One year ago, the Northfield City Council approved the 1% for the Arts Ordinance, codifying an already in place policy that stated for every
capital expenditure made by the city, 1% of the budget should be set aside and used to fund public art.
On Tuesday night during the City Council meeting, Director of Library Services, and the city liaison to the Arts and Cultural Commission, Natalie Draper made the required annual presentation to the council going over the completed projects in 2021, and what is to come in 2022.
The major projects completed in 2021 were the murals in the tunnels beneath the Highway 246/Jefferson Road roundabout. Artist Adam Turman’s murals depicting the ecology of Northfield has brought color and vibrance to what would have otherwise been drab concrete walls. The other completed project from last year is the poetry steps on the Riverwalk. A total of $21, 310 was spent on those two projects.
This year there are two major projects in the works. The first is a mosaic that will be installed on the west wall of the City Council Chambers in City Hall. Artist Lori Grene will use painted mural and mosaic tile to create, as Draper put it, a colorful celebration of the contributions of ordinary people that make Northfield special.
The second piece will be the long-promised Eagle sculpture created by Lakota Artist John Sterner.
Sterner has been commissioned to create the sculpture, which he said will tie today’s culture back to that of the indigenous Wahpekute people. It will be placed at the northeast corner of highway 3 and 3rd Street. A plaque containing the City’s Land Acknowledgement statement will be included at the site. The sculpture will be installed in April, and a dedication ceremony is scheduled for May 2nd.
Draper said between the two projects, the city will spend about $47,000 on public art this year.
The council was generally supportive of the endeavors. Councilor George Zuccolotto was the only member of the council to question Draper, asking when public art would start to appear on the North side of the city.
Hillmann’s district Covid report filled with good numbers
As the news about the Covid-19 pandemic slowly becomes more and more hopeful, Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann
said the numbers for the Northfield School district are on a “very good trajectory.”
In the month of January, the Northfield School District reported more than 660 new Covid-19 cases. As of March 15th, two weeks into the month, the district had reported 9 new cases. And on a campus of nearly 4400 people, they are only reporting 13 active cases at the moment.
Late last month, the district relaxed the mask requirement in almost every building, and last week the only building left under the rule, the Community Education Center, also made masks optional. The quarantine requirement for anyone exposed in close contact to another person who had tested positive has been removed, and, in fact, they have stopped contact tracing altogether.
In what came strikingly close to sounding like a declaration of victory, Dr. Hillman thanked everyone involved with the school district for the patience and understanding they have shown during what was an arduous two-year period, when policies and plans would constantly shift, sometimes with no more than a week’s notice.
“This is the best Covid-19 report that I have given in some time, so we’re really pleased to be moving forward together. And I want to thank everyone in the community. This has been very difficult, and we’ll still have some difficulty, but I really appreciate the support that the community has provided us.”
Hillmann then went on to point out that the pandemic is not over, and even as things look promising, we have seen this before, only to watch the Covid virus make a resurgence.
“This virus is shifty,” he said. “It can make a comeback quickly and at any time.”
The Northfield School District still has the healthcare protocol policies in place that would go into effect should there be another spike in the pandemic. However, Hillmann said the district will do everything it can to keep that from happening.
Dundas making plans for the spring
Sunday is the first day of spring, and the City of Dundas already has events on the calendar to take advantage of what some feel is the best
season of the year.
After a two-year hiatus, the annual Dundas Easter Egg hunt will return to Memorial Park. The event will begin at 10 am on Saturday, April 9th. While the event is free to attend, there is a suggested donation of $1.00 per child hunting for the eggs.
Dundas City Administrator Jenelle Teppen said there will be more than 4000 easter eggs for the kids to find, and there will be a celebrity appearance as well.
“Donations are appreciated. Rain or shine, it’s that Saturday morning. And there will be a personal appearance by the Easter Bunny. As usual, we booked him a long time ago, so we’re good. We have him confirmed.”
The city is also asking, but not requiring, that the plastic eggs that are found be returned for re-use next year.
And the Dundas Clean-Up Day is set for Saturday, May 14th. Dick’s Sanitation will be set up at the Mill Towns Trailhead in the Railway Street parking lot from 7-11am to take in the things that can accumulate in a garage, an attic or a basement and are no longer wanted.
As always household garbage, bulk items, and construction waste will be accepted at no charge.
Mattress and box springs, appliances, electronics, computers, monitors, and tires will all be accepted for a fee.
For a full listing of the fee schedule as well as items that will not be accepted, visit the Dundas city website calendar.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dundas City Administrator Jenelle Teppen can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. contact him at rich@kymnradio.net.
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