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.
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!)
It was just me and Ross this week, talking about all-things Northfield including goose poop, the upcoming council and school board elections (separate issues), and the opportunities afforded by the departure of Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski.
It’s clear from listening to the show, however, that we need Tracy.
She’s–not–just a pretty face She’s–got–everything it takes She’s–mother–of the human race She’s–not–just a pretty face
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).
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.
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.
And then in April, I took this photo of workers removing the fencing along the west side of the Cannon River in Ames Park. I sent this email to City Engineer Katy Gehler-Hess:
Hi Katy, I see the fencing along the Cannon River downtown was removed this morning. The plantings didn’t grow? What’s plan B??
I never got a reply but she evidently forwarded my email to Street/Park Supervisor T.J. Heinricy who wrote:
The fence in Ames park was removed per the recommendation of Bonestroo Inc. They were the contractor hired to do the install. I asked them this Spring about the fence removal. The gentleman that did the install did a very detailed inspection. The planting’s are doing just fine and are thriving. That was their assessment.
I took these photos last night. The geese use the canoe ramps and the bank next to the Ames Mill fence that’s not city property to enter and exit the river. And the plantings are NOT thriving everywhere as Bonestroo contended. There are many spots that look like this:
Nfld News:
City Administrator Joel Walinski said it will take time to see the full effect of the new shoreline, which looks much better than it did two years ago, he said.
Border Collies (BC) are specially trained herding dogs that are extremely effective for keeping geese out of areas where they are considered a problem. Border collies are the method of choice for large open areas such as golf courses, airports, parks, school ground recreation fields, corporate parks, etc.
Results are immediate. Usually requires aggressive initial use (several times a day for 1-2 weeks) until geese get tired of being hassled and stay away. While the wolf-like gaze of Border Collies is incredibly frightening to geese, these dogs will not harm them or children.
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.
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.
I’m bogged down in a work project and have not been able to review the memo to do a decent post. Here are the links – can you help out your fellow citizens by highlighting items of note in the comments? Thank you!
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.
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.
Background details about the Planning Commission’s public hearing on Thursday regarding the 4.5-acre annexation request from the Mayo Clinic (Bridgewater township supervisors agree that this project would be beneficial for all, and they will sign a joint resolution for orderly annexation).
You can view all upcoming City meetings on the City Calendar.
Media outlets in the state of Washington are reporting that City Administrator Joel Walinski is one of two finalists for an administrator’s job for the City of Leavenworth, WA. (Some aren’t quite getting his current location right, for example, this report that locates Joel is currently employed in North Fields, Mont. This one, too, though it gets the state correct.)
Downtown Recycling Cans, Oh! They’re so ugly! 20 temporary recycling containers were put in place Friday June 4, 2010 along Division Street. Street Supervisor TJ Heinricy has been working with Waste Management staff to develop a test-recycling program for the downtown area over the past several months.
Our interest is in the assessing the recycling waste stream and how much use there is or could be. This information will be used in the cost analysis and consideration of the return on investment for allocating future dollars on more permanent (eye-appealing) recycling containers in the downtown area.
Seems like downtown recycling bins and newspaper vending racks should be a project for the Streetscape Task Force.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Northfield City Councilor Jon Denison held a Ward 4 meeting on Saturday morning at 9 am in Tyler Park. Over the course of the 90 minutes, 7 citizens attended. In addition, Councilor Kris Vohs was there at the beginning for 20 minutes or so. Councilor Rhonda Pownell came at about 9:30 and stayed till the end. City Administrator Joel Walinski was there for the entire meeting, as was League of Women Voters City Hall observer Jane McWilliams.
Over a month ago at a City Council meeting, City Finance Director Kathleen McBride reminded the Council that the City’s general fund subsidizes the Northfield Community Resource Center (NCRC) building to the tune of $200,000 every year. (This does NOT include the debt service on the building.) Here’s a 30-second screen capture of the video of her remarks:
As far as I know, no one on the Council has said anything more about it and I don’t think City Administrator Joel Walinski mentioned the NCRC in his budget cutting-related remarks to the Council earlier this week.
It’s no easy task to understand the financials surrounding NCRC, given its complicated origins and ongoing negotiated leases with the various agencies and programs housed there. (Some historical resources/links below.)
But it’s time to bring the details of these NCRC financial arrangements out into the open so citizens can help staff and the council rethink what the City’s role should be, given the $200K annual subsidy and budget deficits looming this year and next.
I’m not necessarily against the subsidy. Many cities evidently do something similar as a way to help support programs which are not part of the city but that add value to the community. I just want to have the discussion.
And it’s not just the budget deficit that should compel us to have this discussion. It’s also the proposed new police facility that’s possibly relevant.
I’ve been asking people what the pros and cons might be of locating the police department at the NCRC, given the $200K annual subsidy, its central location, ample parking, ample room to construct a secure garage/sally port, and ample office/meeting space (assuming one or more agencies move out).
I’ve not heard many arguments against the idea but without knowing what the financial arrangements are with the current tenants, it’s difficult to know whether this option is viable.
So let’s see what relevant documents can be brought to light and have a discussion about it all. In the meantime:
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.
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:
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!
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.
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.)
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”).
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 “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.
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.
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”.
Peter Seebach (Seebs): John, someone forwarded me a thing which helps explain why I do not believe the current situation provides adequate legal protections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =ah4ke16g1DI Watch that, and then tell me with a straight...
Peter Seebach (Seebs): California in general has very high rates of “drug use”. And frankly, there is no place in the US that can be meaningfully called “very accepting” to gays. More accepting than others, sure. Why, I...
David Henson: Peter, you have the Internet you do the research. Use San Francisco as a baseline (an accepting place) – gays there have very high rates of depression and drug use.
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Those are fascinating beliefs, but conveniently for us, the research has already been done, and they’re wrong. Legalizing gay marriage has no effect on the observed incidence of homosexuality, and the concept of...
David Henson: John, I understand sexuality to be a continuum and not a hard and discrete fact. I earnestly believe that if gay marriage is approved many more people will experiment with gay sex and some numbers will get AIDS (and depression and...
Griff Wigley: Good turnout last night for the Cannon Valley Mountain Bike Team meeting at the high school. I’ve blogged a summary with the ppt presentations.
Griff Wigley: Jordan Osterman, the new Sports Editor for the Northfield News, scooped me on Saturday. I’m glad! Northfield high school mountain bike team forming As a club sport, mountain biking would have no official affiliation with either...
Griff Wigley: Good suggestion, Curt. I’ll do that for next week’s blurb. I have been verbally emphasizing the importance of having girls on the team, especially since their points on race days count more than boys’ points. Other...
Curt Benson: Hey Griff, I wonder if you shouldn’t put a bit more emphasis on the idea that you’re recruiting both boys and girls for this team. And that the scores for both the boys and girls make up a team score. I think that in the...
Griff Wigley: It should be noted that this team does not yet exist! So this meeting is for those student-athletes (and their parents) who might be interested in joining this new team.
Griff Wigley: Suzy Rook has a sidebar to today’s Nfld News update on last night’s Council meeting. Excerpt: The city administrator and finance director say they have asked for the information on several occasions, including last month...
john george: Living where we do, it is only a few blocks walk to North Street and a grand view of the sunsets. Also, with our neighbors’ mature white pines & spruce, our covered deck affords outdoor enjoyment with a fair amount of...
Griff Wigley: Props to the newspaper and Suzy Rook for mentioning LoGro twice in the story: Fire Department officials, including Fire Chief Gerry Franek, did not respond to several requests from the News for association financial records or...
Griff Wigley: Posted to Northfield News at 1pm: Ethical questions arise over Northfield Fire Relief Association expenses Donations made to Northfield Fire Relief Association aren’t public dollars, but that hasn’t extinguished city...
Griff Wigley: Curt/Robert, There’s a summary of the Rescue Squad on Page 21 of the 2009 NFD report to the City. It doesn’t mention that there’s a Rescue Squad Association. The last paragraph states: The Northfield Rescue Squad is...
Robert Palmquist: If Hvistendahl’s motivation was to keep the financials from getting known, his submitting a memo like that just really backfired. I agree, why would these financials be such a secret??? And why did the NRSA hire a lawyer to...
Curt Benson: So Hvistendahl has found another place to wet his beak. You ask a good question, “Why is it important that the City not know the Northfield Rescue Squad Association financials?”
Jim Haas: Happens to me a lot. So much that my lovely wife had to coin a term for it: she says I have datelexia.
norman butler: Since coming to my adopted country 16 years ago I have observed, amongst other things, that not putting the day with the date is both common and peculiar to Northfield (MN? USA?).
John Thomas: Just a reminder, advance tickets for Girls Night Out 2012 can be purchased on The Grand’s website at http://www.thegrandnorthfield. com/public-events. Your tickets will then be available at a special “Will Call” at...
Liz Reppe: This is a great place to buy plants! Jeni is very knowledgeable and they are both really helpful. You get great service and plant expertise, but the prices are not higher than other places in town.
bill metz: While most of how Jake is being remembered revolves around, and rightly so, his great and wonderful talent as an artist and teacher and the works of sculpture he has left for our and the next generations enjoyment, I have had the...
Ross Currier: It was an honor for me and the NDDC to work with Jake. His pieces of sculpture in our community send a powerful visual message that Northfield is an Art Town. I still marvel at his clever and creative approach to building social and...
paul krause: The memorial service will be held at 11am. Doors to the Chapel will open at 10am for a chance to visit with family members and friends to share memories of our dear friend. Anyone who would like to view the documentary Harvest (which...
kiffi summa: Come on, Griff… you say you’re “more than a little clueless about about investments” but you “just happened to notice”… and from what you said, were reading analytically, etc etc… Once...
Griff Wigley: I’m more than a little clueless about investments but I noticed on page 14 in the April 24 Council packet that the Fire Relief Association has 85% of its pension portfolio in stocks. Isn’t that a bit risky/aggressive for...
Griff Wigley: Has there been any media reporting on the intergovernmental meeting in Bridgewater Township that was held on April 25 re: the Rural Fire Protection District and the City of Northfield?
Jim Mangan: I noticed this morning that a few of the newly planted trees along South Highway 3 have a pronounced lean. Could it be storm damage?
Ross Currier: It’s great that someone is enhancing the connection between downtown and uptown. I know they coordinated their work with MNDoT, City staff, and the Streetscape Task Force. Uh, raise your trowels in a toast to the Northfield...
Vicki Serreno: I wish I’d known – this is my neighborhood since I left Northfield in 2010. I’d have shown up to support them.
Kathie Galotti: My neighbor and sometimes babysitter Maggie Kennedy appears in this video as well! Go Maggie, and Cliff and Sophie and Parker and everyone else! Well done, guys!
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Heh, we had those when I was in college. Guess we’re making progress, they’re starting years earlier now!
Sandy Vesledahl: Thanks for blogging our garage sale Griff! We are at 2018 Jefferson Rd, Suite 1, thanks to the Jasnoch Family for allowing us to use the space. We will be there until 5:00 today and again from 8-2 on Saturday. We’ve had a...
Bright Spencer: I have an 8 year old dog that has not been neutered, has not reproduced and never been out unleashed except in our yard. It costs nothing to care for your pet properly.
Bright Spencer: To see this makes me so happy! Best of luck to you!
Peter Seebach (Seebs): For what it’s worth, I’m pretty happy with the whole process so far, although we found exciting new things out about the land development code, such as “the rules for calculating how tall a building is for...
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Not a hot tub, a swimming pool. One of those backyard pools you can get at k-mart, and the greenhouse is so we can use it a couple months earlier in spring and later in fall.
Arlen Malecha: I wish more establishments had outdoor seating & dining. Now that our offices (Coldwell Banker South Metro www.CBSouthMetro.com are downtown, I love to see people sitting and dining outside. It is fun to walk up and down...
Sean Hayford O'Leary: I would say the current configuration of Division Street makes me grateful not everyone is doing it. Sidewalk dining brings a lot of livelihood to the street — but I’ll admit that I’ve been occasionally...
Griff Wigley: Rebecca, there are several Northfield eating and drinking establishments that have outdoor dining with tables and chairs, serving alcohol, but not SIDEWALK dining. Downtown ones that come to mind: The Tavern, Chapati, The Cow, Froggy...
Rebecca Bliss: Timely post, Griff -I didn’t realize this. I was just commenting to my husband about how nice it would be to dine al fresco now that the weather is getting warmer. Guess this is another discovery for the new...
Patty Gallivan: MOST Northfield volunteers are waiting for someone who DARES boost a program with evidence of effectiveness to come forward with leadership to actually make a difference with students in our Northfield schools. Make sure to let us...
Comments are closed 
A few minutes ago, at the end of the City Council work session, 
Current Discussion Threads