The Northfield School Board will meet tonight in the boardroom of the Northfield School District office building.
Last week, the board met for a special work session regarding the high school facility. As they consider the idea of putting a bonding referendum on the ballot in November, the board was presented with several options for what could be done with the building, and for the construction of a new building. Working with consultant Sal Bagley of Wold Architects, the district showed the board some specific ideas.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said one option, of course, would be to do nothing. The board is not required to ask the voters to approve a bonding bill, and they could let the school operate as-is. However, he said, that does not feel like the responsible thing to do.
The first real option would be to replace the heating and cooling system within the high school and make updates to some of the classroom areas, all within, he said, the existing footprint of the building. The next option would include the addition of a turf practice field. The option after that would include the construction of a four-court fieldhouse.
The cost of those three options, he said, would range from $59 million to $87 million.
The next idea would be to demolish the areas of the building that are problematic and obsolete, while keeping the newer sections of the school, and building a multi-story classroom addition with new commons areas and a new cafeteria. The cost of a project like that would be around $117.5 million.
Options for a new high school would include construction on the existing campus or finding a new campus and building there. The cost of a new high school, he said, would range from $163 million to $176 million.
Hillmann stressed that it is important to keep in mind the cost estimates are in 2027 dollars. Should any referendum pass at the end of the year, there would likely be a year for planning and design, and then the project would have to go out for bid. Construction or renovation of any sort would not begin, most likely until the 2027 construction season.
Hillmann said there are other concerns to take into account for a new construction project like this, such as new building code requirements.
“Once you start to add on to a facility, you are required to have a storm shelter as part of your facility that could withstand an F4 tornado. And there’s a calculation for the square footage that would be needed for something like that. And so, the storm shelters comes in at little less than $2,000,000 for a site the size of our facility.”
Hillmann admitted that the numbers are difficult to digest, but the district has a responsibility to at least try to address the issues. An educational and informational campaign has been ongoing since last fall to help the voters of the district understand why the renovation is necessary. When things are explained well, it becomes much easier to understand.
“I think it’s important to remind people that we are not considering these facility updates because we are increasing the number of students. We are considering them because the building really needs updates. There’s a variety of ways to think about it and there’s a lot of very reasonable ways to think about it.”
Another tour of the high school is set for Saturday, February 3rd from 10am until noon. On January 29th, the board will hold a special informational meeting in the High School auditorium at 6pm, where all of the options will be discussed, and public comments will be taken.
Tonight, along with further conversation about the possible bond referendum, the board will receive the district’s latest financial forecast, and Dr. Hillmann will give his mid-year evaluation.
The School Board will always invite public comments from those who live in the Northfield School District. Time for those comments is scheduled at the beginning of each meeting. Registration is required to address the School Board. Those wishing to do so may sign up beginning at 5:30 pm. Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6pm.
Contested elections this March in Bridgewater, Northfield Townships
With the slate of candidates in this year’s Rice County township elections finalized, there looks to be a real race in both Bridgewater and Northfield townships.
The races for the supervisors’ seats in both townships are the only contested township seats in Rice County this year. Only one candidate filed for each office in the remainder. It should be noted that no affidavits of candidacy were filed for the open supervisor’s seat in Webster Township or the clerk’s seat in Northfield Township.
With the slate of candidates in this year’s Rice County township elections finalized, there looks to be a real race in both Bridgewater and Northfield townships. There are three candidates, Matt Estrem, Josh Malecha and Jerald Studsdahl, to fill one seat in Northfield Township, and two candidates, Larry Alderks and Michael Little, to fill Supervisor Seat D in Bridgewater Township.
The races for the supervisors’ seats in both townships are the only contested township seats in Rice County this year. Only one candidate filed for each office in the remainder. It should be noted that no affidavits of candidacy were filed for the open supervisor’s seat in Webster Township or the clerk’s seat in Northfield Township.
One seat on each township’s boards of supervisors will be on the ballot, except in Bridgewater Township where two three-year supervisor’s seats are up. Clerk seats are also open in townships where they remain an elected position. In Bridgewater, Forest and Webster, the clerk is appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
Northfield Township voters will also have two questions on their ballots. One seeks authorization to appoint rather than elect the town clerk. The other asks whether the county should be permitted to issue Sunday sale intoxicating liquor licenses to township establishments.
Supervisors are elected to three-year terms. Clerks’ terms are two years long.
Each township will hold its annual meeting and election on Tuesday, March 12th. Meeting times vary by township, as do poll hours. Both are listed below along with the names of the candidates.
Tuesday, February 20th is the last day to pre-register to vote for the 2024 township elections. Paper applications must be delivered to the Elections Office at the Rice County Government Services Building, or mailed to 320 Third St. NW, Faribault, by 5pm on February 13th. Voters registering online through the Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State’s secure website will have an 11:59pm deadline.
Residents can also vote absentee from Friday, February 9th through Monday, March 11th at the Rice County Government Services Building. The office is open weekdays from 8am to 4:30pm, except for Monday, February 19th, when county offices will be closed for Presidents Day. Voters can also cast an absentee ballot from 10am – noon on Saturday, March 9th and from 8am-5pm on Monday, March 11th at the Government Services Building.
Absentee voting for the March 12th Township elections begins Feb. 9 and runs through March 11.
A listing of candidates, poll hours, and meeting times, taken from the Rice County website:
Bridgewater
Supervisor Seat A: Glen Castore
Supervisor Seat D: Larry Alderks and Michael Little
Vote from 2-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 500 Railway St., Dundas
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Cannon City
Clerk: Marilyn Caron
Supervisor: Preston Bauer
Vote from 4-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 4490 Crystal Lake Trail, Faribault
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Erin
Clerk: Sharon Kaisershot
Supervisor: Jim Cihak
Vote from 3-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 12378 Independence Ave., Lonsdale
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Forest
Supervisor: William Malecha
Vote from 2-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 3625 Millersburg Boulevard, Faribault
Annual meeting: 1 p.m.
Morristown
Clerk: Dawn Nuetzman
Supervisor: Kevin Kubal
Vote from 5-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 402 Division St. S, Morristown
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Northfield
Clerk: No affidavits for candidacy were filed
Supervisor: Matt Estrem, Josh Malecha and Jerald Studsdahl
Vote from 2-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 10901 Jacobs Ave., Northfield
Annual meeting: 8:10 p.m.
Richland
Clerk: Robert Sommers
Supervisor: Stevan Johnson
Vote from 5-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 9985 240th St. E, Faribault
Annual meeting: 4 p.m.
Shieldsville
Clerk: Susan Ceplecha-Novak
Supervisor: Joseph Pesta
Vote from 3-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 7250 154th St. W, Faribault
Annual meeting: 2 p.m.
Walcott
Clerk: Kourtney Spitzack
Supervisor: Rick Heiderscheidt
Vote from 5-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 4020 240th St E., Faribault
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Warsaw
Clerk: Debra DeGrood
Supervisor: Ron Wegner
Vote from 5-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 22955 Dalton Ave, Faribault
Annual meeting: 4 p.m.
Webster
Supervisor: No affidavits for candidacy were filed
Vote from 3-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 4175 Delano Ave, Webster
Annual meeting: 1 p.m.
Wells
Clerk: James Zahn
Supervisor: Kevin Loken
Vote from 2-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 18400 Roberds Lake Boulevard, Faribault
Annual meeting: 1 p.m.
Wheatland
Clerk: James Duban
Supervisor: Diane Johnson
Vote from 3-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 9641 50th St W, Veseli
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Wheeling
Clerk: Rebecca Vergin
Supervisor: Ronald Keller
Vote from 5-8 p.m. at Town Hall, 8492 Nerstrand Boulevard, Nerstrand
Annual meeting: 8:15 p.m.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
