The Northfield School District has seen a sharp rise in the number of active Covid-19 cases within the school district in the last week. Most of
the cases have been reported at Bridgewater Elementary school.
According to the Covid Dashboard page on the district website, there are currently 65 active cases of Covid-19 in the public school system, 26 more than last week. Overall, the district is reporting 168 positive cases since August 31st, which is an increase of 43 in the last seven days. Spring Creek Elementary is reporting less than 5 active cases, Greenvale Park has six, the high school and the middle school each have 12 active cases. Bridgewater Elementary is reporting 20 active cases.
In a letter to district families on Wednesday, Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said there are 640 people who work at or attend Bridgewater. The 20 active cases have been reported in the last two weeks, but “three-quarters of the cases have been reported in the last seven days.”
In his letter, Hillmann said the numbers are a concern, but the district has learned how to handle these situations.
“We are working in close partnership with Rice County Public Health and our district’s COVID-19 team,’ he said, “to analyze the situation and implement appropriate next steps. We will move forward thoughtfully and diligently to protect the health and safety of our students while prioritizing uninterrupted in-person learning.”
The district is currently organizing a recommended but optional mass testing event for all Bridgewater staff and students, details of which will be available later today. In the meantime, Hillmann reminded all in the district to observe standard Covid-19 precautions; frequent hand washing, wear a mask in public indoor spaces, stay home if you are not feeling well, and get tested for Covid-19 if you are showing symptoms.
Above all, the best tool available for fighting the virus is vaccination. If you have not been vaccinated, he said, please consider it strongly.
Elliott discusses snow emergencies and winter parking ban
The Winter Parking Ban is now in effect for all Northfield City streets.
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said the ban will run each morning from 2am until 6am. The street crews use this time to address areas where a snow drift may have formed, or water may have turned to ice. They also use that time to clen up intersections for use and visibility. Chief Elliott said the ban has been in place for many years and is only in effect during the time f day when there is the least amount of traffic. Elliott said the police department has been leaving warning tags on windshields this week to remind drivers of the ban.
The arrival of the winter parking ban also means that snow is on the way, and snow removal will once again become part of everyday life. Chief Elliott said the city will generally declare a snow emergency when the city receives two inches of snow or more from a storm. In those cases, he said, there is no parking allowed on city streets until they have been plowed curb-to-curb. He said the city tries to give everyone 4-6 hours of notice before the parking ban goes into effect to allow people to find a place for their cars.
He said the snow emergency is in effect for public safety
“Plow drivers are trying to get that snow off the road so it’s safer to travel. And if there are cars parked on the road, it’s unsafe, the plow drivers don’t want to damage any vehicles, and they do not want to have to plow around them. And also, if there is a car they have to plow around, and that car gets moved, then there’s a big pile of snow left there. And that’s a safety concern too.”
The Chief said Northfield police take Snow Emergencies very seriously, and cars parked in areas that have not been plowed will be ticketed and towed at the car owner’s expense.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Northfield Public Library asking for everyone’s opinion
The staff of the Northfield Public Library is currently working on the library’s next strategic plan, and they are asking the public for input and
opinions.
Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said she and her staff are developing a three-year plan. She said three years is about the right length of time for a strategic plan, because it will give the library the necessary direction it needs but, she said, pointing to lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, things happen that cannot be foreseen. A three-year plan is flexible and is not so far reaching that it is unable to adapt to the unexpected.
As the plan is developed, the library staff has put a survey online that Draper hopes everyone in the community will fill out.
“We’re going to try to close it out at the end of the month. We’ve had some really fantastic responses on it so far, but we’d just like to capture a bit more of the community. So, even if you aren’t a regular library user, if you could take the survey, that would be super helpful for us. It helps us in planning for the next three years of what we do with the library.”
The survey asks questions about how people use the library, how it is perceived, and what can be done to improve it. It also goes on to ask about where people receive their information, what skills they would like to learn, and what they see as the biggest challenges to the community.
Draper said it should take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. To find the survey, visit mynpl.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net.
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