For more than a month already this year, the Rice County Sheriff’s office has been advising caution on the county lakes and rivers. Recreation on the water is a Minnesota rite of passage in the summertime, but accidents and mistakes can always happen, even in the middle of an enjoyable and relaxing ride upstream.
On Saturday morning, that is exactly what happened, when a group of canoeists and kayakers paddling the Cannon River from Faribault to Northfield got caught in river debris resulting in what could have been a disastrous experience
Around 11:30 am on Saturday, Deputies from the Rice County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a canoe tipped over on the Cannon River in Northwest Faribault. Initial deputies arrived on the scene and found several individuals that were trapped in the water and hanging onto a large tree that was floating in the river, after the boats in which they had been traveling capsized.
According to a statement issued by Rice County, a group of three adults and six juveniles had departed on the Cannon River from the Two Rivers Park in Faribault and were using several kayaks and canoes to travel the river to Northfield. Two of the canoes, each holding one adult and one juvenile. became entangled with two different downed trees in the river waterway causing them to capsize.
At some point, a juvenile attempted to help one of the canoe groups and by doing so, caused his kayak to capsize, throwing him into the river. The individuals from the capsized vessels were able to hang on to the downed trees until they could be rescued by first responders. All parties were located during rescue efforts. Each person was wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident and there were no reported injuries.
According to the statement, the Sheriff’s Office utilized several specialty units during this incident including the Rice County Dive and Drone teams. Deputies were assisted by several other public safety agencies, including the Faribault Police Department, the Faribault Fire Department, the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service, and North EMT.
The Cannon River, like many Minnesota rivers, is filled with unseen debris, including a number of trees and large branches. Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas recommends anyone on the river use extreme caution and consider their safety and that of the first responders who must work to rescue capsized or stranded individuals.
NAFRS budget finished after potential Rural Fire District fix
The Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Board has approved both the NAFRS Operating Budget and the Capital Equipment Budget for 2025.
Northfield Area Fire Chief Tom Nelson said the budget is in 6-8 weeks before it is due, and that is largely because of an initiative the department has taken to help the nine townships that make up the Rural Fire District have a clearer picture of what will be asked of them for 2025. Townships are statutorily mandated to set their tax levies for the following year in March, but the Fire Department doesn’t set their budget until mid-summer. That has created problems in the past, and the NAFRS board has taken steps to ease the situation.
“March is when the rural townships have to solidify their levies, and that’s one of the things that they asked us is if they could get at least a snapshot right around that time so there are no surprises when the NAFRS budget comes in after the levy has been set. So, our bylaws say July, but we decided to approve it and get it out to the City of Northfield, the City of Dundas and the Rural Fire District.”
With the information supplied to Rural Fire, and much of the budget founded in known costs, it made sense to simply continue the process and approve the budget well before it is mandated to be turned in.
On the Capital Equipment side of things, Nelson said the department expects to take delivery of a new water truck at the end of March next year. The board decided to take advantage of the fact that manufacturing lead times have been extended by nearly 18 months since the Covid-19 pandemic, so the cost of the truck has been budgeted over two fiscal years. They expect to do the same thing when they take delivery of another vehicle in 2026, and Nelson said the new process gives them an opportunity to plan ahead and create a fund for emergency equipment.
“What we really want to do though is to continue even on those ‘off years,’ and build a sinking fund. My analogy is, ‘Do you save up for a vacation or do you put it on the credit card?’ If you can save up front and then say, ‘Okay we’ve already got $1 million in the capital improvement sinking fund that’s going to buy this this and this.’”
The City of Northfield and the City of Dundas will use the early information when both cities start planning their 2025 budgets later this summer.
School Board set to approve budgets tonight
Delayed by a day due to the observance of Memorial Day, the Northfield School Board will meet tonight in the boardroom of the Northfield School District office building with several important items on the agenda.
The board will be asked to vote on and approve the 2024-2025 General Fund, Child Nutrition, Community Education, Debt Service and Internal Service Budgets, with all projected revenues at just under $90 million, and all projected expenses at just under $89 million.The board approved the Capital Operations budget for the ‘24-’25 school year in February.
The board will also be presented with, and will discuss, the language for the high school facility improvement referendum set to be placed on the ballot in November. They will discuss a proposed sale of school district property in Dundas, and they will hear a presentation from Community Education Director Erin Bailey regarding the tenuous state of childcare in Northfield.
There will also be brief discussions about the Adult Learning Center graduation ceremony, set for Friday night at 6pm in the Middle School Auditorium, and the High School Graduation, set for Sunday, June 9th, at Memorial Field.
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 6:00
KYMN Daily News 5/28/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
