The City of Northfield is asking for public opinion on concept designs for the Lincoln Parkway update and refurbishment project.
In what seems to have now become city policy for all major road reconstruction projects, the City of Northfield is seeking community input on planned updates to Lincoln Parkway. The city has been exploring options along Lincoln Parkway, Spring Street and Dresden Avenue around Greenvale Elementary in order to support and increase the use of multimodal connections and to create a safer environment in the neighborhood for bicyclists and pedestrians. The city would also like to identify multimodal network improvements for the Safe Routes to School initiative, for both current and future generations.
Lincoln Parkway has been a focus of interest for the city in recent months. After the construction of the new elementary school, city authorities have identified a need to better distribute traffic at peak school dropoff and pickup times. The need to improve the area will only grow as the Kraewood development on the south side of Lincoln Parkway, just across from the school complex, is completed and new residents begin to use the road as well.
After receiving feedback from city meetings, onsite surveys, an open house and a certain amount of online community engagement, city engineers have created what they believe will be a preferred concept that includes compact roundabouts, revised access to the school, off-street bike lanes and other elements.
A page has been created in the projects section of the city website at northfieldmn.gov, inviting the public to weigh in. The page contains an interactive map, and comments can be made in any language on specific elements.
The city will host an open house on Thursday, November 30 from 2pm until 7pm at Emmaus Baptist Church where the general public will be asked for more opinions and feedback.
The project engineers will present the final design recommendations to the City Council sometime in early 2024.
A link to the interactive project map can be found by clicking here.
County asking people to submit homestead applications
The Rice County Assessor’s office is reminding all county residents who purchased or moved into a property in the last year to file a homestead application. Homesteading is necessary if the property owner or a qualifying relative occupies the property as a homestead on or before Dec. 31, 2023.
A statement issued by Rice County said a qualifying relative would be defined as parents, a stepparent, offspring, be it a child or a stepchild, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, uncles, aunts, nieces, or nephews of the owner either by blood or marriage, for occupied agricultural or residential property,
Once homestead is granted, annual applications are not necessary unless they are requested by the county assessor.
Those who have sold a property, moved, or for any reason no longer qualify for the homestead classification, are required by state statute to notify the county assessor within 30 days of the change in homestead status.
The statement also asked that residents contact the Rice County Assessor’s Office at 507-332-6102 by Dec. 3 if the use of the owned or occupied property has changed during the past year.
The deadline to file the homestead application is December 31st. For more information, visit the Rice County website.
Council will discuss several items on heavy agenda tonight
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall, with quite a bit of business to which they must attend.
Prior to the meeting, the Council will meet in closed session to discuss an offer from an undisclosed party to purchase the property at 1280 Bollenbacher Drive, where the Northfield Ice Arena is located.
Once the regular meeting begins, Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott will give a short presentation on the recent mandated audit of the Police Department’s body cam program. The Council will hold the annual public hearing to certify delinquent bills and attach them to the property taxes payable in the following year, followed by a public hearing to discuss the renewal of licenses for a pair of currency exchange businesses. Among the items on the regular agenda, the Council will consider the plans for the Honeylocust Drive East Cannon River Trail Connection Project and will entertain a resolution approving the long rock rapids recommendation for the Ames Mill Dam Removal Feasibility Study. They will also receive an update on the Comprehensive Plan preparations.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
