*Editor’s Note: this story has been updated to clarify the position of Northfield School Board member Noel Stratmoen.
On Monday night, the Northfield School Board approved a motion directing the school district administration to prepare a bond referendum for the November ballot to address the issues facing the Northfield high school facility.
The referendum will have three questions on it. The first will ask the voters to approve the construction of a multi-level classroom facility, the demolition of four wings of the high school, and renovation of other sections of the high school, including the cafeteria area, the media center, and the career technical education wing, at a total cost of up to $95.8 million. The second question, which will be contingent on the approval of the first, will ask for up to $18.8 million for the construction of what is being called an athletic Field House. The third question, contingent upon the approval of the first two, will seek approval for construction and installation of a geothermal system to heat the building.
The approval came after nearly two hours of vigorous debate.
Board members Corey Butler, Ben Miller, and Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez George all spoke strongly in favor of the three-question referendum. Board member Amy Goerwitz was in favor of the overall project, but she reiterated her belief that the Field House is just as important as the classroom structure, and it is her view that the two items should not be separated on the ballot. “If this is a question that we won’t ask again for thirty to fifty years,” she said, “then we need to explain to the community what the high school needs, and we should ask for that.”
Board members Jeff Quinell and Jenny Nelson were in opposition to the project. Nelson had deep questions about the design of the building, questioning if there is enough space for special education and career technical education. She said she did not feel the design was taking the needs of the students into consideration, that the lack of flexibility would keep students from being excited about going to school, she was disappointed in the process. Quinnell, meanwhile, expressed strong objections to the demolition of four of the wings of the high school. Despite reports that two of the wings are under-insulated and two others are unable to accommodate the necessary duct work for a new HVAC system, Quinell said he sees at least two of the wings as viable educational facilities that should be in use for another 15 years at least.
Board member Noel Stratmoen expressed a desire to table the vote until the next School Board meeting. In the end, he said he decided to vote in favor of the referendum in order to have the legal language that would be on the ballot better define the project. Stratmoen noted that the board will have to approve that language in order to place the referendum on the ballot.
The motion passed by a vote of 5-2.
Numbers show Rice County crime is concentrated in cities
The Rice County Sheriff’s Office has the year-end numbers in place from 2023. The tabulations of the number of service calls and what types of calls they received last year had some surprises for Sheriff Jesse Thomas, while other numbers were just what he expected.
Overall, Sheriff Thomas said that the number of calls increased by about 1500 calls, but the Sheriff said that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some of that increase is due to the members of the department being proactive with members of the community.
“To me it looks like a lot of that was traffic stops. That’s one thing that I push pretty hard for my license staff. I want them out there making traffic stops. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get a ticket. Sometimes it’s just an educational part of our job. It’s also an opportunity for us to make positive contact and remind people that their tabs are expired or their headlight’s out.”
The Sheriff’s Department is also responsible for serving lawsuits upon an individual in the State of Minnesota by delivering a copy of a summons and complaint, notice, motion, or other documents. Thomas said in 2023, his department served more than 1700 people, which he said was a “big number.”
One surprise, he said, was in the number of people who were stopped for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The number of people stopped in 2023 was actually fewer than in 2022. Thomas said that was not what he had been expecting.
“Our DWI’s or Driving Under the Influence, however you want to word it, actually went down a little bit. I had anticipated those numbers would go up with the legalization of marijuana, but we haven’t seen those numbers yet. I’m assuming as things progress through the distribution centers – when they come active and live – that we’ll see a little bit more of an increase on our side.”
The number of Part 1 Crimes, which in Minnesota includes violent crime such as murder, assault and rape, along with robbery, burglary, arson, human & sex trafficking, and firearms violations was down in Rice County as well. Thomas said they had 100 fewer crimes of that nature reported in 2023 than in 2022.
But, he cautioned, these numbers are simply in his office’s jurisdiction. The Sheriff also said he had been talking with County Attorney Brian Mortenson, whose office evidently charged more crimes in 2023 than in previous years. That means crime is up in Rice County, but it is more concentrated in the cities than in the Greater Rice County Area.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Sheriff Jesse Thomas can be heard here
Council in for a busy evening
The Northfield City Council is in for a busy night with no less than three distinct meetings scheduled for this evening.
Due to odd calendar limitations – the Council was unable to meet last week due to the Presidential Primary and will not meet next week due to the scheduled State of the City Address – they will hold nearly a full month’s allotment of meetings this evening.
At 6pm, they will convene for a regular meeting in the City Hall Council Chambers. Among the items on the agenda are a presentation by the Healthy Community Initiative giving an update on their various YouthFirst partnerships with the city including the Youth on Boards program and the Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention. They will consider a resolution ordering a feasibility report for the city’s 2025 mill & overlay projects, and they will consider a Resolution of Support for bonding appropriation introduced by Senator Bill Lieske to construct a roundabout at Armstrong Road and Highway 19.
The Council will then adjourn to the City Hall’s Second Floor Training Room for a closed session where they will discuss strategy for the sale of the city owned property at 115 5th Street South.
The Council will then re-convene in the Council Chambers for a work session where they will discuss options for the Northfield Ice Arena situation.
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 regular 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 regular meeting will begin at 6:00.
KYMN News 3/12/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
