On Monday night, the Northfield Area School District, and indeed the entire Northfield Community received welcome news when Noel Stratmoen returned from a medical leave of absence and was reinstated to the Northfield School Board.
Stratmoen was forced to submit a letter of temporary resignation last December due to health concerns. His return was greeted with a plethora of well wishes from all members of the board, including Robert Coleman, the man who had been selected to fill the seat on the board while Stratmoen recovered. Calling Stratmoen a “legend,” Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said his return means a great deal to the entire school district.
Stratmoen was first elected to the Northfield School Board in 1980 and, after winning his seat in a total of twelve consecutive elections, has become the longest tenured current member of any school board in the State of Minnesota.
Hillmann also took some time to praise Coleman for the work he has done with the School Board since being appointed in January and for the grace he exhibited welcoming Stratmoen back.
“Robert Coleman served capably over the last eight months. He was very well prepared. He’s really a promising young leader, who has two young kids in the Northfield school system. He held that seat very well and was really gracious in his comments welcoming Noel back. It was a beautiful exchange between a veteran leader and someone who was willing to step in and serve the community for a period of time.”
This was the final school board meeting before the new school year. The first day of school is Tuesday.
New traffic signals have already increased safety on Highway 3
MnDot crews have finished the summer-long project of replacing traffic signals along Highway 3, and according to the Northfield Police Department, some of the new features have already made the intersections through Northfield safer.
One of the additions to the new signals is the installation of Opticom Strobe lights. The lights work with emergency vehicles to create a traffic signal preemption system, allowing police, fire or emergency medical vehicles to change the traffic signals in their path as they race toward an emergency call. As a fire truck, for example, approaches the intersection of Highway 3 and 2nd Street, the equipment will ensure that the truck has a green light, allowing it to pass safely through the intersection, keeping East or Westbound traffic from straying into its path.
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Chief Tom Nelson has discussed the system at length saying the ability to clear the intersection safely keeps problems from compounding when an emergency vehicle collides with regular traffic.
This is not to say that all issues have been cleared up. Sgt. Kevin Tussing of the Northfield Police Department said there are still far too many people who see an emergency vehicle coming behind them are not moving to the right side of the road and pulling over.
“People freeze. It happens on almost every code we’re called on. We have some people that want to stop right where they are in front of us, which makes things a little riskier. We’re asking everyone to please pull over to the far right and stop your vehicle until we’re safely passed.”
The important thing, said Tussing, is to move out of the way of the emergency vehicle in a manner that the emergency driver can anticipate.
Another addition to the new traffic signals is the yellow flashing arrow for left-turn lanes. The yellow arrow allows for better traffic flow by giving the driver who is making the turn the ability to move, as long as they yield to oncoming traffic. Tussing said the NPD is already noticing better results due to the lack of accidents at Northfield’s busiest intersection at Highway 3 and 5th Street.
“It’s helped reduce our crashes so far, especially at Highway 3 and 5th Street, where we would have a lot of crashes. Previously, when it was just the solid green circle, we would have a lot of people turning in front of the southbound cars, when the southbound traffic had the right of way. I think it’s helped to reduce that so far.”
Overall, Tussing said it is estimated that the new features will allow for a 20% faster response time for all Northfield First Responders.
Defeat of Jesse James Days will offer two opportunities to see the Budweiser Clydesdales
One of the most anticipated aspects of the 2023 75th Anniversary edition of The Defeat of Jesse James Days this year will be the return of the Budweiser Clydesdales.
The famous team of horses sponsored by the Anheuser Busch Corporation and Budweiser Beer will make their fourth appearance at the Defeat of Jesse James Days, and attendees of the festival will have a pair of opportunities to see them.
Clydesdales are a breed of draft horse known for their strength, size, versatility and gentle demeanor. Each horse can stand as tall as six feet high and weigh as much as one ton.
The horses have become synonymous with Budweiser beer, and the iconic beer wagon will be here as well, as will, reportedly, Barley, the Dalmation who rides on the wagon with the drivers.
The first opportunity to see the Clydesdales will be at the DJJD Rodeo on Friday, September 8th. Sandy Vesledahl, who has coordinated the team’s appearance for the DJJD Organizing Committee, said one or two of the horses will be at the rodeo grounds for a photo opportunity “Meet & Greet,” beginning at 6:30, 90 minutes prior to the beginning of the rodeo.
The second chance to see the horses will be during the Grand parade on Sunday, September 10th, beginning at 2:00. Vesledahl said the full 8-horse hitch will pull the wagon and its occupants down Division Street to lead the parade, just behind the color guard.
Vesledahl said, watching the team work, it’s not just the horses that are so impressive.
“Driving the combined twelve tons of wagon and horse requires expert skill and physical strength. The forty pounds of line held by the driver, plus the tension of the horses pulling creates a weight of more than 75 pounds. So, you have to be pretty strong to be the guy that drives those horses.”
The horses will be housed at the Scott County Fairgrounds, as they will be making other appearances in the area as well while they are here.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
