By Rich Larson, News Director
Carleton College announced this morning that the school has decided to cancel all in person winter
sports. The decision was made due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In a release to the public, the school said that officials took public health risks, the need to curb the number of visitors to campus, and the fact that athletes need to know whether or not they will be playing in order to organize their winter schedules all into account when making this decision. The affected sports include men’s and women’s teams in basketball, swimming & diving, indoor track & field, and tennis. There remains a possibility that swimming and diving could happen in virtual meets, but those events would still need to adhere to Carleton, MIAC, NCAA, and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines. Carleton Athletic Director Gerald Young, said in the statement that he is heartbroken. “This is the third time we’ve had to make this decision,” he said, “and each time we did so with sadness because we know how much competition means to our student-athletes. However, the health and safety of the entire campus community is the most important thing, and this continues to be the right decision.”
City Council looking for ways to involve the public during meetings
With issues like franchise fees to replace special assessments and next year’s tax levy requiring public scrutiny, the Northfield City Council is looking into ways to receive input from the general public during meetings. City administrator Ben Martig raised the question at last week’s meeting, asking the council to discuss the option of meeting in person. The council was nearly unanimous in its decision to continue meeting in a virtual format, citing the recent rise in case of Covid-19 throughout the state, and some extra health concerns for members of the council. Only Mayor Pownell expressed interest in finding ways to meet in person. The bigger question, the council agreed, is how to enable the public to comment in real time during a council meeting. Martig said the city is looking into ways the public could call into a meeting or use a video option. Councilor DeLong expressed concern that older citizens of Northfield might not be as comfortable with the technology necessary to engage the council in a virtual meeting and asked the city staff to look into solutions that would be, as he put it, age friendly.
The council has been meeting online since March.
NAFRS falling short in fundraising effort
Northfield Fire Chief Gerry Franek said last week that the fundraising to replace the city’s heavy
rescue truck has fallen short by about $75,000. The 8120 is an all-purpose Heavy Rescue vehicle which, according to the Northfield Fire & Rescue website is used for all facets of firefighting, rescue and hazardous material operations. It can also serve as an incident command center. At more than 20 years old, it is the oldest vehicle in the Northfield firefighting fleet. According to the Go Fund Me page set up to help buy a new truck, many of the tools on the vehicle are not up to date for today’s auto-manufacturing standards. The body of the truck is corroding, the mechanical system is failing, and it lacks the occupant safety standards expected for an emergency vehicle.
To donate to the NAFRS effort please click HERE.
