By Rich Larson, News Director
For the first time since March of last year, the Northfield City Council will convene for a meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall tonight at 6pm. 
Among the items on the agenda the city will hear presentations from the Northfield Hospital + Clinics regarding the 2020 Hospital Audit, and the Northfield Youth Baseball Association regarding enhancements to the baseball and softball facilities at Sechler Park.
A public hearing will take place regarding the company MetroNet’s application for a cable franchise. The council will consider a request from the Community Action Center for financial assistance in their Hillcrest Village project, and Tax Increment Financing for the Spring Creek II Townhomes project. They will also go over the timeline for setting the city’s 2022-23 budget.
In all matters the city is always asking for the opinions of and feedback from the residents of Northfield. The easiest way to communicate with the council, other than emailing your city councilor directly, is through the eComment button on the Northfield City website. That page can be found by clicking here.
Pride in the Park celebration will be Saturday in Central Park
As June is recognized as National Pride month, the Northfield Public Library is set to host the city’s first Pride in the Park celebration this Saturday to support and celebrate the LGBTQ community in and around the Northfield area.
The event will feature events ranging from a Pride Storytime to Zumba/Cardio Dance Fitness classes from the Northfield Family YMCA. The Northfield Union of Youth will offer an area to make pronoun buttons, the Northfield Arts Guild will be making Pride Pom-Poms, and Plush Pups will offer Pride aribrushes and pedicures for the dogs that attend. The Library’s BookBike will be on hand, featuring a selection of LGBTQ books to check out. Library staff will be able to issue library cards onsite for those in need.
Other exhibitors will include The Minnesota Transgender Alliance, OutFront Minnesota, FiftyNorth, the trans-owned candle company Homebody MN, and several Northfield churches.
The event will also offer a youth panel and an opportunity to meet Minnesota LGBTQ youth author Rachel Gold.
All attendees are encouraged to bring their own food for a picnic. Age-Friendly Northfield will bring 52 red chairs from The Red Chair Project as priority seating for older individuals and people with disabilities. Tanzenwald Brewery will host a post-event party on their patio.
Northfield Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said the event is an extension of the city’s prioritization of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“Public celebrations of the traditions, cultures, history, and diversity of all in our community can go a long way toward making people feel seen, included, and truly welcome in Northfield. The library is thrilled to be hosting Northfield’s first Pride celebration.”
Pride in the Park will run from Noon to 3pm on Saturday at Central Park.
Northfield School District receives state online learning certification
The Northfield School District has been approved by the State of Minnesota as an online learning provider.
While not everyone was happy with the distance learning that had to take place during the pandemic, District Superintendent Matt Hillmann said there have been quite a few families in the district who appreciated the flexibility it allowed. With that recognition during the school year, Hillmann said the decision was made to off the online program, which has been named Portage, permanently. After what Hillmann called a “rigorous” application process, the state approved the district’s application last week.
The program will initially be offered as a full-time program. Portage students, especially at the High School level will still be able to participate in school athletics and activities. They will also have some limited opportunities for some in-person classes to supplement their online learning, and Hillmann said, moving forward, he can see this evolving more into a potential ala carte option for all students.
The state certification also means that any student who lives in Minnesota can register to attend Northfield schools through the online program, which Hillmann said reinforces the district’s commitment to public school choice.
Putting together a full-time online program on the fly, which is what the Covid-19 pandemic forced virtually every school district in the country to do, was not an easy thing to do. Dr. Hillmann said the last 15 months have taught everyone in the district some significant lessons.
“We learned a lot this year. Frankly, a lot of times, we learned what not to do. But we know that there is a market for this for people who have an interest. And it is something we can use to recruit people from outside of our community to the Portage Online School, now, as a state approved online learning provider.”
Students will be able to enroll in the Portage program this fall.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dr. Matt Hillmann can be heard here
