Yesterday afternoon, Northfield Police Officers, along with Northfield Hospital Emergency Medical Services and the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service, responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash with injuries at the intersection of Highway 246 and Arbor Street, after it was reported that a pedestrian had been struck by an SUV while crossing the street at the entrance to the middle school parking lot.
A statement released by the NPD said officers arrived on scene just after 3:00 yesterday and spoke with all parties involved and witnesses on scene. The 15-year-old victim had been walking westbound in the marked crosswalk when she was struck by a southbound vehicle. The statement said that the pedestrian crossing signals had been activated and were in working order at the time of the incident.
The driver of the SUV, a 16-year-old girl from Northfield Township, was not injured.
The pedestrian, the statement said, appeared to suffer multiple non-life-threatening injuries, and was transported by ambulance to the Northfield Hospital.
Charges for the driver are anticipated following the completion of the investigation.
Minnesota law requires all drivers to stop for and yield the right of way to pedestrians and bicyclists in a marked crosswalk. The statement said the Northfield Police Department is reminding all drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists to watch out for each other and to stop for those that are in a crosswalk.
Council approves $17.4 million for utility improvements
On Tuesday the Northfield City Council approved the issuance of $17.4 million in general obligation utility revenue bonds.
Of that amount, $14.4 million will go to make necessary, and much needed, improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, while $3.8 will be allocated to the city’s stormwater fund.
Nick Anhut of the Ehlers company, who serves as a financial advisor to the city, said prior to the bond sale on Tuesday morning, he had spoken with advisors at Standard and Poor’s, who said that the City of Northfield stands with a AA credit rating. Anhut congratulated the city and said that puts Northfield in the top 15-25% percentile of all cities across the country.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell said the good credit rating is the result of the city’s good budgeting practices.
“[They look at] the general health of our local economy. Our long-term planning, good budgeting and, and financial policies really help to save the city important resources that we can then put towards other important projects. So, it’s saving us tax dollars.”
Anhut said the AA rating is the third highest given by S&P. While a AAA rating is reserved for major cities, far larger than Northfield, there are some things holding Northfield back from receiving a AA+ rating. Local wealth is not as high in Northfield as it is in other AA rated cities, he said. And the Northfield’s debt burden is of concern as well, particularly with more to come based on the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
Regardless, he said, the AA rating paved the way for a surprising number of bids on the bonds. Typically, said City Administrator Ben Martig, the city will receive as many as five bids when they issue debt, but on Tuesday there were nine bidders on the bonds. The winning bid went to JP Morgan Securities who offered an interest rate of just under 4%.
Anhut said the bonds are structured for repayment over 20 years. The average payment for the wastewater treatment plant will be slightly over $1 million annually. The stormwater revenue will come in at just over $252,000.
Legislation implementation, sorting out facility situation among Hillmann’s areas of focus
At the beginning of a new school year, every student and every teacher will set goals for the things they want to accomplish and the things they intend to focus on over the course of the year.
The same is true for the Superintendent of Schools.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann has four areas of focus he will be emphasizing this year, as approved by the Northfield School Board.
Hillmann, the 2023 Minnesota School Superintendent of the Year, said there are actually 41 separate responsibilities outlined in his job description, and each one will be handled as always. However, there are four facets of his job that require extra attention for this school year.
The first two come thanks to the Minnesota Legislature.
This past spring, the legislature passed the Minnesota READ Act, which establishes a statewide approach to literacy. Hillmann called it the best written piece of legislation he has seen in his 30+ years in public education, and one of the things he is going to focus on is implementing the standards and guidelines it requires. He also said Northfield is ahead of the curve when it comes to literacy in Minnesota, but the district will continue to put emphasis on reading.
“Reading is the gateway to success. We know that if students are able to read at grade level, especially by third grade, that’s a key, a watershed point in a student’s academic career. Doors just open for them. We really defy the national narrative. In fact, our third grade reading results were nearly back to pre-pandemic levels this year.”
His second point of emphasis, he said, will be the implementation of the rest of the educational legislation passed this year, of which there is a substantial amount.
Another point of emphasis will be the continued engagement with the families of BIPOC students. Hillmann said the district has convened a parent’s advisory group for Latin students, black students, and indigenous students, and they will continue to seek and listen to feedback from parents about their students’ experiences.
Finally, there is the question of the high school facility. The question has dogged the district and the school board for several years. With the original section of the building definitely showing its age, there are major questions about the best way to move forward with the building that must be answered.
“We are going to really have some significant liabilities. Those liabilities may not come to fruition, but if they do, it’s going to be a problem and so we need to operate with a sense of urgency on what is the pathway forward for the high school facility. There are a number of pathways we just need to determine what is the right one for the community and that the community can support.”
This year he intends to focus on supplying the school board with as much information as they need in order to, he hopes, facilitate dialogue that will result in some kind of a referendum asking the voters of the district for help with the building in November of 2024.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
