Last week, the Northfield City Council approved the funding for the city’s 2023 Reclamation and Overlay project, bringing resolution to a controversial situation
that has dogged the Council for months.
Within the larger street project, the plans call for the construction of two-lane protected bicycle lanes on Maple Street and Roosevelt Drive, as well as an off-street two-lane bikeway adjacent to the sidewalk on Heritage Drive, Lincoln Street South and Adams Street.
The bike lanes have been met with resistance. Members of the Valley Pond Townhomes Association, which is located in the Heritage Drive/South Lincoln Street Area have protested furiously about the path cutting across lawns and driveways, and the protected bike lanes have been questioned for their safety and their cost. Mayor Rhonda Pownell and other members of the City Council have answered that Northfielders have communicated to them that, coming on the heels of two bicycle related deaths in 2022, they do not feel safe riding a bike on many city streets. The bike lanes are being constructed in the name of safety and better bike path connectivity throughout the city.
The connectivity has been questioned by some, especially in the case of the Heritage Drive/South Lincoln Street area where a bike path already exists around Hidden Lake. However, that path has been characterized as somewhat out of the way, and the city is skeptical that people will use it if it is not a direct path to where they are going.
The controversy has put the street project behind schedule. Generally, the city will put the street plans out for bid in February or March. Going out for bid in late April will mean a later starting time to the road construction season. City Administrator Ben Martig acknowledged the problems in the delay, but he said there are certain parts of the project that will be prioritized.
“Yeah, it is a little bit later and so hopefully we’ll get good bids even though we’re later in the year. The parts of the project that are in the school area in particular are the critical ones to be completed before the next school year, where we’re doing some sidewalk improvements and biking facilities in that area of Spring Creek. So, we do expect that that piece will be completed. We’ll kind of see how things play out with the bids and bring that back to the Council.”
Both Martig and City Public Works Manager Dave Bennett have said that they do not expect the delay to have a major effect on the project.
Pursell monitoring progress of Mill Towns Trail in Bonding Bill
As the Minnesota Legislature continues to pass the various bills that will make up the budget for the next biennium, a $3 billion bonding bill waits in the wings 
Despite a legalized marijuana bill that the House of Representatives will most likely vote on today and the Senate on Friday, it is the bonding bill where the Republican Party has chosen to make a stand. With a $17 billion budget surplus, the DFL party which holds the majority in the House and the Senate, has put together a bill with funding for several public works projects throughout the state. A bonding bill had been agreed upon in principle last year, but the legislature adjourned before it could be put to a vote, and the DFL holds that after three years, it is time for a new bill.
Republicans, however, are tying support for a new bill to tax relief. Despite the DFL majority, a bonding bill must be passed with a three-fifths super majority, meaning Republican support would be required.
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield), who is in her first term in the House, said the bonding process is one she is still not completely familiar with, but she is watching and learning, particularly because the bill on the table right now allocates $8 million for the construction of Northfield’s section of the Mill Towns Trail.
“I’m keeping an eye on it, trying to make sure the Mill Towns Trail is not forgotten or skipped in the process. But that process seems to be quite different than the rest of the processes used for legislating.”
Pursell said she recognizes that bonding is one of the few areas where Republicans can exercise some power during this session, but she is also hopeful that the two sides can come together on an agreement, because the funding in a bonding bill is especially important to Greater Minnesota
“We really see that being so important for greater Minnesota, for sure. It’s a way we can get some of our projects funded, especially when we don’t have as many levers to pull for paying for these projects. So, hopefully that can happen.”
As in most years when a bonding bill is on the table, it is expected to be one of the last items passed, if it is passed at all, before the legislature adjourns on May 22nd.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell with can be heard here
Northfield to observe No Mow May on a trial basis
Northfield residents are being encouraged to look into and participate in No Mow May. 
No Mow May is a program where residents do not mow their lawns in May to support pollinator habitat during the critical transitional period from spring to summer. It is open to residential, owner-occupied properties and renters with landlord consent. It is not authorized for business or city-owned greenspace.
Earlier this month, the Northfield City Council approved a resolution to test the program for one year, suspending enforcement of the tall weeds and grass code from May 1st to May 31st. City Staff and the City Council will review the results and if successful, could expand it to include other properties in Northfield in future years.
To participate, residents should register their property, refrain from mowing their lawn in May, and display the “No Mow May” sign in their yard or on their home, in plain view from the street, to educate other residents and promote the program. Residents can pick up one free reusable yard sign for their registered address while supplies last at City Hall.
