Community Action Center Executive Director Scott Wopata said the Hillcrest Village project is beginning to approach a conclusion and could
take in its first resident as soon as the end of the summer.
Some seven years in the making from idea to completion, the housing development on the North end of Northfield has garnered national attention for its innovative approach and design. The development will create six residences with a total of 17 units designated for affordable, transitional and emergency housing. Moreover, the project is the most environmentally friendly development Northfield has ever seen. When complete, the buildings will be Passive House Certified which Wopata said, is the highest environmental designation a home can receive. The six buildings will use no natural gas and will be powered completely by electricity that will be generated by on-site solar panels. The intersection of social and environmental justice in a project that aligns with the city’s strategic plan has city officials extremely excited and has the attention of many people across the country. The University of Minnesota has been spotlighting it, and the American Institute of Architects has taken a great interest in the project.
The need for a development like Hillcrest Village is very strong. Northfield is currently dealing with a severe housing shortage, and the city has been taking great steps to develop more affordable housing. Three local builders, Schmidt Homes, Johnson-Reiland Builders, and Northfield Construction have all come together to construct the buildings. Wopata said one of the many positive by-products of the development is, at the end, there will be three local construction companies with the experience and know-how necessary to build an environmentally friendly home. That, Wopata said, is a reflection of why he believes Hillcrest Village could have only happened in Northfield.
“This is very much a Northfield project. This is really a convergence of our community’s desire for environmental design, a desperate need for housing, and just CAC’s backbone of just being around for fifty-plus years. Hillcrest just provided a way of making a tangible expression of all those things in a way that we can celebrate as a community.”
Of the six buildings, one is just about finished. Wopata said between inspections and licensing, it is possible they could begin taking tenants sometime in August.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with CAC Executive Director Scott Wopata can be heard here
Summer reading and music on tap at the Northfield Public Library
With a very successful Pride in the Park Celebration, which was attended by nearly 2000 people on Saturday, behind
them, the staff at the Northfield Public Library is gearing up for a full summer of activities for youth and adults alike.
The traditional Summer Concert Series sponsored by the library is getting a bit of a makeover this year. The series has been branded Seven Weeks of Parks & Music and will feature a wide variety of music. The series will rotate between Central Park and Way Park, with one concert at Memorial Park, every Wednesday at 6pm. The series will begin on Wednesday, June 15th, with the Louisiana-Tex Mex roots group the Everett Smithson Band. That will be followed by Latin music by Salsa del Sol at Way Park on June 22nd, and the Minneapolis old-time folk band and favorite, The Roe Family Singers on June 29th at Central Park. The Bookmobile will be at every show, as will the Red Chair Project, sponsored by Age Friendly Northfield. A kid’s story time will precede every concert as well.
Registration for the library’s summer Reading program will open on June 13th. Northfield Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said this year participants will be able to earn collectible challenge buttons, and a specially designed trail map will help them choose how they want to approach their reading for the summer.
Plus, Draper said, there are other rewards for signing up.
“You can enter to win fabulous prizes, including: a private horseback lesson donated by Vixen Hollow, so thanks to them, a punch card for ten free visits to the pool, donated by the City of Northfield there will be two winners of that, and it can be used next year, too, which is good because we’re giving it out at the end of the season. You can win an ‘Artbox of Awesome,’ with over $50 worth of supplies to get creative with, and a family membership to the Minnesota Zoo.”
Draper said the library will offer a pair of author presentations over the next week. Nancy Silcox will give a talk on Saturday at 1:00 about African American activist and attorney Samuel Tucker, who organized a sit in in 1939 to protest the whites only policy at the library in Alexandria, Virginia. That will be followed by well-regarded Dakota author Diane Wilson on Tuesday the 14th at 6pm, talking about her new book The Seed Keper. Wilson will be selling and signing books after her talk. Space is limited for this event, so the library asks that those who wish to attend register at mynpl.org.
Council to meet tonight at 6pm
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall with an extensive agenda. 
After recognizing the winners of the annual Stormwater Pollution Prevention Poster contest, they will hear an update presentation from Age Friendly Northfield. They will consider a resolution to issue $4 million in bonds for street reconstruction and equipment, and they will consider an agreement between the city and the Northfield School District relating to Community Services Recreation programs. They will discuss again and vote on an amendment to the ordinance regarding the use of Sidewalk Chalk on public property, and there will be a discussion and first reading of an ordinance banning the use of conversion therapy for minors and vulnerable adults.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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