A statement released by Rice County last week said the bids accepted by the County Board of Commissioners for the new Public
Safety Center came in at a price that was less than had been anticipated.
When approved last May, the complex was expected to cost about $50 million dollars. The bids accepted by the board at their meeting last week totaled $39.2 million. However, two sections of the project did not receive a bid and will have to be rebid. The statement said the estimated costs of those sections have been worked into the overall budget.
Rice County Attorney John Fossum said it is the responsibility of his office to draw up the contracts for the construction companies who have been awarded the bids, and that the county will be working closely with the project manager to keep the project within budget.
“We’ve got some work to do on the contracting side. We’ll be working with the construction manager, going forward, to make sure that the contracts with all of the winning bidders help us stay within the budget that has been set. Hopefully, all of the contracts go forward appropriately from there.”
Also on Tuesday, the board approved a special HVAC system designed to remove viruses from the air, while declining other adjustments to the design that included replacing brick with stone on the exterior, adding electrochromic glass windows on the south side of the building and adding some ornamental fencing.
The Public Safety Center, which will house the county jail and the Rice County Sheriff’s Department, became necessary after the state department of corrections evaluated the current jail as no longer acceptable, due to a severe lack of space for programming and recreation. The new facility, according to the statement, will include a much larger recreation space as well as areas where detainees can take classes remotely to either obtain a high school diploma or further their education. Religious services and counseling, chemical dependency and mental health counseling, AA meetings and the jail library will also be in that space.
Ground is expected to be broken for the new Public Safety Center sometime this fall.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Attorney John Fossum can be heard here
Underdahl says pandemic is waning, but not ending
With the summer months now in full swing, cases of Covid-19 are once again beginning to drop. Rice County reported just 22 new positive cases last week, and similarly across the state there were just over 2000 new cases.
Northfield Hospital+Clinics President and CEO Steve Underdahl said the hospital is seeing far fewer Covid cases than they were just a few weeks ago. Last week, he said, there had been “one or two” patients in the hospital with Covid, but as of Thursday there were none. More importantly, he said the people in the hospital with Covid were there for reasons other than Covid-19.
“The general feeling that things are better than they were,” he said, “is correct.”
He did caution, however that while the pandemic has slowed down, it is not over, and that we all still bear social responsibility to protect our friends, our neighbors and ourselves.
“Get vaccinated,” he said. “Get boosted when it’s time. The efficacy of the vaccine tends to wane over time, so people should get a booster shot when its recommended.”
He said it is also still important for people to stay home if they are not feeling well.
Meanwhile, the FDA is expected to authorize vaccines for children under the age of five by the end of the week. Underdahl said NH+C has taken great steps to offer as much information about the vaccines and their effects on children – as well as everyone else – as possible. Dr. Ben Flannery, who is a pediatrician with NH+C, has made a series of short videos answering a variety of questions for parents ranging from why and when a child should be vaccinated to what the side effects could look like.
Underdahl stopped short of saying the pandemic is nearly over, but he did say that now is an appropriate time to take stock and recognize those who have helped our society the most through an exceedingly difficult time.
“You know, as this pandemic is grinding on, but hopefully starting to come to a little bit of a close, I just want to recognize our health care workers. I sincerely believe that these people and their colleagues around the world are really this generation’s standard bearers for public service. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.”
For more information about Covid-19 and Covid vaccines, visit northfieldhospital.org.
Dakota author to discuss The Seed Keeper
And the Northfield Public Library is inviting the community to an author talk with Diane Wilson tomorrow, from 6-7pm.
Wilson is a writer, speaker, and educator of Mdewakanton heritage, who has published two award-winning books, a middle-grade biography, and several essays. Her latest novel, The Seed Keeper, was published in March of last year. The book is centered around four generations of Native American women and their historical and cultural connections with seeds, and more broadly the role food has played in racism and government use of food to try to control marginalized people. The book also investigates questions about genetically modified seeds and their effects on farming, as well as deeper environmental issues.
It won the 2022 Minnesota Book Award and has earned great praise across the country.
Wilson’s nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life, was awarded the 2012 Barbara Sudler Award from History Colorado. Her work has been featured in many publications, including the anthology A Good Time for the Truth.
Wilson will be selling and signing books after giving her talk. Space is limited for this event, so library organizers request those wishing to attend register at mynpl.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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