Attorney General Ellison visits Northfield to continue support for Viking Terrace
On Friday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison visited Northfield to highlight the community organizing of the residents of Viking Terrace and his continued support.
At the event at Emmaus Church, Ellison and members of the Viking Terrace Resident Association Board explained where things stand with the new owner of Viking Terrace, Lakeshore Management.
In July, Ellison’s office warned Lakeshore that the new lease they wanted residents to sign likely broke Minnesota laws. For example, manufactured community residents are not required to sign new leases when a new owner takes over, but residents understood from Lakeshore that they could be on the path to eviction if they didn’t sign the new lease full of strict rules. After the Attorney General’s communication, Lakeshore suspended the lease.
More than 80 people attended Friday’s event, including many local political leaders like Representative Todd Lippert and city officials like Mayor Rhonda Pownell and City Councilors George Zuccolotto and Clarice Grabau.
Ellison repeatedly celebrated how Viking Terrace residents organized to protect their rights and how the Northfield community has rallied around them.
“People care a lot. The community is united with the Viking Terrace residents. And I just think it’s important for everyone to know that nobody’s going to push this community around. They have a lot of friends.”
Much of the event was dedicated to a Q&A. Ellison, Assistant Attorney General Katherine Kelly, and Assistant City Attorney Alissa Harrington answered questions about the future of Viking Terrace.
When asked whether he will take more action against Lakeshore, Ellison said his office prioritizes compliance and only goes to court as a last resort, but they’ll continue to monitor the situation. He also mentioned he’s a member of the National Association of Attorneys General, which can prosecute bad actors that repeatedly break laws in multiple states. Lakeshore operates out of Florida and owns around 100 parks in nine states.
Another big concern voiced in the Q&A was preserving affordability. Lakeshore has instituted a $60 lot rent increase, which was not nullified when the lease was rescinded. Lot rent is now $485 and is expected to go up. At other Minnesota Lakeshore parks rent has risen to between $700 and $800.
Ellison explained Minnesota has no rent control laws. However, he advocated for residents buying their parks and running them as cooperatives. There are ten such cooperatives in Minnesota; all prioritize affordability.
Many residents hope to buy Viking Terrace from Lakeshore and make it the eleventh cooperative in the state.
For now though, residents and supporters alike will have to wait and see what Lakeshore does next.
Fire Chief Nelson aims to improve communication among NAFRS joint powers
Interim Fire Chief Tom Nelson is trying to improve communication and understanding about policies and procedures among the joint powers that govern the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service, or NAFRS.
Since 2014, the Northfield Fire Department has become a Joint Powers Agreement called NAFRS, led by a board of representatives from the City of Northfield, the City of Dundas, and the Rural Fire District, composed of seven surrounding townships. This agreement has the benefit of expanding Northfield fire and rescue services and increasing collaboration between municipalities. But it also takes time to bring all parties up to speed on NAFRS policies and procedures and the reasoning behind them.
At the September NAFRS board meeting, Nelson plans to talk about what he calls “the secret sauce” that makes NAFRS work. Nelson said that for example, he gets many questions about the way the paid-on-call system works and why that system was chosen in the first place.
For Nelson, the paid-on-call system may seem strange from the outside, but it’s a key ingredient that makes NAFRS work. Other fire departments schedule firefighters in shifts and only notify people on shift of fires. That avoids extra people being called down to the station. However Nelson said, that strategy can increase response times because it’s not necessarily the firefighters closest to the station being notified of an emergency.
“Your response time can go up because you’re only paging half the department. Does it save a few bucks because then you didn’t go over to the fire station and get your pay for one call? Yeah. But is it really helping the community by saying ‘we’re only going to bring in a certain number of people no matter where they are.’”
Nelson added that another aspect of the NAFRS “secret sauce” is the decision in 2018 to keep the Northfield fire house location and remodel the station. He said he gets questions about the station location and if NAFRS will open another location; all things that were studied and meticulously discussed in 2018.
For Nelson, it’s a priority to share that institutional memory, or the “secret sauce,” with current NAFRS board members in September.
Jeff Johnson’s full interview with NAFRS Interim Fire Chief Tom Nelson can be heard here.
Northfield Shares grant applications due October 3
The Northfield Shares grant application process is open for 2023. 
Northfield Shares is a local foundation that looks to support local programs and non-profit organizations by encouraging philanthropism, volunteering, and promoting collaborative leadership.
Grant applications will be evaluated based on need in the community, feasibility, and the ability of the organization to achieve the project’s goal. Organizations are evaluated on the assistance they offer to sustain a “thriving, equitable community for all residents.”
Grant applicants should also have the ability to manage the funds granted and deliver on the proposal.
Some grants will come through Northfield Shares’ dedicated funds.
“We’re really fortunate to benefit from the generosity of those who came before us who wanted their work to live in perpetuity,” said Northfield Shares’ Executive Director Carrie Carroll. “Our past donors have created something that we continue to benefit from.”
Those dedicated funds that Northfield Shares manages aid Northfield youth and young adults and help with the beautification of Northfield.
Once an application is received, it will be reviewed by the Grants Committee which will then make its recommendations to the Board of Directors for final approval. Grant recipients are announced in November and funds will be distributed at the Northfield Shares Annual Meeting in December.
Application forms in English and Spanish are available.
The deadline to turn in a completed application is October 3rd.
Cait Kelley is the KYMN News Editor. Contact her at cait@kymnradio.net.
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