Council Set To Appoint Scott Wopata as the Community Development Director; Consider Lincoln Parkway Construction Project; and Discuss 5-year plans for Infrastructure and Equipment.
By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
The Northfield City Council meets tonight for a regular meeting and a special work session meeting.
The Regular Meeting will start with two presentations, first from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, followed by the Quarter 3 Police Report.
Appointment of Scott Wopata at Community Development Director:
The Council is then set to approve Scott Wopata for the role of Community Development Director. The Community Development is primarily responsible for the city’s Housing and Economic Development. Wopata is currently the Executive Director of the Community Action Center and previously the Director of the Northfield Union of Youth.
Listen to the News:
According to the city staff memo Wopata has demonstrated “a proven record of leadership, strategic growth, and results-driven collaboration that aligns closely with the City of Northfield’s strategic priorities, especially in the area of housing and community development.” While at the CAC, Wopata oversaw the organization’s expansion from serving 3,000 people to 18,000, a sixfold growth in the CAC’s budget, and the construction of the Hillcrest housing development. If Wopata were to be appointed, he would take the role at the end of December. The previous Community Development Director, Jake Riley, left the role for a job in Arden Hills at the beginning of September.
Lincoln Parkway Construction & Transportation Grants:
Next, the council will consider approving plans for road construction and a bike lane along Lincoln Parkway, as well as approving applications for a grant to help fund the project. The project would be between Cannon Valley Place to Dresden Avenue along Lincoln Parkway, most immediately around Greenvale Park Elementary and the Community Education Center. The Project would include a mill and overlay, an off-street bikeway installation, and curb extensions, with the possibility of expanding the project to Greenvale Avenue with grant funding.
Sean Simonson, the City Engineering Manager, talked about the current layout of the road and what it would change to, in a prerecorded presentation for the council:
“The existing street itself is a 44-foot-wide face of curb to face a curb with two parking lanes and two drive lanes. The new proposal on the east and west side quarters of this would involve taking one of the parking lanes and converting that to an off-street bike. So we would take the curb out, we would move the curb, and install new curb. We would have two drive lanes and still one parking lane.” – Sean Simonson, Engineering Manager for the City of Northfield, Presentation on the Project
Images From the 11/4/2025 City Council Regular Meeting Packet.
The project is estimated to cost approximately $3.8 million, with the goal of securing a $1.9 million grant. Tonight’s council meeting is set only to approve the grant applications.
View the full presentation and the grants the city is seeking to apply for here.
Work Session: Capital Improvement Plan & Capital Equipment Plan:
After the regular meeting concludes, the council will move into a Work Session to discuss the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Capital Equipment Plan (CEP). The two plans are 5-year plans, updated each year, of the major construction projects and equipment purchases in the next year.
- View the Council Presentation of the Plans here
- View the draft Capital Infrastructure Plan (CIP) here
- View the draft Capital Equipment Plan (CEP) here
At the work session meeting, no votes will be taken, but its the first stage of trying to reach consensus for the council before voting on a final plan.
The public is welcome to attend in person or watch online. To watch online, go to northfieldmn.gov and click the “Agenda & Minutes” button in the middle of the home page. From there, find tonight’s meeting date to watch, as well as a copy of the agenda and other meeting documents.
Public comment will only be taken at the regular meeting and not at the work session meeting. Note that there will be no City Council meeting next week due to Veterans Day.
Tonight’s meeting takes place at 6pm in the Council Chambers of the Northfield City Hall.
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