The rain just kept coming. Downtown Division street looked like a small river as the water came up over the curb and was flowing over the sidewalk. When the rain looked like it was over, it started again. We had 3.25 inches of rain measured at the KYMN studios on Division Street between 7 and 9 this morning. Others reported 3 ¾ inches. While there were scattered reports of pea size hail, there were no reports of any damage. Northfield’s Streets and Parks Supervisor, TJ Heinricy, reported a couple of drains clogged but most of the water receded quickly. Northfield police reported no incidents. Expect more rain throughout the day. – Looks like the rain is over for the afternoon!
Getting down to details in Fire Hall facade
The Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service (NAFRS) Joint Powers Board got their first look at the, near final, design for the renovation and addition of the Fire Station at 5th St and Hwy 19. Board Chair Glen Castore said they’re looking at the facade of the addition. Will they use 3 to 4 inch limestone or metal panels? Castore added that the final decision will flow out of the meeting they’ll have with Northfield Council on August 8th. They’re still considering landscaping as it pertains to flood proofing, but Castore says, more attention is being paid due to the area being an entry into Northfield’s historic district. There will be some additional windows on the east side of the existing building. Oddly, the fire station doesn’t meet the fire code, that will change with the windows. Those are living quarters for four. As for space, currently the trucks are about a foot apart. That’s where firefighters try to get their gear on to respond to a fire. Castore says the additional space raises the safety level and slightly quickens response time. Building is anticipated to begin in 2018.
Sen. Little to hold Town Hall at Nfld Library
First year Senator Matt Little is the former Mayor of Lakeville. His District, 58, covers that part of Northfield that’s in Dakota County. He’ll be holding a Town hall meeting this Thursday at the Northfield Public Library saying he wanted to talk with the southern portion of his District. He expects to discuss Healthcare and education. Adding that he’s interested in hearing from you. Commenting on the recent legislative session, Little said he was happy they got a few things done, adding, “there’s a lot of hope for bipartisanship but there’s this 20{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} that people like to focus on and that people read about, which is where there’s no compromise and we’re just sitting around being pretty ineffiicient”. He gave them a B minus adding that they were able to get dollars to Dennison for their sewer pump, New Trier got money for infrastructure for a development and dollars to renovate the Byllesby dam in Randolph. There will be a meet and greet from 6:30pm to 7Pm and from 7 to 8 will be the meeting itself. District 20b Representative David Bly will also be on hand.
County seeking Rights of Way for Co. Rd. 1 project
Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha reports the Co Rd 1 road project between Hwys 3 and 246 is still in the design stage but the Board approved hiring a company to broker Rights of Way. They’re out talking with property owners right now. There will be a trail from the housing project in Bridgewater Township at the top of the hill. Partnering with Dundas, Northfield and Bridgewater Township, they came up with a concept of building a path on the south side of County Rd. 1 with a tunnel underneath connecting to Northfield’s bike path that butts up against the roadway. Right now there are 3 to 5,000 trips a day made on that road. With the recent go-ahead by Dundas Council for another 200 home expansion in the housing development, Commissioners took into consideration the additional traffic.
