by Rich Larson
Last night the Northfield City Council was scheduled to vote on the preliminary plat of the Kraewood Development. However, 
on Friday afternoon, the city received a petition from a group of concerned citizens asking the city to process an Environmental Assessment Worksheet. This forced the council to defer the vote on the plat and could delay a final decision on the development for some time, possibly into next year.
The site to be developed for the project, the former Paulson Tree Farm, is potentially a habitat for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, which is an endangered species and the Minnesota State Bee. The petition for the EAW is asking that the city determine if building the proposed 24 houses and 100-unit apartment building will cause significant and irreversible environmental damage
The petition for an EAW is a very specific one. As explained to the City Council by City Attorney Chris Hood, the burden of proof is on the petitioners, and they must show proof to the council that the type of environmental damage they are claiming is real. The council will take the next two weeks to decide whether to accept or reject the petition and will vote at the next regular meeting on October 5th. If accepted, the city will then hire a consultant to perform the EAW, possibly at the expense of the petitioners.
The process will delay the final decision on many levels. With the vote on the EAW scheduled for October 5th, the discussion on the preliminary plant is now pushed back until October 19th. Additionally, the developers have applied for Tax Increment Financing from the city to help with the construction. The Housing and Redevelopment Authority was scheduled to hold a public hearing on that request on September 28th, but that discussion will now also be tabled while the city determines what to do next.
Draheim says MDH ‘misled’ legislature
At the end of the legislative session in St. Paul last June, the general consensus was that Governor Walz would call a special session in September to approve the plan a working group would put together after determining how to distribute the $250 million allocated for bonuses for frontline Covid workers. That working group has not been unable to come to an agreement on how to best distribute those funds, but that is not the only reason the governor will not be calling a special session anytime soon.
In late August, rumors began to circulate that, if called back into session, the Republican led Senate would take steps to remove State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. Malcolm’s position, which is subject to Senate confirmation, was never taken up by the senate after she assumed the position nearly two years ago, and with Republicans deeply unhappy with the way Malcolm and Governor Walz have handled the state response to the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been suggestions that the senate would hold Malcolm’s confirmation hearings during the special session.
Republican leadership used the same tactic in the Summer of 2020 when they rejected the confirmations of then Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley and Industry Commissioner Peggy Leppink, and former Pollution Control Commissioner Laura Bishop resigned in June when she was informed that the Senate would hold her confirmation hearing and would be rejected.
State Senator Rich Draheim said he has been very disappointed with Malcolm and her department both as a representative of constituents who he felt were not receiving adequate answers to their questions, and as the Vice-Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. In fact, he said, he believes Malcolm has not been truthful about the department’s intentions throughout the pandemic.
“Originally there wasn’t a lot of information, and it was kind of a moving target. I get that. But, as time passed, and some emails came out under some data requests, it was pretty obvious that we were misled for political reasons. And that’s on Commissioner Malcolm.”
The Governor has called the plans to oust Malcolm “absurd” and “reckless,” and if he believes Commissioner Malcolm’s job is at risk, he will not call a special session. As of now, with no agreement on frontline bonuses, all of this is a moot point.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with State Senator Rich Draheim can be heard here
Flannel Gala all about ‘community and music’
Laura Baker Services Association will host its annual Flannel Gala tomorrow night at Armory Square. The event is one of two major fundraisers held by LBSA each year.
In contrast to the formal gala held each December, the Flannel Gala is a more relaxed experience. Instead of an in-depth program that looks at all the aspects of what Laura Baker Services does, this is more of an open house style event. LBSA Director of Community Relations, Andrei Sivanich, said food will be available from Noris Cuisine, and Armory Square will offer its usual selection of libations. The Limestones, the St. Olaf men’s a cappella group will perform followed by local favorites Fred the Bear.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, LBSA was not able to hold its standard galas last year, and instead combined the two into a virtual event. The Flannel Gala is generally held in the spring, but with vaccines not readily available to most people until April, the decision was made to move it to the early fall instead. Sivanich said the idea of the evening is to be a part of the community and listen to good music.
“It is a casual event. It’s meant to be fun. And really when you look at the history of Laura Baker, two of the common themes over the 120-plus years that we’ve been in existence have been community and music. This event really highlights those two things.”
The Laura Baker Flannel Gala is set for tomorrow night, from 5-9pm. It will be on the outdoor greenspace at Armory Square. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance. To order tickets visit laurabaker.org, or click here.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
