By Teri Knight, News Director
In 2011, the Northfield Historical Society entered into a Forgivable Loan and Facility Use Agreement with the City of Northfield which allowed NHS to build restroom facilities for employees and patrons as well as, the general public, free of charge. Due to the pandemic, Executive Director Cathy Osterman asked the Council to put on hold the part of the agreement allowing the public to use the restroom until September 15th when guided tours end. Volunteers man the desk and the museum, as mandated by the Governor, is only allowing so many visitors inside the museum and only guided tours
on a predicted path. With the bathroom located in the central back of the building, those using it have to go through the museum to get there, complicating their pandemic guidelines. Osterman said, “my concern was mainly trying to maintain our numbers and good control of who’s in the building and who’s not in the building. I only foresee this as being an issue for as long as we have tour guides”. The vote failed 2 to 4 to allow the Historical Society to suspend use of the restroom for the public. C. Peterson White, who owns a downtown store whose bathrooms are not open to the public, said that it’s important for local store owners to be able to send their patrons to the Historical Society where they feel safe. Osterman said she is complying with Council’s decision and told KYMN that they are allowing one person to use the bathroom at a time, a suggestion from Peterson White. With many volunteers at an age where they don’t want to volunteer during Covid-19, Osterman is often manning the front desk. The store is open Monday thru Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sundays 1pm to 4pm. Tour hours vary. The telling of the Raid story is mostly done outdoors and then the guide takes visitors into the museum, where, according to State guidelines, they must be escorted. The City installed two handicapped accessible porta potties by the river off Water Street where they closed it down to add more picnic tables. Other public restrooms downtown include the Library and the Archer House. Northfield Historical Society. Osterman’s letter to Council: 1 – NHS Restroom Letter
Felon voting controversy
Once a felon has completed their sentence in the State of Minnesota, including their probation time, they’re voting rights are restored. There’s a proposal in the State that would allow felons to vote if they’re not in custody. Rice County Attorney John Fossum has commented before on this item. This week he explained that currently, felons serving a life sentence can never vote, however, with this proposal, they could vote if out on Parole. His issue is that this proposal doesn’t account for absentee voting without an excuse and early voting. He said, “part of the question I have with the bill they presented, and it doesn’t answer this, if you vote on October 26th but you are picked up and go into custody and are in custody on Election day, is that a valid vote or isn’t it?”. There’s also not a clear way for voting officials to know who is or isn’t in custody. He believes there needs to be more clarification in the bill. The bill passed in the House during the last special session. The Senate has not passed it yet. Fossum asks legislators to, “be thoughtful about it and make sure that they’re accounting for all the issues that we have to deal with when we’re looking at these cases”. Fossum’s full interview is HERE.
Hwy 50/57 roundabout now open
Good news for those traveling Hwy 60 through Wanamingo! Mn Dot crews reopened the intersection with Hwy 57 as construction crews completed a new roundabout at the intersection in Goodhue County, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The full press release: Construction completed for Hwy 60 roundabout, Wanamingo, July 2020
City wins GreenStep award
City of Northfield Program Coordinator Beth Kallestad, shared that the City received an award for completing Step 4. She said Northfield has worked hard to implement best practices in order to meet their sustainability goals with support from the GreenStep program and their peers. Actions taken within the program focus on cost savings, energy use reduction, resource conservation, climate change, and the encouragement of civic innovation. You can learn more about Northfield’s efforts at https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/city-detail/12323. Celebrating its 10th year serving Minnesota communities, this free continuous improvement program is based upon 29 best practices that are tailored to Minnesota cities and tribal nations. More at www.MnGreenStep.org.
