With residents of the Hidden Valley Townhomes Association circulating a petition for a reverse referendum on the funding for the city’s 2023 road construction 
The residents are hoping to stop construction of a 10’ wide two-lane bicycle path and an accompanying 5’ sidewalk that would be constructed across many homeowners’ yards and driveways. The concerns have been voiced for months at city council meetings and in the media. In response, the city has said the need for bike lanes is a matter of connectivity and safety. A public meeting to address the objections was held earlier this year, but neither side found satisfaction in that conversation. The council approved the construction plans on April 4, and the funding for the project on April 18th. In response, the residents have begun to circulate the petition, which would call for a referendum on the funding, or the city could choose to not issue bonds to fund the project for one year, effectively canceling all Northfield Street projects in 2023.
Martig said he has listened to the concerns, as has the city, and took exception to the idea that the city has not been listening, pointing out that listening to someone is not the same thing as agreeing with them. He said he believes that those protesting have the city’s best interest at heart, but he disagrees with how the project is being characterized.
“Certainly, their goal to have safe and sensible bikeways in town and to stop unnecessary spending is a goal I completely agree with. I think that’s the city’s goal too. I think, with complete respect to them, I don’t believe that [the project is] irrational, as it has been portrayed. I believe that it’s really a sound and safe project that we’re doing, and I think it’s also fiscally responsible.”
He said the comparisons of this project to the Bryant Avenue project in Minneapolis, where bike lanes were constructed and are now being torn out due to their impracticality, are flawed. Where Bryant Avenue is a one-way street that is fairly narrow, the Heritage Drive/Lincoln Street South area where the bike lanes are to be built is a wide two-way street. Martig also said Northfield does not allow overnight parking during the winter, which was the major problem with Bryant Avenue, so the cities’ parking standards are different. He added the project around the Minnehaha Academy Elementary School in Minneapolis is a better comparison, and encouraged those who are curious to look it up on Google Earth.
With regards to the petition, Martig said that it is specifically about financing, and will likely not do anything to change the designs the city has for the area. Should the petition go through, he said the city would be faced with a choice. It could either run a special election for the community to vote on funding the entire 2023 street project, or it could choose to cancel the project. He said due to the cost of running a special election, not to mention the time it would take to put one together with the construction season getting shorter each day, the city’s choice would be obvious.
“It’s $40,000 probably to run a special election that doesn’t seem like a real good use of taxpayer dollars. In my standpoint, delaying the project will only drive costs up later. Typically, construction costs have gone up way more than inflation. And delaying the project is also going to lead to worse pavement conditions, which is something we’re trying to fix. Our staff capacity is really limited. So, I don’t think we’d be advising to move forward with a referendum. I think we’d move on.”
Martig said he believes the stakes are “pretty high,” and encouraged those thinking about signing the petition to do some research in order to be educated and thoughtful about what it is they are signing. He also said that those who have signed but are having second thoughts are within their rights to have their signature removed before the petition is presented to the city.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
CAC’s growth creates need for fundraiser
Community Action Center is putting out a call to any creative person who might want to submit a piece for a recycled material fashion show. 
The Runway Revival: Reduce. Reuse. Refashion event will be a unique fashion show highlighting the creative talents of local artists who will design wearable pieces of art, using 90% recycled, upcycled, and reused materials.
Anika Rychner, the senior director with CAC, said that the Covid-19 pandemic had a dramatic effect on their organization, as it did with most businesses and nonprofits. However, instead of reducing in size, CAC, she said, grew exponentially during the pandemic as they responded to such an enlarged demand for their services. Where a busy day at the CAC Food Shelf was 25-30 families pre-Covid, a busy day is now 75 families. They have moved into Faribault to serve that population, they have established a smaller food shelf at the Community Education Center, and of course, they have the Heritage Village project up and running. The demand, she said, has been dizzying.
“We’ve almost quadrupled in size since pre-Covid. In the middle of the pandemic, when a lot of us, well, all of us, were just trying to survive, we were growing tremendously. So, we are serving close to 14,000 individuals now as an organization where it had been closer to 4,000 or 5,000.”
Great growth leads to great demand, so CAC will present Runway Revival as a general fundraiser for all the CAC programs.
A statement released by CAC said the event is an opportunity to showcase and promote environmental sustainability in our community.
Wearable art pieces should be made from 90% recycled, upcycled, or reused materials. Each piece must be wearable and walkable on a runway. The Items can be clothing and or accessories.
Dina Fesler, one of the event’s organizers whose work was part of the inspiration for the show, said the only real qualification for those who submit is a strong sense of creativity.
“The idea is you don’t have to be a fashion designer and you don’t even have to be an artist. You can just be a fun, whimsical, creative person and get your glue gun out and create something for the event. It’s not like it’s a prize jury and all that stuff. Don’t feel intimidated. Just do it and have fun with it.”
Applications to participate in the show are currently being accepted and will be open until May 31st. Consultants will review submissions and provide approval within one week of submission. Approval will be ongoing and rolling as submissions are received
The event will take place on Thursday, August 24th in Carleton College’s Great Hall. For more information visit communityactioncenter.org and click on News & Events.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
