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By Griff Wigley, on January 22, 2011, 6:01 am
Bridgewater Township supervisor Bruce Morlan has a column in this week’s Northfield News titled Turbulance over wind turbines.
 Bridgewater will be holding public hearings about changes in the wind turbine portions of the zoning codes. That process includes engaging interested citizens in a dialogue as we educate each other on this issue. The three things I think will drive the discussion include how high we can build these turbines, how noisy and how distracting will they be.
I expect to hear engineering evidence showing that the efficiency of the turbine is improved by making it taller, that there is no medical evidence suggesting that the low frequency sound emitted by the blades causes health problems, and that the flicker from the blades is an issue mostly for road traffic. But more, I also expect to hear that people in the country are fiercely protective of their property rights and their right to install these turbines.
Earlier this week, the Strib reprinted this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Walker bill puts $500 million in wind turbine investment at risk; 1,800-foot setback requirement would halt most projects.
About $500 million in investment in renewable energy over the next two years could be at risk if lawmakers approve Gov. Scott Walker’s wind turbine siting bill… Walker’s bill, proposed as part of a regulatory reform package, would mandate minimum setbacks of 1,800 feet between a wind turbine and the nearest property line. That compares with a setback of 1,250 feet from a neighboring residence approved by the Public Service Commission in a rule adopted last year and set to take effect this year.
By Griff Wigley, on November 9, 2010, 2:49 pm
"Township Wind Turbine Discussion" is agenda item #6 at tonight’s work session after the Northfield City Council meeting.
Dr. Gary Carlson, a physician at Allina, has a commentary in today’s Strib titled Wind energy’s ripple effects.
 I just returned from a meeting of my county planning committee, where we debated the pros and cons of our neighbor’s proposal to put up two 400-foot wind turbines, with the closest about 1,300 feet from our property line. My family lives on a bluff on the edge of Northfield…
Getting up to speed on the science of sound and the medical research related to wind turbines has been exhausting, and in the process I have discovered the dark medical underbelly of industrial-sized turbines. They produce a lot of infrasonic and low-frequency noise.
See:
Scattered across four Rice County townships and capable of producing as much as one megawatt of power each, the six turbines that received preliminary approval would be constructed by Gro Wind LLC. — a company presided over by Leone Medin. Medin was a co-owner of Medin Renewable Energy, which attempted to construct the 11-turbine Greenvale Township wind farm in Dakota County along with another company, Sparks Energy.
The companies’ plans failed last year after the wind farm ran into heavy opposition from township residents. According to permit applications submitted by the companies to Rice County, the two turbines that did not receive preliminary approval from the Planning Commission would be developed by Spring Creek Wind LLC., co-owned by Anna Schmalzbauer, Medin’s daughter.
By Tracy Davis, on July 31, 2010, 1:33 pm
After getting feedback from y’all about the Friday Memo, I’ve gotten into a groove, so I’ll be posting the City Administrator’s “Friday Memo” on my CityCommons blog during the LoGro sabbatical. Hope to see you there.
Here’s this week’s memo post.
By Tracy Davis, on July 24, 2010, 3:33 pm
 The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski, department heads, and other City staff, summarizes the staff activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
The Friday Memo information from the Library, Streets & Parks, and Recreation departments would be of interest to most citizens. This week’s memo (PDF) also includes
- draft agenda items for August City Council sessions
- first notice of Public Forum on Budget – August 23, 2010 (check it out!)
- details on annual water testing
There is a City Council meeting on Tuesday. You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on July 17, 2010, 10:06 am
 At the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, WA The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski, department heads, and other City staff, summarizes the staff activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
The Friday Memo information from the Library, Streets & Parks, and Recreation departments in particular would be of interest to most citizens.
Nothing huge in this week’s memo (PDF), just updates on smaller projects and various meetings with regional entities (Dakota County, Bridgewater township).
Next week’s meeting schedule includes a joint work session on Monday between the Cities of Northfield and Dundas. There’s a regular City Council meeting on Tuesday.
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on July 11, 2010, 2:05 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski, department heads, and other City staff, summarizes the staff activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
The Friday Memo information from the Library, Streets & Parks, and Recreation departments would be of interest to most citizens. This week’s memo (PDF) also includes the Boards & Commissions report (PDF) for June; you can find the Friday Memo and the Boards & Commissions report on the memo page for the week.
Items of note this week include:
- No more eyesore! Maybe. After the amended TIF note financing for the Crossing project closes this week, funds should be available for the City to begin planned site improvements and cleanup.
- An update on the Highway 19 construction schedule and the link to the MnDOT project website.
There is a City Council work session on Tuesday (which includes the next segment of the new LDC from the Planning Commission), and the third open house (PDF) to review the draft of the new stormwater ordinance.
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on July 3, 2010, 12:19 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski, department heads, and other City employees, summarizes the staff activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
No memo had been posted on the City website as of noon on Saturday; I don’t know why not. If one turns up I’ll amend this post.
NOTE: The library is closed today, tomorrow, and Monday. The municipal liquor store and City Hall offices are closed Monday. There are regular meetings on Tuesday and throughout the week; you can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Griff Wigley, on June 24, 2010, 3:56 pm
@Ross Currier, my Locally Grown co-host, tweeted on Monday, “As citizens increasingly challenge politics as usual, is it no longer left vs. right, nor faith vs. reason, but individual vs. institution?”
 Then Steve Clift @democracy retweeted this from @72prufrocks today, a report titled Listen, Participate, Transform: A social media framework for local government from the UK-based Young Foundation. It’s part of their Local 2.0 project (see the Local 2.0 Blog here), funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
The report’s emphasis on the importance of public officials building relationships with citizens, using social media in part, is encouraging and is the best writing I’ve seen thus far on the topic.
In Northfield, this is more than a little timely because:
- Significant budget cuts have to be made soon and the process is receiving some criticism
- Citizens are being asked to support a referendum for new police and fire facilities
- The Northfield City Council has a goal of improving communication with staff, citizen advisory groups and community
From the report’s introduction:
Continue reading Budget cuts: an opportunity for local government to deliver services WITH citizens. Social media can help.
By Tracy Davis, on June 5, 2010, 12:08 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski, department heads, and other City staff, summarizes the staff activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
It’s the first Friday of the month, so this week’s memo (PDF) also includes the Boards & Commissions report (PDF) for May. I admit to colossal failure as this is the third consecutive month for which there is no report from the Planning Commission. I think that’s been remedied for future, i.e. it will be handled by someone other than me.
You can find the Friday Memo and the Boards & Commissions report on the memo page for the week.
Items of note in the Friday Memo include:
- A timeline for the Mayo Clinic project – annexation request, hearings, etc.
- Acknowledgment that the downtown recycling cans are ugly
- Great update on activities from the Housing department
- Miscellaneous engineering & construction updates – Fourth street, trails, etc.
It’s a busy week at City Hall, including a City Council work session on Tuesday (which includes the next segment of the new LDC from the Planning Commission), and an open house (PDF) to review the preliminary draft of the new stormwater ordinance (more on that to follow in a separate post).
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on May 29, 2010, 9:20 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
This week’s memo includes:
- Issuing notice of a public hearing on June 15 on capital improvement bonds and the capital improvement plan (CIP) regarding the City’s “ intention to issue general obligation capital improvement plan bonds in an amount not to exceed $14,400,000.”
- Info on how Northfield compares to some other cities in terms of levies and aid cuts.
- Details about a joint public-private partnership for yet another “community video” for Northfield, to be used… how? where? why? to what end? I dunno, but let’s throw some money at it because it seemed like a good idea at the time, and apparently there’s no one on City staff who remembers the dismal result the last time the City tried something like this without more of a plan.
- Updates on the Fourth Street improvement/infrastructure project.
- Update and disclaimer from the IT department regarding the City_of_Nfld_PR account on Twitter.
- News from the library about the summer reading program.
You can find the Friday Memo on the memo page for the week.
The schedule is a bit off this week since Monday is a holiday. There is a City Council meeting on Tuesday, and a Planning Commission work session on Wednesday (moved up from Thursday because the Commission is finalizing information for the Council meeting packet for the June 8 meeting and staff needed the extra day for prep).
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
Thanks to those of you who’ve responded by commenting on my previous posts about the Friday Memo. I’m back in the saddle with the weekly Friday Memo posts… at least for now. 
By Tracy Davis, on May 21, 2010, 4:17 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
This week’s memo includes:
- Report on city officials’ attendance at the Dakota County Mayor/Managers Breakfast Meeting, at which consultant Mark Koegler for Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc (HKGi) gave a presentation on the Business and Industrial Park Master Planning process to inform regional partners about the project
- An updated tentative meeting schedule for the Police and Fire Facility
- Draft agenda for June City Council meetings
Also in the memo, a report that as of 11:00 a.m. this morning, four candidates have filed for office in the upcoming election:
Suzie Nakasian – Ward 1
Nathan Kuhlman – Ward 4
Jon Denison – Ward 4
Rhonda Pownell – At-Large
You can find the Friday Memo on the memo page for the week.
There is a City Council work session (including a joint session with the Planning Commission to discuss the next installment of the draft Land Development Code) this week. You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
If you read this post, and/or click on any of the links within, would you do me the favor of a comment below just letting me know that you did so? As I posted last week, I’m still undecided about how valuable these weekly posts are, and how many people read them. Thank you!
By Tracy Davis, on May 17, 2010, 4:20 pm
 I’ve been doing weekly recaps of City Administrator Joel Walinkski’s Friday memo for forever. Actually it was Griff who started it. We wanted to disseminate the information in the Friday Memo (a PDF link posted on the City website), highlighting items of note with the ability to link to other documents and materials. Eventually the Northfield News and others began posting links to the Friday Memo, and recently the City started including hyperlinks in the memo PDF itself.
I’m wondering if Griff’s original idea has now outlived its usefulness. Since there are rarely any comments on the Friday Memo posts, I’m not sure we’re doing much of a service; not enough, that is, to justify the hassle factor (for me). So I’d like to know, if I discontinue doing the Friday Memo posts, does anyone care?
I haven’t done the last two, and the only person I’ve heard from about it is Griff. I’m happy to continue if our commentary is an added value, but if not, the information is available multiple places now. I’d like to know what you think.
By Tracy Davis, on April 24, 2010, 1:41 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
This week’s memo includes:
- updates on various administrative and infrastructure projects
- board & commission vacancies/seeking applications
- a flyer from Three Rivers Community Action promoting their 4/7 seminar about creating a healthy home (what you need to know about radon gas, lead, mold, etc.)
You can find the Friday Memo and attachments on the memo page for the week.
There are City Council and Planning Commission work sessions this week, as well as the EDA’s public open house on the Business Park planning process.
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on April 19, 2010, 9:14 am
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
Here’s last Friday’s memo (April 16) with the monthly Boards & Commissions report (for which I failed to produce anything of value… I suppose I can’t just say “see my blog for details”).
Here’s the previous Friday Memo (April 9).
There’s a City Council meeting tomorrow. One of the agenda items is, “Identify preferred locations for Safety Center”.
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on April 4, 2010, 11:55 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
There’s a lot of info in this week’s memo. Some of the highlights include:
- updates on seasonal city services in light of budget cuts
- the Code Red brochure
- information about the Safety Center architect selection
- lots of details about grants, apps, and opportunities
You can find the Friday Memo on the memo page for the week.
There’s a City Council strategic planning session tonight (sorry, no details available other than place and time) and a City Council meeting (including the 4th Street trees issue) tomorrow.
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on March 29, 2010, 10:43 am
 The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
This week’s memo contains musings and updates about unfunded mandates, as well as details about the construction closure of the Fifth Street bridge for a little more than a week. You can find the Friday Memo on the memo page for the week.
No City Council meeting this week; see the City Calendar for schedule and details of other meetings.
By Tracy Davis, on March 21, 2010, 4:00 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
This week’s memo contains the scoring and ranking of proposals by the Safety Center Architectural Firm Selection Workgroup. The top 5 firms are tentatively scheduled for interviews next Friday, March 26. In addition, from now on the mid-month Friday Memo will include a draft of City Council agenda items for the upcoming month. (April’s draft agenda is included in this week’s memo.) You can find the Friday Memo on the memo page for the week.
By Tracy Davis, on March 8, 2010, 8:38 am
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
This week’s memo contains the usual department reports, plus Joel’s thoughts on his long-range goals, and a link to the Minnesota State Auditor’s 2008 Analysis of Municipal Liquor Stores.
Since it’s the first week of the month, we also have the monthly Boards & Commissions report. I was amused to find that my contribution had been censored (or edited, depending upon your point of view). My original phrase describing the Planning Commission’s weekly meetings as “grueling” and “brain-sucking” was, um, amended to “arduous”.
You can find both documents here on the memo web page for the week.
There is a City Council work session this week. You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City calendar.
By Griff Wigley, on March 8, 2010, 7:48 am
We received this email from Nathan Yaffe, Carleton College student:
 As part of my Environmental Economics and Policy class, we’re conducting research on the different stakeholders relevant to the annexation issue.
Our end product will be a public poster presentation on Monday, March 15 from 8:30-11 in the Great Hall at Carleton… My group is conducting a survey to determine public attitudes about the annexation.
 Our questions came from a Ward 3 exit poll conducted by Erica Zweifel, who graciously agreed to share her poll results with us, but we’re hoping to collect more data.
Ultimately, the hope is for this to benefit the community, because our presentation will be attended by individuals involved in the decision-making process concerning this annexation.
Take the Prawer-Gill annexation straw poll.
By Tracy Davis, on February 21, 2010, 11:46 am
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
Here’s an excerpt from this week’s memo:
Given what is anticipated for 2010 and 2011, the reductions in expenditures for 2010 and 2011 will need to be sustainable over time and will have implications on the service delivery to residents and businesses. The Finance Department has provided more information below on the levy limit requested by the Governor.
Continue reading City Administrator’s Friday Memo of Feb. 19, 2010
By Tracy Davis, on February 8, 2010, 7:24 am
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
Since it’s the first week of the month, Friday’s memo also includes the monthly Boards & Commissions report. Additional items of note this week include:
You can find all the above on the memo page for the week.
There will be a City Council meeting and work session on Tuesday, Feb. 9. You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on January 31, 2010, 12:30 pm
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page. This week’s memo and attachments can be found on the memo page for the week.
NO CITY COUNCIL MEETING next Tuesday, Feb. 2: It’s caucus night! (You can find info about your precinct caucuses on the MN Secretary of State website.)
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on January 23, 2010, 7:43 am
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
Friday’s memo can be found on the memo page for the week. There are some interesting tidbits this week, like the fact that the City needs to spend down the monies available for streetscape enhancements (we have some good people working on recommendations ), and information about the new Cooperative Facilities Bonding Bill being introduced at this year’s MN legislative session; if passed, the bill could provide a significant incentive for regional cooperation, and be a source of funding for facilities.
The City Council is having a “goals meeting” in the board room of the Northfield Hospital on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 5:00pm. At the time of this writing there is no further information available about the meeting.
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City calendar.
By Tracy Davis, on January 18, 2010, 4:16 pm
 There’s been another local fracas recently referencing Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law. I thought I’d take a crack at offering some relevant links, all in one place, to help make sense of it all.
The text of the law itself is found in Minn. Stat. §13D.01. However, as often happens, what people think the law says may not be the way the OML has been interpreted by the Minnesota courts, and court interpretations form precedent that is used in applying the law to other cases. People should be cautioned against making declarative statements about whether the OML was violated in a particular situation based only on their own reading of the law.
Continue reading Open Meeting Law: What it means, what it doesn’t mean, what it might mean
By Tracy Davis, on January 17, 2010, 8:39 am
The “Friday Memo,” written by Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and various department heads and other City staff, summarizes the staff and department activities for the week. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of the City Administrator’s web page.
Friday’s memo can be found on the memo page for the week. (This week’s memo has already been mentioned in the LoGro discussion, “The fight with Waterford township“) Items of note include:
- At Joel Walinkski’s request, City Attorney Chris Hood wrote this memo on Open Meeting Law and the allegations reported in the Northfield News, concluding that the conduct of the City Administrator and the City Councillors in this particular situation did not violate the Open Meeting law.
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