Politics & Government
Northfield Council Increases Money for Road Repair
The city also finalized the purchase of the former Northfield Union of Youth property.
An unusually harsh winter ground ate away at more than just Northfield's roads. It took a chunk out of city’s budget for street repair, too.
Councilors on Tuesday set to repair both, approving the restoration of $28,000 to the street budget cut last fall and authorizing the city's public works to begin planning for the overlaying of Jefferson Road between Jefferson Parkway and Hidden Valley Road.
A vote to decide whether to fund half the estimated $260,000 project by assessment properties is forthcoming. The city's capital reserve fund, which would cover the rest, holds $533,000.
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The measure passed 6-1, with Councilor Kris Vohs dissenting.
Jefferson Road is at the top of a long list of other heavily trafficked roads, with Roosevelt Drive, St. Olaf Avenue, North Avenue and Spring Creek Road following in the city's pavement to-do list.
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The particularly tough winter also took a toll on the city's budgets for street maintenance, with the $7,500 it planned to spend on road surfacing set to run out by the end of the spring thaw, Gehler said.
Money for the street maintenance line item, cut 20 percent from about $120,000 last autumn, pays for crack sealing, seal coating, patching and other repairs.
Key-ing in the purchase agreement
Councilors also voted unanimously to approve the purchase of the property at 303 Water St., formerly the site of The Key, a center run by the , which is now located on Sixth Street.
The property is connected to city-owned property that the Key paid the city $1 a year to lease. The Key’s site was appraised at $33,000 in December. The city bought the property for $49,000.
In other news
An expansion to the charter school can move forward after receiving approval for an amendment to its conditional use permit. The 2,000 square foot expansion will include two new classrooms and wall-mount solar panels on the building's south side.
An outside strategist briefed councilors on the city's overhaul of its technology infrastructure, which includes backing up and improving its network hardware, updating old software, making more efficient use of servers.
