by Rich Larson
The Northfield Historical Preservation Commission voted last night to postpone a vote that would allow for the demolition of the Archer
House until more information can be supplied to them.
At issue is the oldest section of the building, built in 1877, and whether it – or at least the front façade – can be saved or preserved within reasonable means.
The Archer House was heavily damaged by a fire a year ago and was declared a total loss this spring after an extended insurance investigation. Because the building is in the city’s Historic District, a Certificate of Appropriateness must be issued by the HPC in order for demolition permits to be obtained by the building’s ownership company, Rebound Partners.
When the HPC took the question up last night, they heard presentations from City Planner Mikayla Schmidt and from Rebound Partners. Schmidt outlined the criteria necessary for the commission to approve the COA and said that approval was the city staff’s recommendation. Rebound’s presentation centered around reports made by Jude Hallamek of Nile Architects and Jeremy Baer of TEKTON Engineers.
Surprisingly, when the meeting was opened to public comment only one person took the podium, and that person spoke in favor of issuing the COA.
The members of the commission, however, were not fully convinced that the site met all the requirements for the certificate to be issued. During his portion of the presentation, Mr. Baer, a structural engineer, said that the oldest portion of the Archer House, which is the central area where the lobby was, could technically be saved, but, he said, the cost to do so would be very high. Members of the commission wanted to know what those costs were, and what it would take to save that particular section. Baer said his report was “deliberately not very technical,” because in order to assess the structural integrity of the building a certain amount of demolition would have to be done. Costs of restoration could not be assessed until the state of the building’s structural integrity is better known.
The commission is asking Rebound Partners to supply them with a better assessment of the 1877 section of the hotel, whether it can be saved or adapted into the design of what Rebound would build on the site, the value of an historic building like that section of the Archer House, and if the costs of restoration are reasonable.
The Historic Preservation Commission is next scheduled to meet on November 9th.
County court system will expand judge roster
The Rice County Court system has put a plan together to deal with the backlog of cases that developed while the courts were shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rice County attorney John Fossum said that there are currently 348 cases that need to be resolved in the county court system. Of those, he said, 169 are felonies. Those and many of the misdemeanor cases require jury trials, if they are not resolved earlier in the process.
In order to deal with such a deep backlog, retired judge John Cajacob will be brought back as a senior judge. Working three days a week, three weeks a month, Judge Cajacob will handle simple criminal calendar hearings, such as first-appearances and non-contested hearings. This will allow the county to run two jury trials at the same time.
Fossum said the plan will be for felony jury trials to run in the specially constructed Covid-safe courtroom that was built in the Government Services building last year, while misdemeanor jury trials will run in one of the court rooms in the county courthouse.
Fossum said he can recall, as a young public defender at the beginning of his career, when the County would run two jury trials concurrently, but that was only on occasion. This will be an unusual situation for Rice County.
“The courts are expecting us to do a lot. It’s been decades since we’ve had two jury trials in Ric County at the same time. That’s just because we only have three district court judges in the county and there just isn’t the bandwidth to have that much going on.”
Fossum said the expanded schedule with Judge Cajacob on board is set to begin in January.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Attorney John Fossum can be heard here
Cannon Valley Makers set open house for Sunday
And the Cannon Valley Makers will hold an open house and member drive on Sunday in celebration of the 18 months since opening its
doors.
The Cannon Valley Makers’ mission is to provide a supportive community that empowers all people to create by sharing tools, workspace, skills, and experience. Over the past 18 months, the group has set up well equipped wood and metal shops. They also offer an electronics shop, 3-D printing, a Cricut paper cutting machine and sewing facilities.
All members, prospective members, and those simply wanting to learn more are invited to the community workshop between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. In addition to informational sessions at 2:00 and 3:30, there will be ongoing tours of the facility, refreshments, and live music.
With the fall member drive, the organization hope to achieve sustainability by expanding its membership. By purchasing an annual membership in the month of October, new members will receive a “maker’s dozen” — 13 months for the price of 12. This offer applies to both individual and household memberships. Details are available online and at the Open House.
The Cannon Valley Makers Workshop is located at 300 Railway Street in downtown Dundas. For information on classes, or to become a member, visit cannonvalleymakers.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
