by Rich Larson
The Northfield City Council heard a presentation from SEH Architects last night about redeveloping and improving the west
side of the Riverwalk. And what many on the council had hoped would be a short presentation with a few questions and answers and then something to receive approval on the next meeting’s consent agenda, was rather quickly revealed as a project with many details that still need to be worked out.
The West side Riverwalk is seen by many as an underdeveloped and underused area that could tie downtown Northfield to the new transit hub being developed around the relocated depot building. The presentation showed a new retaining wall, lighting, landscaping, benches and new trees.
Questions arose after the presentation about possible flooding, which has been a frequent occurrence over the last ten years in that area. The city has commissioned a flood study, which is currently underway. The architects said there are many possible flood mitigation options, depending on the information the study brings back.
Another question rose about Basil’s Pizza. The restaurant has long discussed the possibility of expansion and adding outdoor seating with a view of the river. Councilor Jessica Peterson White pointed out that the redevelopment does not leave much room for Basil’s to expand.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell pointed out that many municipal projects have been scaled back to accommodate the expansion of a local business only to see that expansion never happen and suggested a conversation with Basil’s before any changes were made to the design. However, the mayor did have concerns about the amount of landscaping in the area, wondering if there is enough city staff to handle the maintenance it would require, when it is already short staffed.
All on the council agreed that the project is a necessary one but asked that answers be found to some of the questions and then brought back to them before any approval is given.
Lippert says drought situation needs short term and long term attention
The summer drought continues this week, as temperatures are expected to climb back into the 90’s by Friday. Experts say 72% of the State of Minnesota is now under drought conditions.
Representative Todd Lippert said that in the short term, the state has management processes in place to deal with the situation. A task force has been put together, and the Department of Agriculture is holding weekly meetings with various water agencies. He took part in a meeting of the House Policy Sub-Committee on Friday, and said officials are working to manage the system as much as possible.
He said he is hearing from farmers in the area as well, who are very concerned, not just with the drought conditions, but with the volatility of the weather patterns from year to year. What’s going on he said, is very unusual.
“It’s not normal for us to walk outside of the house and feel like we’re walking into a campfire. And also for us to swing from being extremely wet in a year’s time to extreme drough. Experts are saying ‘This is what’s different.’ This is new and we’re experiencing the effects of climate change everyday.”
Long term, Lippert said, we must address the effects of climate change. He said he has worked on legislation in this area and made some progress, pointing to his work on soil health practices to make farmland more resilient and finding subsidies for farmers to use more regenerative processes. But there is so much more we need to do.
We need bigger and bolder policies, he said. Renewable energy standards have to be higher, the state should be running on 100% clean energy by 2050, and energy efficiency in homes has to improve.
He said we know the direction we need to go, and we are taking steps to get there, but we must act more aggressively.
Our full conversation with Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
St. Dominic ‘Read and Believe’ program seeing excellent results
And the St. Dominic School announced last week that they have taken part in a new literacy program developed through Groves 
Academy and have seen results that exceed their expectations.
Kati Reak Sletten, the St. Dominic Advancement Director, said that they were approached to participate in the Believe and Read Program to begin the 2019-2020 school year as one of a handful of pilot schools. The new curriculum called for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade to receive small group instruction with their classroom teacher 2-3 days each week, and additional small group instruction with Enrichment Teacher Brook Johnson 2-3 days each week as well.
In the fall of 2020, the school said 29% of its students in 1-3rd grade were considered high risk for not meeting grade level literacy. As a result of the more personalized teaching, that number has dropped to 11%. The 1st grade, in fact, saw 28% of its students improve to grade level reading. Johnson said the results they have seen have been a very happy surprise.
“We are shocked and just so happy about all of this great data. Our third grade class ended the year with no at-risk readers. That means that they are ready for fourth grade and they have the tools that they need to succeed. But the program actually builds on itself so as the years go by, we’ll see even more and more growth.”
While the program is designed for the youngest students, Sletten said all the teachers at St. Dominic are receiving the Believe and Read training so that there is consistency throughout the school’s literacy curriculum And, the school is now working with Groves Academy to advance the program for students in 4th-8th grade.
For those interested in the program or St. Dominic itself, the school will host an open house on tomorrow from 6-7:30 pm for their pre-school and kindergarten classes.
