by Rich Larson
On Tuesday night the City Council was given an update on the Archer House with regards to both the demolition permit request process and
the tax increment financing redevelopment option.
In November of last year, a fire that started in one of the restaurants located on the ground floor of the building destroyed the interior the hotel. The efforts made to put the fire out, which included the tearing out of walls and dousing the building with thousands of gallons of water, along with the damage to the building that was caused during the investigation into the fire’s cause, led the building to be declared a complete loss.
Rebound Partners, the company that owns the building, has applied for the permits to demolish the remains of the structure and clear the site in order to re-develop it. However, because the Archer House is located in the Downtown Historic District and is on the National Historic Register, the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission must give its approval for the demolition by issuing a Certificate of Appropriateness. The HPC will hold a public hearing on the matter on Thursday afternoon at 4:00 in the Council Chambers at City Hall and is expected to decide on the certificate at that meeting.
Before the building is demolished, the city must also decide if it wants to keep the option to help with redevelopment after the site is cleared and any new construction is proposed, with the use of tax increment financing. State statute governs the use of such assistance and is quite specific about how and when TIF may be applied. The city, then, must verify that the condition of the site meets those standards of qualifications. To that end, the city will discuss and vote on the matter at the next regular meeting on October 19.
Rebound Partners is eager to move on with the demolition, if for no other reason than to remove a crumbling building that is becoming a public hazard. They have contracted with a demolition firm and will begin to take the building down shortly after receiving the necessary approvals.
Lippert will be knocking on doors in Dundas tomorrow
State Representative Todd Lippert, along with a group of volunteers, will be going door-to-door on Saturday morning to have conversations about climate.
Lippert said the DFL has been moving what he called a “signature proposal” through the House for the past two sessions requiring that Minnesota run on 100% clean energy by 2040. The bill would stipulate that all energy in the state would come from renewable energy sources, effectively banning fossil fuels. This is a cause that has been very important to Lippert, and he said he is eager to hear from his constituents about it.
Lippert said he has helped to organize several “door knocks” for the party this past summer. Two other events are taking place on Saturday morning as well in Rochester and Mankato. There have also been efforts in Burnsville and in St. Cloud on topics like money in politics and voting rights. He said he was in Montgomery this past July knocking on doors to talk about taxing the wealthy, and the conversations that he has with every registered voter, no matter their political leanings or party affiliation, has been a good one.
“I’ve had good conversations with Republicans who’ve said ‘I don’t agree with you on much. I send you a lot of mail. But on this I agree with you.’ So, it’s really good to have those conversations, especially in this time of political polarization when it’s so tense about so many things. Just to be able to have that conversation, to listen, and to hear where people are [is really important.]”
Lippert said he is not trying to sell the idea or promote the bill so much as he is looking for feedback to find out how people feel about the program. That information will be taken back to Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and the leaders of the DFL caucus. He said the important thing is to learn what people are thinking, what Minnesotans want, what resonates with them, and how can his party address those issues.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
City is giving away light bulbs
The City of Northfield, in partnership with Xcel Energy will be giving away free LED lightbulbs while supplies last through next Wednesday. 
The program kicked off on Energy Efficiency Day, which was this past Wednesday.
A statement posted to the City of Northfield website said this program is designed to encourage Northfielders to start thinking about energy efficiency in their homes and changing to LED lightbulbs is one of the easiest ways to do that.
“LED bulbs help save money as they can use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs,” said City of Northfield program coordinator Beth Kallestad in the statement. “They also last 35 to 50 times longer, so you spend less time on ladders changing bulbs. They also come in all shapes and sizes. We’ll have some of those more specialty options available for people to take home and try.”
Displays with the free light bulbs will be set up at City Hall and the Northfield Public Library. Households are welcome to take what they need.
The City of Northfield adopted a Climate Action Plan nearly two years ago, committing the city to using only carbon free electricity by 2030, and being completely carbon free by 2040. Those interested in learning more about the CAP and the various city programs put in place to meet its goals, can visit the Northfield city website and click on the heading for Sustainability.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
