On Monday night, about 70 people gathered in the Northfield High School auditorium to discuss the future of the Northfield high school building. Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann has made it clear that there are issues with the high school facility that must be dealt with, and can no longer be ignored, and the meeting on Monday night was to point the issues out and ask for public opinion.
Making an initial presentation to the gathered attendees, Hillmann said the Northfield School Board has identified 22 separate problems that must be addressed, highlighting, among others, the need for a new heating and cooling system, and a distinct lack of natural light in the building. He described five options that are currently before the School Board to fix the problem and added that a sixth option would be to do nothing, although he does not believe ignoring the problems would be a responsible action. The cost of the solutions ranges from $59.5 million to replace the HVAC system to $176.4 million to build a new school on a new campus.
The crowd was broken into seven small groups who then met in classrooms to discuss the issues in more detail. The views and opinions that people expressed were in line with public feedback throughout the planning process. Some feel that Northfield must build a new high school. Some believe that repairs and renovations to the school are necessary but think a new building is too much, and others are opposed to doing anything, because they do not wish to see their property taxes increase, or they are on a fixed income and do not believe they can afford to pay their share.
After the small groups were brought back together, time for public comments was offered. While some spoke against any construction or renovation, and others spoke in favor, one of the most poignant comments came from a student who is a junior at Northfield High School and a member of the District Youth Council. He simply pointed out that the school was built 60 years ago and was taken from the design of a school built in San Jose, California. The lack of insulation on exterior walls might be okay in San Jose, he pointed out, but in Minnesota it is problematic.
The School Board listened to all the comments and then each member was given time to react at the end of the meeting. Most seem to be in favor of asking the public for money in a referendum this fall, while at least two seem to be unconvinced that any action is necessary.
The School Board must decide in March whether or not it will put a referendum on the ballot in November.
Gong Loco project has been two years in the making
Within the past few months, new restaurants have begun to pop up around the Northfield area, including the Desi Diner and the Robin’s Egg Bakery. Yet another, Gong Loco, is scheduled to open within the next two weeks.
Located at the corner of Highway 3 and Honeylocust Drive, in a location that was once occupied by a Kwik Trip gas station, Gong Loco promises to bring a latin and asian fusion concept to Northfielders’ cuisine choices.
Freetime Restaurants, a division of Rebound Partners, which owns Reunion in Northfield and Redemption in Faribault, among others, has developed Gong Loco. Brent Nystrom of Rebound Partners said the project has been a long time coming. The company signed a purchase agreement with Kwik Trip almost two years ago, and the plans were submitted to the City of Northfield just over a year ago. As the property was once a gas station, Nystrom said there are several layers of testing that are required, and there is extra scrutiny, which is why the project has taken so long to come together.
Ken Pankow, a partner in Gong Loco, who is also the operations manager, said he believes the results will be worth waiting for.
Gong Loco is a fast casual restaurant in the manner of Chipotle or Leeann Chin. Patrons will be able to create a rice bowl with either cilantro seasoned white rice, or fried rice. Noodle Bowls will be available, as will, of course, burritos and salads.
Nystrom said the organization identified the site as a perfect place to create a restaurant, and Pankow said it meets the first three rules of the restaurant business – location, location, location.
“The location obviously is great. It’s right on Highway 3, so it’s really visible. Ther’s a stop light right there. It’s easy in and easy out, with a big parking lot. There are a lot of advantages to that building for that style of restaurant. So, we think maybe half will be dining in and half will be carried out.”
Pankow said his staff has been assembled just in time for a test-run, invitation only soft opening next week, after which the restaurant will be ready to open. For complete details on the restaurant and when it will be fully operational, visit gongloco.com, or one of their social media pages.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
