By Rich Larson
The Northfield Union of Youth is moving full steam ahead on a major expansion that leaders say will significantly enhance services for local young people. Construction is now underway in the recently acquired building next door to The Key, the organization’s longtime youth center on Water Street. The new space will be known as The Lock.
Executive Director Kelli Podracky said the excitement has not worn off since the purchase of the former Northfield Pharmacy building at the corner of Sixth Street and Water Street. Renovations are already in progress, including work on a fully ADA‑compliant shower—an improvement Podracky noted was strongly advocated for by youth participants themselves.
“That was something the kids really pushed for,” she said. “Seeing that start to come to fruition is pretty incredible.”
The Lock is being designed as a comprehensive youth resource center, with its name reflecting its mission: Life skills, Opportunity, Counseling and Knowledge. Plans for the building include space for life‑skills programming, academic support through the Lemming Learning Lab, and expanded counseling services.
A major addition to staff supports that vision. The Union of Youth has hired licensed marriage and family therapist Rebecca Krug as a full‑time clinician. Krug brings more than 20 years of experience in mental health and substance‑use support and is already working with youth at The Key while the neighboring building is being completed.
Podracky emphasized that the expansion is a direct result of broad community support, from local government to nonprofit partners and individual donors. She described Northfield as uniquely collaborative, saying the past two and a half years have demonstrated how much is possible when a community rallies around its young people.
As construction continues, Podracky said momentum is high and the goal remains clear: creating welcoming, functional spaces that meet real needs identified by youth themselves.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net.
