The City of Northfield s preparing to redraw ward and precinct voting districts within the city as a result of the 2020 census.
During a presentation of newly redrawn borders to the City Council at their work session last night, City Clerk Lynnette Peterson said Carleton College s asking for a change in one of the wards so that the entire student body of the school will vote in the same precinct.
The space at issue is six city blocks running between 2nd and 4th Streets from Washington Street to Winona Street. This area has been included in Ward 4 for at least ten years if not longer. However, Carleton has requested that the area, which includes quite a bit of student housing, be included in Ward 1 in the name of continuity and ease of voting for all Carleton Students. The polling place for the precinct in question as it stands would be St. John’s Lutheran Church. Should the boundaries be changed the polling place would shift to the First UCC Church.
City staff is recommending against the change for several reasons. The wards and precincts are designed for as much balance in population form ward to ward as possible, and the area in question has traditionally been a part of the fourth ward. The amount of time it would take to change the boundaries would make things difficult as well, especially because the changes require two readings before the council, and by state statute, the boundaries must be set by March 29th.
Councilor Clarice Grabau spoke in favor of the change for the Carleton students, but the rest of the council seemed to favor keeping the boundaries in place.
Nelson says district buildings are in ‘good shape’
The Northfield School District will have a long list of upgrades and renovations to make to several of its buildings and facilities this summer, including the resurfacing of the middle school track and continued upgrades to the Community Education Center.
Each of the projects will be overseen by the District Director of Buildings and Grounds, Cole Nelson, who joined the district staff in July after serving for five years as the Assistant Construction Manager for Rochester Public Schools.
As the newly installed Buildings Director, Nelson is able to look at and asses the condition of all the district facilities with a fresh perspective. Overall, he said, in his estimation, things seem to be in good condition.
“Quite honestly, they’re in very good shape after the 2018 referendum and all the upgrades that happened. From Greenvale to Spring Creek and Bridgewater, adding the cafeteria at Spring Creek and the main office at Bridgewater, they’re all in sound shap. We’re doing a couple of big projects this summer to continue that on, but overall, they’re all in good shape.”
The headlining project for the summer will be a new roof for the Middle School. Already eighteen years old, the middle school roof was heavily damaged and repaired after the severe hailstorm of 2006. Nelson said the original roof had a fifteen-year warranty, so it is time for a new one.
Working with Schwickert’s Tecta America, a well-known and respected commercial roofing company in Southern Minnesota who installed the original roof, prep work for the project will begin in mid-April on a modified schedule with work being done after the school day has ended.
“We have to get going on things as early as possible,” said Nelson, “because there’s a lot of roof on that building to replace”
Nelson said the technology just in the 18 years since construction was completed on the building has come far. Instead of a ballasted roofing system with a 15-year warranty, the new roof will be a Built-Up style roof that will have a thirty-year warranty. Nelson said the components of the roof have been ordered, and therefore the costs have been locked in and will not be subject to the further increases being seen in the building materials industry. The materials are set to be delivered sometime next month and will be stored on-site until needed.
The Middle School Roof project, he said, should be complete by mid-to-late august.
Northfield splash pad can be ‘jewel’ of the park system
A group of interested citizens has come together in an effort to bring a splash pad to Northfield. 
A splash pad is a zero-depth waterpark, consisting of several types of water-oriented play features on a hard surface. Because there is no standing water in a splash pad, it engages people of all ages and abilities. The parks have become increasingly popular over the last few years, with dozens of them popping up across the state almost on a yearly basis.
Working with Consumer Recreation Specialists, a design firm specializing in splash pads, group has come up with a plan that calls for 3,000-5,000 square feet, with different areas catering to different age groups. The design presented by Adam Olson and his co-Chair Andrea Berube presented to the City Council last night uses a water filtration system that recycles water rather than pulling it from the city reserves.
Because of the design, any potential site would require restroom facilities. Features like parking and shade would also be necessary components. The organization has tentatively identified Memorial Park, adjacent to the municipal swimming pool as an appropriate area to build. However, there has been conversation among council members as well as members of the general public that perhaps this would be something that should be built on Northfield’s west side. The conversation about the lack of city amenities on the western side of town has been growing louder in recent months, and a project such as this would seem to be a natural fit to address the issue.
The City Council has given the group approval to begin fundraising activities. Olson said the design they have could be built for about $500,000, however if more infrastructure is needed, the city would probably have to pay some of the costs as well, especially if it was to be built away from the Memorial Pool. But, he said, if things go well, the sky’s the limit.
“Something commonly added to splash pads is shade structure for the people watching the kids, and benches and landscaping. So, yeah, there’s a lot of places we can go. If fundraising goes well, this can become an absolute jewel of our park system.”
Those interested in getting involved or making a donation can email northfieldsplashpad@gmail.com, or visit northfieldsplashpad.com
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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