By Rich Larson, News Director
As the end of the pandemic coincides with the beginning of summer, more and more people are coming out of their homes, taking their masks off, and are eagerly enjoying the warm weather and the public events that have begun to come back into our lives.
Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn said he saw it himself over the Memorial Day Weekend. Campgrounds were full. Lakes were bustling with boats and personal watercraft. People were fishing from docks. The roads were full. To many it certainly feels like life is returning to normal.
But, said Sheriff Dunn, that doesn’t mean people should act recklessly. Safety should always be a top concern.
At the top of the list, he said, people should get vaccinated. Vaccines and vaccination clinics are readily available, and the higher the number of people who receive the vaccine, the safer the community becomes.
When boating, he reminded everyone to always wear a life jacket or a personal floatation device. Sheriff Dunn pointed to the incident on Saturday night when a man drowned in Crystal Lake, just south of Burnsville, and said strange things can happen on the water, and people need to be prepared for that.
When driving, he said, it is vitally important that people wear their seatbelts. Rice County suffered ten fatalities on the roads last year, and in each of those cases the person who died was not wearing a seatbelt.
He said if people just take some commons sense steps, this will be a great summer for everyone.
“We just want people to be safe. We don’t want to see another ten fatalities like we did last year. So, drive attentively, don’t drive impaired. Wear your seatbelt and helmet. And enjoy the summer.”
With sunny skies and warm temperatures predicted for the next few days, the Sheriff said it should be another busy weekend in Rice County.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Sheriff Troy Dunn can be heard here
Spring Creek II receives support for Development, TIF Agreements
The Northfield City Council took another step toward easing the city’s housing shortage on Tuesday night by taking up discussion of the development agreement and the tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement for the Spring Creek II development in the Southeast section of the city.
Three Rivers Community Action is in negotiations with the city to develop the area that will bring thirty-two new units of affordable housing to Northfield. City Administrator Ben Martig said Three Rivers would be allowed to capture the tax dollars generated by the development of the area to assist with the up-front costs. Those taxes would be paid to the city, as he put it, years down the line. This type of TIF agreement is very common not just for development in Northfield, but across the country. Mayor Pownell said that the city also received some tax credit granted from the state to the city in 2019 for use in the project.
Building affordable housing in the Northfield area has become a difficult proposition, as few developers of affordable housing are looking outside of the Twin Cities area. With property values higher in the more urban areas, developers are able to make more money there than they can here. As they have worked to develop a new strategic plan, the city has made it clear that housing of all levels, including affordable housing, is a top priority, and the city council has urged city staff to find creative ways to attract those builders.
Mayor Pownell said that the council is cognizant of the situation and showed unanimous support for the project.
“This isn’t a new project. It keeps moving forward [and requires] very little discussion. In fact, I would say [there is] so much support for those two projects, the development agreement and the TIF agreement, that they will be on the consent agenda to move forward.”
The Council will approve the agreements at the June 15th meeting. Three Rivers is expected to break ground on the Spring Creek II project this summer.
Upcoming vaccination clinics in Northfield
And two vaccine clinics of note have been announced this week that people should be aware of. Allina Clinic will hold a Pfizer vaccination clinic on Saturday morning, while Northfield Hospital + Clinics will offer a special clinic next Thursday.
Tomorrow anyone 12 years of age or older can go to Allina clinic between 8am and noon and receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The second dose will be administered on June 26th.
The Benjamin Bus Company will run a shuttle every half hour, beginning at 7:30. The bus will run from Greenvale Park on the half hour, to Viking Terrace at 35 minutes after the hour, to Northfield Estates at 40 minutes after the hour and will arrive at Allina at 50 minutes after the hour. The final run will begin at noon.
Insurance is not needed as the vaccine is free, nor is identification necessary. All are welcome, and Allina will have remote interpreter services available.
The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for people ages 12 and up, but parental consent for those 12-17 is required.
On Thursday, Northfield Hospital + Clinics will offer a limited number of appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The J&J vaccine differs from the approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in that those who receive it are considered fully vaccinated after only one dose. Allina said that it will also have a limited amount of Johnson & Johnson vaccine on hand for those who request it.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has only been approved for those 18 and older.
Walk-ins are welcome on Saturday, but Allina does recommend an appointment. To schedule one call 612-262-6675.
NH+C is asking people to schedule appointments for Thursday by calling 507-646-8019.
