk of the deduction is wages and benefits. He added that staff is spending more time on the parks than the streets. The wage adjustments come from the expansion of parks and contracting out any street work. McCarthy said Dundas has Memorial Park and 2 smaller parks as well as the skating park and dog park. They’re also working on a passive walking park on the north side and, of course, the joint acquisition of the regional park with Northfield along the Cannon River.
Relocation means slight delay for MGM opening
There’s is a delay in the opening of the new MGM Liquor Store in Dundas due to relocating. Administrator John McCarthy said that Four Browns, LLC hoped to work out a continued relationship with the Sears store attached to the old K-Mart site but when it became obvious the franchisee was not interested they terminated the lease and relocated the liquor store. He added that the Brown’s actually prefer it. It has more space, better layout, better delivery area, better product storage. The problem is, they had to reapply for their liquor license. McCarthy had a chance to walk through the store yesterday. He said everything’s looking good and they’ve begun the remodeling. He added that Behr’s is scheduled to open on Friday and the theater is looking at a November opening.
Former Charter Chair explains actions
David Ludescher, who just resigned as Northfield Charter Commission Chair over a dispute regarding the process in which new members have been added, has written a letter explaining his actions. He gives background on the Charter and adds that, he believes, many governments have lost sight of their birth. He equated the Council to a defiant teenager. Click HERE to read the entire letter.
Move over poison ivy, poison hemlock’s its way
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is warning residents about the dangers of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), a toxic member of the carrot family. Residents should be on the lookout for the weed that’s now been spotted in southeastern Minnesota. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Poison hemlock can grow up to eight feet tall. The flowers are small and white with umbrella shaped clusters. It can be mistaken for Queen Anne’s Lace. The difference is the stems of poison hemlock are hairless and have purple blotches. MDA information. It’s also on gardenbite.com.
