There was some good news at the Northfield City Council meeting on Tuesday night for those who do not enjoy the incessant howl of train
horns blowing through Northfield multiple times every day and night.
After receiving a presentation from Andy Mielke of SRF Consultants, it became apparent that the barriers to establishing a Railroad Quiet Zone from Highway 19 to Fremouw Avenue are not as strong as initially thought.
A railroad quiet zone would limit, but not quite ban, the use of a train horn at railroad crossings along the Union Pacific line that runs parallel to Highway 3 through Northfield. Right now, trains are required to blow their horns four times as they approach each crossing. With five crossings in that stretch, the horns have famously become a sizable annoyance to many Northfielders.
A study was done in 2006 about establishing the quiet zone, and at that time the project was found to be cost prohibitive. However, City Administrator Ben Martig said since then the city has been slowly making progress toward the final goal. After re-evaluating the possibilities of establishing the quiet zone, the City found that by eliminating the crossings at the compost site and Sechler Park from the project and extending it further north, the cost is much more manageable.
The biggest cost would be for the necessary four quadrant vehicle gates to be installed at 3rd Street, Second Street, St. Olaf Avenue and Fremouw Avenue. However, Martig said there is grant money available from the State of Minnesota for the construction of the gates. Medians would need to be constructed at some of the crossings as well, but not everywhere. In fact, the most controversial aspect of the zone has recently been eliminated. Initially, there was an assumption that medians would have to be built on the far east section of St. Olaf Avenue. However, those medians would have made it impossible for fuel trucks to pull into Ziggy’s Service Station. Without that access, Ziggy’s would effectively be run out of business. After doing more research, the medians have been found to be unnecessary, and the project can move forward without them.
Martig said there are economic reasons for establishing the quiet zone and not just the elimination of an annoyance.
“The benefit obviously is for people [in that area] to sleep a little more soundly at night. Also, we have hotels along that rail line, we have businesses, we have schools, that can all be impacted by the noise. So, it can be a way to reduce it. It doesn’t eliminate it completely, there is still the opportunity for them to blow the horn in certain circumstances.”
The Council will continue to evaluate the idea. Martig said the project could be complete and the quiet zone established by the end of 2025.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Northfield Historical Society offering special Saturday night programming in January and February
The Northfield Historical Society is adjusting its hours for the first two months of the year to accommodate many of the changes the museum
is undergoing.
Historical Society Executive Director Cathy Osterman said the museum will be closed during the week in January and February. The staff is taking this time to design the new touchscreen technology that will greatly expand the scope of the museum’s exhibits.
Osterman said, however, the museum will expand its hours on Saturday to include special events for both kids and adults.
She said they will host four Late Night at the Museum events in January and February. These will be adult only conversations that she said will put a modern thought process to the story of the James/Younger Gang Bank Raid.
“It’s going to be kind of tipping the raid story on its head. So, if Joseph Lee Heywood had just opened up the safe and given the robbers the money, what would have happened to Northfield? What would have happened with him personally? How would things have changed in our town and in our history? What would our identity be?”
Osterman said the idea is to have an in-depth discussion, with her as moderator and attendees actively participating, rather than one person giving a presentation. There will be other topics surrounding the bank raid as well, some even a little controversial. And, as these are discussions, and not a presentation, she expects all four of the nights will have their own unique tones.
The Late Night events are scheduled for January 15th and 22nd, and February 5th and 19th.The cost to attend will be $10. Beverages will be served, and therefore reservations will be required.
The Historical Society will also offer two Saturday nights specially organized for kids. On January 29th, and February 26th, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, kids will be admitted free with a paying adult to explore the museum’s History Hideout.
Osterman said the area was established last year as a place for kids to learn about life in Northfield in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Part of the room is set up like a one room school,” she said. “We have desks and slates. We’ve actually got McGuffey Readers. We have a bunch of costumes and accessories for kids to use. We have books if you’re interested in reading about Civil Rights, Latino Culture, Native American Culture, or Black History. And we have puzzles which are created from historical Northfield images from our collection.”
Osterman said during the week she and her staff are working as hard as ever. She said they even have two St. Olaf students coming in during the January Interim Term to help with the research for the touchscreen exhibits. Regular hours are scheduled to resume at the museum in March.
For more information, visit northfieldhistory.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
