By Rich Larson, News Director
With the housing shortage in Northfield now identified and prioritized, the city is getting on with the next step, which is attracting developers in
Northfield and incentivizing their work. Mayor Rhonda Pownell said one of her top priorities is to get housing up and going in the community. She said it has been more than ten years since a new apartment building has opened its doors in Northfield. That will change when the 5th Street Lofts and Timberfield Apartments are ready this summer, but the mayor said, the gap between developments shows that housing has not been the priority it needs to be, and she, the City Council and the city staff are focused on changing that.
The city recently received the results of the first comprehensive housing study done in Northfield in fifteen years. Both the mayor and Housing Coordinator Melissa Hanson believe that the data in that study will be the foundation for turning things around.
Hanson said it is important to find creative ways to incentivize developers to build in Northfield and overcome a few of the obstacles that have contributed to the problem. The developers who build affordable housing, for example, have generally shied away from Northfield because they can make more money per housing unit in the Twin Cities area. If Northfield is serious about building more affordable housing, then the city must recognize that.
Mayor Pownell said the city has already begun to explore different options. For example, she said, the Bluff View development which will offer multi-family housing, senior housing and market rate housing, was able to get off the ground because of help from the city, and it was because of the housing study that they were to identify ways to help.
“We are helping to be that financial conduit so that we can extend road infrastructure so that these 46 units can go in down at the Bluff View development. And so the housing study can really help the city Council and the Housing & Redevelopment Authority know where we want to do tax increment financing, or assist developers to be able to get their projects done.”
Changing the housing situation will not happen overnight. Hanson pointed to a shortage of building materials right now, mainly due to the pandemic, and said that this going to take some time.
Northfield School Board considers mascot finalists
On Monday night, the Northfield School Board was presented with the three finalists in the running to become the new mascot of the Northfield High School Raiders.
Last year, the Northfield High School Student Council went to the board asking them to consider a refresh of the high school mascot, which is more than fifty years old and, the student council felt no longer represents the full high school student body. The idea was tabled while the school district wrestled with the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic but was taken up again last fall.
A committee was formed that included high school principal Joel Leer, NHS activities director Joel Olson and a group consisting of students, coaches, NHS alumni and other members of the community. Submissions were requested in December with specific criteria. They asked that the mascot reflect the history of Northfield and the Raider name by honoring the people who stood up to the James-Younger Gang in 1876. They asked that there be no weaponry in the image and that it be as gender neutral as possible.
The Committee received more than twenty submissions, and after careful consideration the three finalists were chosen and put before the school board. Northfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said that a mascot refresh is a very common process that is probably overdue.
“Die-hard Twins fans know how many shades of Minnie & Paul that we’ve had over the years, and TC Bear and all the other things that have worked out. And we know Goldie Gopher himself has had a number of different iterations over the years. So, it’s very common for organizations to refresh their mascot.”
The three final images are pictured above.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dr. Matt Hillmann can be heard here
Dundas okays new playground equipment for Memorial park
And in a sure sign that not only is summer coming, but municipal governments do indeed expect things to return to normal one day, the Dundas City Council approved the purchase of new playground equipment for Memorial Park at their meeting on Monday night.
Dundas City Administrator Jenelle Teppen said the playground space will be expanded, the current equipment, which is not in very good condition, will be removed and disposed of, and all new safety certified equipment will be installed. A note on the city’s website anticipates the project will be completed by July 31.
Teppen said that new equipment for Memorial Park is long overdue.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dundas City Administrator Jennelle Teppen can be heard here
