By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Picture credit: Logan Wells/KYMN News
The Northfield City Council meets tonight for their regular meeting and a special work session meeting. On the regular meeting agenda, there are very few items overall. The only item the City Council is being asked to take action on in the regular meeting is the Consent Agenda. The Consent Agenda is an item presented at each council meeting and is a group of routine work or uncontroversial items grouped with votes taken on them.
On the Work Session Meeting agenda is one item up for discussion: an update on the Ice Arena Project. The update will include design rendering, floor plans, and a budget update. The original plan for the ice arena was budgeted at $20.9 million. However, the updated budget forecast has the project at $24.8 million.
PREVIOUS STORY (9/24/2024): A First Look at the Design for the New Ice Arena
PREVIOUS STORY (10/18/2024): City of Northfield & Dundas Sign Funding Agreement For The New Ice Arena Project
PREVIOUS STORY (11/21/2024): Northfield Hockey Association Announces Fundraising Update
PREVIOUS STORY (12/2/2024): Hockey Association Shares Goals With Additional Fundraising For The New Ice Arena
Summary memo from Northfield City Staff About the Project:
The project is a partnership between the City of Northfield, the City of Dundas, Northfield Public Schools, and the Northfield Hockey Association. As part of the agreement, the School District agreed to a 20-year lease at $250,000 a year; the hockey association agreed to donate $2 million to the project, and the two cities would fund the rest of the project. In a memo from the city, the hockey association has reported raising $2.8 million in donations.
The agreement uses net tax capacity to keep tax levels the same across the two cities. This means a house in Northfield valued at $350,000 would pay the same taxes on the ice arena as a house in Dundas valued at $350,000. This means Northfield will fund 88% of the project, and Dundas will fund the remaining 12%. The agreement is for 20 years, and the rates are fixed, meaning Northfield pay 88% for the entire 20 years. At a Northfield City Council meeting, Public Works Director and City Engineer David Bennett cited transparency and clarity as the main reasons the rates did not change yearly.
Chair of the arena committee for the Hockey Association, Chris Kennelly, noted that they explored several options, including renovating or building a new arena. Here’s Kennelly on KYMN in November:
“And one of the big things is the refrigerant system that’s in there that would need to be replaced, which is a major undertaking of a couple million dollars. So really the city did a great job of looking at all the options, including renovating that current arena and really one of the things we proved out because of this public private partnership that you mentioned, it was about the same cost to the taxpayer as renovating the current arena as doing a new one.” – Chair of the Hockey Association Arena Committee, Chris Kennelly on the KYMN Morning Show
Note that public comment is only taken at the regular council meeting during the open public comments section at the start of the meeting.
Both the regular City Council meeting and Work Session meeting will happen tonight at 6pm in the Council Chambers of the Northfield City Hall.
Use our guide below to find City Council meeting documents:
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