Almost a full year after alleged reckless driving caused an accident that took the life of a Northfield man, a Dundas man has been charged with felony criminal vehicular homicide – operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner.
Yesterday, Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson announced that 19-year-old Aiden Carl Mandsager, of Dundas, has been charged with the felony and also with reckless driving causing death, which is a gross misdemeanor.
According to a statement issued by Rice County, on the morning of April 20th, Mandsager was traveling south on the Highway 3 Frontage Road at an alarming speed, estimates are at least 50-mph in a 30-mph zone. Approaching Jefferson Parkway, he passed another southbound vehicle and went up the curb and into the grass before driving through a stop sign and into a vehicle headed Eastbound on Jefferson.
Mandsager’s vehicle and a Kia driven by Bryce Skaar, 85, of Northfield, were hurled into the wall of the Alina clinic. Both men were transported to Northfield Hospital and then Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. Skaar died from his injuries that afternoon.
Mortenson said in the statement that Mandsager was driving without any regard for the safety of other drivers, and the reasons behind his behavior are still unclear.
District will promote ‘Safe, Smart, Sustainable’ ballot choice
The Northfield School District is preparing to roll out its high school referendum informational campaign. The project is the next phase in helping district voters understand what they will be asked to approve on the ballot this November.
Earlier this month the Northfield School Board approved the idea of building a new multi-story classroom facility for the high school, and demolishing the M, D, S and H wings of the facility. Other sections of the school, including the auditorium, the cafeteria, and the vocational wing would be renovated as well. Additional options would be a dramatically expanded gymnasium facility, and the construction of a geothermal system to heat and cool the building.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said the theme of the campaign will be Safe, Smart and Sustainable, and will focus on those aspects of the project. For example, the current high school has more than 30 entrances and exits, making security difficult to manage. While no one expects an incident, there are enough security breaches in schools around the country to make security a high priority, which is something that would be easier done with the renovated facility.
Hillmann said it was clear through their market analysis that the voters would not approve the cost of a new high school, but many people have remarked about the need for drastic upgrades at the high school. The “Reimagined High School” option, as it is being called, fits in between those two schools of thought quite well.
“This is a combination of new construction, renovations and some strategic demolition. It’s really, if you think about it, the Goldilocks option. It’s just right. Brand new was too much, but straight up renovation was not enough for many people. This “Reimagine” option is something that we think is just right for the building. Of course, voters get to decide that in the end.”
The building would also be constructed with an eye to the environment. It would, of course, have to be built to the environmentally friendly building code enacted by the city in 2022, and with the geothermal option, it would contribute mightily to the city’s goal of using only carbon free electricity by 2030. Hillmann said the district has already built a facility that would point to the possibilities with the high school.
“New construction is going to be far more efficient than things built in the late 60’s and late 90’s. We just know how to do this differently. We can point to Greenvale Park as a great example for people who wonder what we’re talking about with sustainability. We think about Greenvale Park and just that design. And then of course, geothermal also is something that would be sustainable from more of an environmental perspective.”
In total, if everything in the referendum is approved, the project cost will come in at just under $122 million. Hillmann said the website for the project will offer a tax impact calculator so each individual voter will be able to see exactly what the tax increase will be on their home.
Hillmann said the website, as well as the rest of the campaign, should be ready to go next week.
Dundas moving forward on CFS site
On Monday night, the Dundas City Council adopted a resolution supporting the application for a grant to help pay for further analysis of the CFS Coop site, which the city hopes to see redeveloped in the near future.
The city purchased the property in December after invoking a long held right-of-first-refusal clause with CFS. An agreement signed more than twenty years ago stated that, once CFS had received a purchase offer on the property, the City of Dundas would be allowed to match the offer. Last fall CFS informed the city that an offer had been made, and the Dundas City Council decided to match the price.
City Administrator Jenelle Teppen said the Economic Development Authority has developed a business subsidy plan for situations just like this, and the city intends to offer the site as a tax increment financing development district to make it attractive to a developer who might have interest in working with the city. She said meetings have been had with a local developer, and the interest is definitely there.
As the property was once the site of a fertilizer plant, an Environmental Impact Study is required before more can be done. Teppen said Phase I of that study has been completed, however Phase II is a much more detailed and involved process that is estimated to cost approximately $25,000. Teppen said the city will apply to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for a grant. DEED, she said, requires a 25% match on their grants, so the city will seek approximately $18,750. She believes there is a very good chance the grant will come through.
“Ever the eternal optimist, I think that we’re sitting pretty good. We haven’t applied for any funds from DEED in the near past, they have funds identified for these types of projects and I think this particular project fits very well into their requirements.”
The Dundas Economic Development Authority was revived in 2021 to invigorate business development within the city. Teppen said the city has an excellent opportunity to create something very positive for the people of Dundas with this property.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dundas City Administrator Jenelle Teppen can be heard here
KYMN News 2/27/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
