by Rich Larson
On Tuesday night, the Northfield City Council voted to deny a petition handed down to them from the state Environmental Quality Board asking that an Environmental Assessment Worksheet be completed for the former Paulson Tree Farm. The petition was filed out of concerns caused by the proposed Kraewood housing development, which will build a 100-unit apartment building and 24-28 housing units on the 12-acre property.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell said Tuesday night’s meeting was an important one, because it gave the members of the council opportunities to speak and ask questions on the public record for the first time. Being asked to rule on the petition put the council in a Quasi-Judicial role, which allowed the members of the council to study the environmental aspects of the project in detail.
The major issue raised by the petition is the presence of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and the idea that the property might be an area where the bee is nesting. Mayor Pownell said both sides made excellent presentations, but it was a consultant from Midwest Natural Resources, Annie Weeks, who tipped the scales in favor of Kraewood. Ms. Weeks explained that her organization had done a habitat assessment of the area last week. She said that due to the way the area had been farmed over the years, very few of the native flowering plants that are necessary to the bee’s survival remain, and that the resources are not there to provide a good habitat for the bee.
The meeting on Tuesday was an extended one. Council meetings by law are not allowed to last more than three hours, unless a vote is taken to extend them, and usually they are not extended for more than 15 minutes. Last night the council voted to extend the meeting for as long as necessary, and it lasted for five hours. But the mayor said that it was important to take the time and make sure every voice was heard.
“It’s important sometimes that those conversations happen in the public eye, where everyone can hear what is being said. The council took an opportunity to do that through a listening session a couple of weeks ago, and again last night with regards to giving people that extended time to address the council.”
The next steps for the development are for the council to approve the zoning and preliminary plat, and to take up the developers’ application for tax increment financing. The plat and zoning votes are expected at the council’s next regular meeting on October 19. The TIF discussion will begin in November.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Mayor Rhonda Pownell can be heard here
Fall Celebration set for this weekend at Riverwalk Market Fair
The Riverwalk Market Fair will hold its second annual Fall Celebration on Saturday at Bridge Square. Market Fair manager April Kopcak said the event will feature the same things the Market Fair always offers, just more of it.
Kopcak said the Riverwalk Market Fair features vendors from three categories, artists, food artisans and farmers, and she said the number of vendors for any given week is usually capped at 44. This week, however, they have expanded the field to 60 vendors.
Among the super-sized field this year are 8-10 new vendors. And, she said, they have expanded the live entertainment for the day, as well. Typically, the Market Fair will feature a person or a group playing music, but on Saturday, there will be two tents and three different musicians playing. Martin Anderson will play from 9-11am followed by Randall Ferguson from 11am-1pm, on Bridge Square. LeAnn Hill will play on the south side of the Farmer’s Market area from 9am-1pm.
The Fall Celebration began last year, after a season without the Riverwalk Market Fair due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kopcak said as some of the Covid-protocols began to ease at the end of last summer, she and her board started thinking about a one-time event. The response she received was surprising to say the least. After one mass email, she had 44 vendors signed up within five days. The response from the public was even more surprising. She said there were hundreds of people on Bridge Square that day, who had heard about the event via word-of-mouth, or just happened upon it. The day was such a success, she said that they decided to make it an annual event.
The Riverwalk Market Fair Fall Celebration is this Saturday, from 9am-1pm, on and around Bridge Square. For more information, visit riverwalkmarketfair.org.
Human Rights Commission taking nominations for Human Rights Award
The Northfield Human Rights Commission has announced that it is now seeking nominees for its annual Human Rights Award. The Human
Rights Commission annually recognizes an individual, group or organization that has contributed to the advancement of human rights in Northfield.
To be considered for this award, a nominee should live, work, or conduct business in Northfield during the nomination year. The services for which a person is being nominated must be either voluntary or above-and-beyond a paid position’s usual job responsibilities. The HRC is seeking a balanced and diverse group of nominees that have pursued the cause of human rights in a variety of ways. All nominations should include a brief biography of the candidate as well as the reasons the nominee should receive consideration for the award.
The mayor, city employees and members of both the city council and the Human Rights Commission are not eligible to receive this award
Nomination forms are available in English and Spanish. Paper copies are available at the Northfield Public Library or can be requested by contacting Beth Kallestad at City Hall.
All nominations will be due by October 31st.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
