Politics & Government
Transportation Issues on Tap at Northfield Council Meeting
Northfield councilors will look at 2012 transportation projects, transit and federal grant applications.
The Northfield City Council is expected to set the direction for several transportation issues during tonight’s regular public meeting at .
On the agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting are the fate of next year’s street reconstruction plan and transit funding, as well as a proposal to make two of the city’s most congested pedestrian crossings safer.
Regarding the street rebuilding plan, councilors are being asked to take the first step in making as much as $3.4 million worth of street and sidewalk improvements next year. Included on the list of projects are reconstructing Division Street between Eighth and Woodley streets and building sidewalks called for in the city’s plan.
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A variety of sources, including assessments, would be tapped to pay construction costs.
Projects that make the cut on tonight’s list will move forward on a road marked with neighborhood meetings, public hearings and government reviews. If final approval is granted next April, construction would get under way in May.
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On transit funding, councilors will vote on two items: how much the city will pay to offset reductions in state transit funding and whether to look at hiring a third-party operator to operate the city’s transit system in 2013.
Three funding options for 2012 will be considered—from a low of $36,600, that’s $4,400 more than this year’s funding but covers none of the state funding cuts, to $91,500. The additional money would come from a one-time draw from the city’s transit reserve fund.
In addition to funding, the council will determine whether to direct staff to investigate turning over transit operations to another entity in 2013. One likely candidate would be Hiawathaland Transit, which operates public transit systems in such nearby cities as Cannon Falls, Randolph and Red Wing.
Pertaining to pedestrian crossings, the council will decide if the city wants to seek federal funding for for a pedestrian walkway under Hwy. 3 near the intersections of Greenvale and St. Olaf avenue and a pedestrian overpass crossing Hwy. 19 at Orchard Street, near Malt-O-Meal. Cost of the two projects is estimated at $2.7 million.
The city has until Oct. 3 to submit a pre-application for the TIGER Grant program, which is distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
WANT TO GO TO MEETING?
WHEN: 7 p.m. today
WHERE: Northfield City Hall
WHO: Open to the public
