On Monday night, the Northfield City Council approved the sale of the Northfield Ice Arena to private interests, taking another step toward building a new facility.
City Administrator Ben Martig presented the sale to the council, which will include 3.75 acres of the total property, including the arena itself. Martig noted the remaining 1.75 acres that runs along the Cannon River would be kept by the city as parkland.
The buyers, Tyler Westman and Brett Anderson, will pay $1.025 million for the property, and have indicated they intend to create a new indoor/outdoor private recreation facility.
The terms of the sale include a 24-month lease back to the city for use until the new ice arena is complete. Martig said the rent on the building will be $9,000 per month for the first year, and $10,000 per month for the second year. There is a buyback option that must be invoked in the first year. Should something go wrong with the design or construction of the new facility, the city will have the option to buy the arena back from Westman and Anderson at a cost of $1.15 million.
Under the agreement, the city will retain ownership of the arena’s Zamboni.
Construction continues near Jefferson Parkway
As the summer road construction projects continue, the City of Northfield is advising residents near the Jefferson Parkway West Mill & Overlay and Mill Towns Trail Improvements Project to use the west entrance of Roosevelt Drive and to enter Jefferson Parkway from the west to access their properties through August 30th.
The remaining work on the project includes milling and overlaying, constructing a turn lane, and installing the Mill Towns Trail and accessible pedestrian crossings.
On a related note, voters in Northfield’s Ward 2 should be mindful of the Jefferson Parkway project that could affect the route to their polling place for the Primary Election this coming Tuesday. Jefferson Parkway will be closed from the east entrance of Roosevelt Drive to Division Street.
Ward 2, Precinct 1 votes at United Methodist Church on Maple Street. Ward 2, Precinct 2 votes at Northfield Community Resource Center on Jefferson Parkway. Extra signs will be posted on the roads leading to the polling location.
To access the Northfield Community Resource Center on Primary Election Day, Ward 2, Precinct 2 voters will need to approach from the west.
A statement issued by the City of Northfield said the city is committed to being forward-thinking by enhancing the quality of city streets for all Northfield residents. The City urges motorists to always drive with caution, slow down in work zones, and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.
Polling places will be open on Election Day from 7am to 8pm.
Northfield Union of Youth leaders discuss mental health advocacy
The Northfield Union of Youth, and its physical headquarters, The Key, is a well known and respected resource for Northfield’s young people. Central to their mission is the well-being and mental health of the youth who take part in their programs and spend time at The Key. According to NUY Executive Director Kelli Podracky, in today’s society more than 40% of all young people report feeling persistently depressed, and Podracky said that statistic alone is enough to keep The Key in business.
Gabby Vargas, the NUY’s Mental Health Coordinator, said one of The Key’s main goals is to offer a constant stream of activities that will allow the youth to express their emotions positively, help them learn to manage their emotions, and give them guidance where it is needed.
Vargas who has been with The Key for about a year, has undergraduate degrees in psychology and social work, said she has seen the value of the work she does, and results she is proud of.
“There have been many times where I can just sit down with a lot of the youth that I work with and they’ve shared with me that if we hadn’t done the activities that we did, or had the conversations we’ve had, they wouldn’t have been able to get where they are right now, because a lot of them have graduated. And if they hadn’t had some of the support the Key offers, they just felt like they wouldn’t have made it.”
Vargas said those results don’t come the same way for everyone. Sometimes, she said, sitting in a big room and sharing one’s feelings isn’t what is needed, so she will get the youth out and moving their bodies at a park or at the swimming pool. Podracky said the results can come through more nuanced and subtle activities. For example, she said, a recent donation of an ice cream maker created exactly the type of environment that was necessary for some of the kids to open up and accept the community that The Key offers.
“We’re in the kitchen and they’re making ice cream and people will say, ‘Well, what does that have to do with mental health?’ It’s the organic conversations that happen in the kitchen. It’s the relationship building. It’s the opportunity to make connections. That’s where it starts. That’s where the conversations begin. The trust is built. And we find out more and we learn.”
Of course, The Key offers more services than helping with Mental Health, but Podracky said mental health is at the crux of what they do. Whether it is helping with academics, housing, or family situations, good mental health is the foundation of the service they offer. Vargas said she does keep an up-to-date database of mental health resources and therapists available to offer more in-depth help, and community partners like Community Action Center, CAC, and Rice County are never more than a phone call away.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with the Northfield Union of Youth can be heard here
KYMN Daily News 8/8/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
