Last week, the Northfield City Council approved two studies that could bring control of a major southern thoroughfare 
to the city and could also greatly affect traffic and pedestrian safety around several city schools.
Trunk Highway 246 has been under consideration by the state to turn control over to either Rice County or the City of Northfield. Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig said the county has lost interest in a turnback, but the city is definitely interested in looking at it, because simply identifying design needs for the area could bring the city millions of dollars for those needs.
“By being proactive, we’ll have a plan. As things come up, we can implement the plan, whether that’s the state doing the work, or whether it’s the city doing connections with our roadway, so it’s some dollars that are being spent earlier. It should bring greater clarity in the future on what we need to do related to that roadway.”
There are several sections of 246 that would benefit from an update, he said, from more sidewalks on Woodley Street, to better safety controls at the high school and middle school, to the intersection of 246 and County Road 1. Martig also pointed out that Ford Street will connect to Highway 246 in the next few years as more development happens in that area and having city control there could be beneficial.
The Council has also approved a traffic study of Lincoln Parkway near Greenvale Elementary School, looking for ways to improve both pedestrian safety and traffic flows.
Since the new Greenvale Elementary was built in 2019 and the former school building was converted to the Community Learning Center, traffic on Lincoln Parkway has become problematic at certain times of the day, and it will only become more congested as the Kraewood Development moves forward. The city has taken measures to help with congestion by creating temporary bump outs and no parking zones, offering some speed control measures and asking the police department to work with crossing guards.
The School District is also conducting a traffic study of the area, and Martig said he anticipates the city will be working with the district on potential changes within the area.
“We did get a grant to do some demonstration projects through the state health grant funding that we get called SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Partnership) Funds. So, we are planning to do a demonstration, hopefully in the spring, based on some of the things that we learn.”
The city traffic study will run into the spring, and the results will be made public later next year.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Pursell preparing for 2023 legislative session
Representative Elect Kristi Pursell said she is acclimating to her new role and responsibilities and will be ready to 
serve when the new legislature convenes next month.
“I’m obviously new to this,” she said, “so I’m trying to keep a beginner’s mind and be curious and learning.”
Pursell will represent the newly drawn District 58-A, which includes the City of Northfield. She will be one of 47 new members of the Minnesota House of Representatives, which is thought to be the largest class in state history, 28 of whom are Republicans, and 19, like Pursell, are Democrats. Some of the new members, she said, are more experienced than the others.
“On my side of the aisle there are two folks who were elected in 2018. They lost in 2020, and now they’re back, so they’re not needing to do all of the orientation pieces that I have been doing. And then there is a retiring senator who then ran for the house.”
The orientation process can be both very interesting and at times a bit tedious, she said. But as a new member she wants to learn as much as she can, and there are experienced people being made available who have been in the legislature for a while that have been very helpful.
She has her seat assignment on the House Floor, and not coincidentally, her office will be the same one that was occupied by her Northfield predecessor, Representative Todd Lippert. Pursell said with so many new members of the House, she used some “inside information” to select an office she could move into sooner rather than later.
“So, I was the 4th to last to get to choose my office. Representative Lippert’s office was one of those available, and I knew that he had already moved out. So, I’m grateful that I will perhaps get to move in a little sooner than my colleagues, because he’s moved.”
Prior to winning her election, Pursell had been the Executive Director of Clean River Partners for four years. She has tendered her resignation to the organization, but said she still has some responsibilities to oversee before she is done, and she is working to ensure a smooth transition as she assumes her new role.
Pursell said she has not yet been assigned an email address yet, but when she has it, she will make it widely available, because she wants clear and open avenues of communication. She will also make regular weekly appearances on the KYMN Morning show during the legislative session, which is set to begin on January 3rd.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Elect Kristi Pursell can be heard here
New Clean River Partners Executive Director already familiar with the organization
And in the wake of Representative Elect Pursell’s resignation, Clean River Partners announced last week that Jennifer
Tonko has been a program officer with the Minnesota Humanities Center and the lead for We Are Water MN, a multi-agency collaboration formed to inspire action for cleaner rivers, lakes, and drinking water.
Tonko said she worked with Clean River Partners on a project in 2019, and has admired the organization ever since for both its environmental and its community engagement work
In a statement, Clean River Partners Board Member Beth Kallestad said they are very excited to bring Tonko onboard.
“She brings deep experience in collaborative projects with local and state partners, and we look forward to continuing the quest for clean water with Jennifer at the helm.”
Clean River Partners has worked with community, government, and industry partners for more than three decades to clean and protect Southern Minnesota’s rivers, lakes, and drinking water. The organization works with city residents to reduce stormwater pollution and works with farmers and rural landowners to keep soil and crop nutrients in the fields and out of rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
Tonko will assume her new role in January.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
