by Rich Larson
Today is the first day of school for students at the Northfield public schools. After 16 months of uncertain schedules, one-way 
hallways, reduced bus capacity, and social distancing, the students come back to a situation that isn’t quite what anyone had hoped for, but certainly one that has improved. While much of the Covid-19 health protocols have been removed, a few are still in place, and the district is doing everything it can to protect the health and well-being of the students, staff and faculty.
Northfield schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said the goal is to keep the Delta Variant out of the schools. While that is a lofty and unlikely goal, every precaution the district has taken is with that goal in mind. Everyone over the age of two years old must wear a mask. Everyone on a school bus must wear a mask as well, in accordance with the federal requirement handed down by the CDC requiring masks on all forms of public transportation. Those who test positive for Covid-19 will have to quarantine, but the contract tracing protocols for those who might have been exposed to a person with the virus have been greatly reduced.
The district has put great effort into the ventilation systems in all its buildings, as well. Hillmann said every building’s ventilation system is checked monthly so that the air in the buildings is as clean as possible.
“One of the key things is to be able to balance filtering with the ability to efficiently pull the air through that system and continue to exchange that fresh air, because the fresh air is the most important portion of the ventilation process. So, we’re cycling fresh air in anywhere between 4-12 times per hour, depending on the size of the room.”
The standard protocols of hand washing, covering a cough, and stipulating that anyone not feeling well stay home will be in place as well. And, of course, anyone over the age of 12 who has not yet been vaccinated is encouraged to do so.
Hillmann said he is disappointed with the state of things, and like everyone else he had hoped that the pandemic would be gone by now. But he said the district is committed to public safety and the well-being of its students. He said it is vitally important that they do everything they can to see that the students remain in full time, in-person learning for the entire school year.
City rental code and licensure policies will be reformed
During the City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Alyssa Harrington of Flaherty & Hood, the law firm that represents the City of Northfield, gave a presentation about the city’s rental code and licensing policies, and showed how the code needs revision.
The city has been aware of the convoluted nature of the rental code for quite some time. Harrington said the standards of the code are uneven at best, and do not address many of the real problems the city can face, and it gives the city limited tools to deal with the problems it is able to address.
For the last two years, City Administrator Ben Martig, Community Development Director Mitzi Baker, City Building Official Mike Morehouse, and Harrington have worked to overhaul, modernize and simplify the code, while at the same time adding some teeth to the nuisance code and giving enforcement powers to the city council and the city staff.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell said there is a pronounced need to for wholesale change in the code in order to protect the people who live in rental units.
“All of our rental licensing does not provide us with the opportunities to go in and really work with the landlords to ensure that updates are made to the buildings. So, a lot of the recommendations that came out of this are updating to today’s standards. It’s really from more of a tenant’s perspective – tenant rights – making sure that the rights or our tenants are really protected.”
Harrington said the licensing will be paired down to three or four levels that will simplify enforcement, offer a flow chart for fines and fees, offer an appeals process, which does not currently exist, and provide abatement policies.
Deciding who does the enforcing, at what level can city staff enforce a code and when does the council have to get involved is one of the next steps. Harrington said the appeals process and the emergency ruling processes need to be more defined as well. The city must also decide what to do with seizure and disposal of property. And the code must be rewritten into plain language for use in translation and on the city website.
After asking the council for guidance on some of these issues, Martig said the next steps are to talk with stakeholders and landlords. The new code will then be reviewed by the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and then the council will give it a thorough look during a work session before putting it to a vote most likely sometime early next year.
Thursday night is Townie Night
The Defeat of Jesse James Days began yesterday with the annual service at the grave of Joseph Lee Heywood, and continued 
last night with the Joseph Lee Heywood banquet, during which Ray Ozmun was honored with the Joseph Lee Heywood Award for distinguished service to the community.
With the day to honor the hero of the attempted James Younger Gang bank raid in the books, the celebration moves on to the annual Townie Night. One of the highlights of the night annually set aside for the locals will be Susan Hvistendahl’s presentation on the history of the Archer House at the Northfield Public Library.
Hvistendahl is an enthusiastic Northfield historian, whose past works include an exhaustive history of the St. Olaf Band, and a three-volume collection of her Historic Happenings column from the Northfield Entertainment Guide. Her program on the Archer House will include photos of the hotel and video footage from earlier this year, along with information she gained from designer Sandy Haas, longtime Tavern owner Chuck Pryor, and Rebound managing partner Brett Reese.
Other events tonight for Northfield locals include the Sundowners Car Cruise, which is a new addition to the celebration this year, bingo on Bridge Square, and the Giddyup Bouncy Horse Races and the Pedal Tractor Pull for the kids. The Entertainment Center will open at 5pm serving beer and offering live music provided by the band Eden Road beginning at 8pm. The carnival in Ames Park will open at 6pm, and of course, all the various food vendors will be open as well.
For more information on tonight’s events and everything happening all weekend, visit djjd.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
