Tonight, in the meeting room at FiftyNorth, the City of Northfield will host the first of three open houses scheduled over the next week to give community members a chance to learn about the new projects and initiatives that are being planned for Downtown Northfield.
The meeting will be led by city consultants Bruce Jacobson and Bob Close, who will give a brief presentation followed by a discussion about the various projects. Members of the city staff will also be in attendance.
A statement issued by the city said the topics that will be discussed will include the Archer site, Bridge Square, the 5th & Washington Streets development, the 5th & Water Streets plans, the possibility of reconstruction of the Ames Mill Dam and what that would look like, and, of course, parking. The discussion will include both private developments and areas for the public. The statement said this is an opportunity for community members to view illustrations, give comments and ask questions. Stations will be set up in the meeting room with display boards to illustrate the various projects and city initiatives.
Anyone with concerns or curiosity about the developments is encouraged to attend these meetings. All of the projects are in various stages of the development process from general ideas and design concepts to more refined design drawings, and as such, this is the time for the public to give opinions.
Jacobson said those who are not able to attend any of the scheduled meetings can also schedule an individual meeting.
“And I want to make the point that we’re we are also available, as we have been throughout [this process], to meet with individuals and small groups. Give us a call if there’s a particular issue. We have what we call ‘revolving door meetings.’ We have hours in City Hall where we would be happy to meet with folks if they want to talk about some specific things.”
Spanish interpreters will be available.
Tonight’s open house will run from 6-8 pm in the Fifty North meeting room. A second open house will be on Saturday, from 2-4 pm at the Greenvale Park Elementary School cafeteria. And the third open house will be one week from today, Wednesday, October 11, from 6-8 pm at the Weitz Center for Creativity on the Carleton College campus.
Individual web pages for several of the projects have been created on the City of Northfield website. For more information visit northfieldmn.gov/projects.
To schedule a meeting with Close and Jacobson call Northfield City Hall at 507-645-8833.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Bruce Jacobson and Bob Close can be heard here
Northfield Public Broadcasting will highlight each 2023 Artists on Mainstreet grant recipient
Last week the Friends of Downtown Northfield and the Northfield Arts & Culture Commission announced all eight of the recipients of the Artists on Mainstreet grants for 2023. Many of the projects have already been finished or installed, while others are underway.
Artists on Main Street is a community development program that engages artists to create public art in the Historic Downtown District, exploring the intersection of arts and culture, downtown revitalization, and historic preservation.
Now in its fourth year, the program is a collaboration between the city and the Friends of Downtown Northfield originally conceived as a creative placemaking program. Projects from past years include the children’s book mural on the Division Street steps to the Northfield Public Library, and the famed “selfie shark” that once claimed Ames Park as its home.
This was the final project put in place by former Northfield Assistant City Planner Revee Needham. She said after taking a one-year hiatus, the Friends of Downtown Northfield and the city were able to secure a $25,000 grant from the Minnesota State Arts board, and an additional $10,000 through the 1% for the Arts program administered by the Northfield Arts & Culture Commission.
Needham said the selection committee was a diverse cross section of the Downtown Northfield Community.
“There was a public art review committee comprised of volunteer community members, arts and Culture Commission members, we had a Friends of Downtown Northfield board member, we had a Streets and Parks Department representative, a local business owner, and an artmaker who lives in town. There were 19 applications in total, and we just couldn’t fund them all.”
This year’s projects include the stormwater drain murals many have seen around Downtown Northfield that were created by Rocky Casillas and Michael Provancha. Over the summer Shona Brooks held a pair of Random Acts of ART! Workshops during some of the Third Thursdays Downtown events. Kathy Ness, the creator of the library steps mural, along with Kate Woodstrup, has created new murals on the barriers in Bridge Square featuring plants and animals of the Cannon River. And this Saturday, Northfield interim poets Becky Boling and D.E. Green will host Poets at the Depot, featuring several local poets sharing their work. In all, Needham said, there were eight projects selected this year.
Northfield Public Broadcasting Station Manager Sam Temple said his organization was asked to create videos highlighting each project, and they have hired a videographer to take on that detailed task.
“We contracted with a local videographer who is a good friend of mine and very, very talented named Brynn Artley. She is putting together that entire series of videos and spending a lot of time recording not just with these artists, but trying to get their process, whether it’s the installation or, sometimes it’s more interactive. She is making sure that it gets recorded. So, it’s quite a production.”
For more information on the 2023 Artists on Main Street project, visit downtownnorthfield.org
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
