There’s a lot of consternation right now about Northfield’s economic climate and short-term future. Are we seeing a gain in tax revenue or a loss? If it’s a gain, is the growth driving it as robust as it could be? If it’s a loss, is that due to the vagaries of the market or is there a more direct cause that can be identified in the actions of people or organizations? There’s a lively debate occurring about the relative value of encouraging the expansion of the commercial/industrial base or expanding the retail and service sector. Which strategy can be accomplished more quickly? Which one requires the greatest commitment of public investment?

I’m not going to comment here on which of these I might favor or what kind of mix of efforts might work best in the short term, although I certainly have opinions. Most of the recent nattering by area nabobs has focused on how bad things are or soon will be and I can’t deny that’s usually my outlook. But since it’s Thanksgiving, I wondered if it’s possible to find anything on the Northfield economic landscape to feel good about.

What if we tallied a list of new and expanded businesses in the area not over the last 12 months, but over several years? Yes, it’s true that College City Beverage moved to Dundas and that Coach Crafters is moving to Florida. It’s also true that Division Street Dentists left downtown (but stayed in Northfield) and Community Resource Bank took 90% of their operation out of downtown (but stayed in Northfield).

But look at all of the expansions that have occurred or are in the process of occurring in the city. Bierman’s Home Furnishings and Floor Coverings opened a second store so that their flooring business could be supported better. Allina Clinic expanded their footprint to accommodate broader specialization and more customers. Northfield Montessori built a spanking new facility to more than double the number of students and families they serve. Speech Gear moved because they needed more square footage as they added jobs and moved into a larger building. Tires Plus was forced by circumstances into relocating (within the city), but clearly could have done so several years earlier as their business grew.

Cannon Valley Printing stayed in place, but added an addition to support the growth in their business. Rob Martin’s Farmer’s Insurance agency changed locations and shifted from a leased office model to an owner-occupied one. (There have been numerous businesses that have gone to this model which I think is a a sign of a healthy market). First National Bank of Northfield is building a branch bank and Cannon Valley Vet Clinic is remodeling their facility. In addition, the principals of that business, the Stroebel-Werner Partnership, are investing millions in an pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on the premises. Northfield Hospital, Three Links Care Center, and the Northfield Retirement Center have all added extensively to their campuses.

My unscientific survey tells me that the list of new and expanding businesses is longer than the list of closed businesses or those that have relocated outside of the city. The time to send up the flares is when this ratio is reversed.

One really has to take the long view when assessing whether or not a market is growing, stagnant or declining. It’s challenging to do this in the midst of transitions which involve geographic shifts one doesn’t want. There’s the emotion of the moment and the prognositication that there will be a domino effect amongst the remaining businesses. That certainly is possible, but is by no means certain and the best course of action in my view is to fill the gaps and continue to work toward making the overall business climate as healthy and strong as possible.

I’m biking as much as possible these days, although it’s never enough. As I travel paved county and state roads, I’m keenly aware of the size and frequency of large trucks on any given stretch of road. There are roads I avoid for this reason because they border on suicidal for cyclists.

No amount of biking, however, could produce the incontrovertible, visceral evidence of the volume of truck traffic on the North American roads of the 21^st century as standing on the side of I-35 for two hours. Yesterday, my colleagues and I were cleaning up our portion of the highway for our fall Adopt-a-Highway commitment. Believe me, the trucks are large, loud and frightening when it’s up close and personal like that. And this was a Saturday morning!

With all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth recently over the state of Minnesota’s roads and bridges (all of it justified, in my opinion), I keep wondering how it is that we got into this mess. It seems obvious (at least to me) that if the volume of 2- and 3-axle trucks was reduced on the road system, maintenance of the system would be easier and cheaper and the safety of the public wouldn’t be constantly put at risk. But then, how would all of the goods of our consumer-based economy get to market?

 

It’s no secret that long before over-the-road truck transport became the preferred method of interstate commercial distribution in this country, the railroads performed that function. And we know the story of the rise of the internal combustion engine and the dismantling of the railroads that resulted from the growth of the automobile and truck market. But the wholesale dismantling of the railroad infrastructure (the rails) was extrememely shortsighted, in my view, and we’re now paying the price for that poor choice on our highways.

It seems highly unlikely that any entity, public or private, will ever lay down the thousands of miles of track that were ripped up or abandoned in the 20^th century, but if we would at least develop a transportation strategy that diversifies our options for both movement of people and distribution of goods, it would be better for the future. Today’s StarTribune has an editorial on this topic that’s worth reading. The specific facet of transporation being discussed there is traffic congestion and the state of that urban problem in the Twin Cities. The title is “The Band-aids are running out.”

We should work on not just repairing our roads and bridges, but on finding alternate paths to carry the load. Continuing to retrofit existing roads with additional lanes will never be the long-term solution to our transportation dilemma.

I’ll admit; I’ve been AWOL from this blog for weeks. Sorry is all I can offer, although I’m not sure I was missed.

At any rate, I’ve been wondering for years now why the St. Olaf College team name changed from Lions to Oles. When my parents were students in the 1940s (yeah, that’s a few years ago), the name was definitely Lions. You can look it up in the Manitou Messenger. Even when I was a student in the early 70s, at least the athletic teams were called Lions. But now, everything having to do with collective Ole activity is lumped together under the moniker “Oles”. I think the homogenization is unappealing.

 

Why are they called Oles when there’s a mascot walking around in a lion suit? If the lion’s name is Ole, I get that.”Ole the Lion”. I just don’t see by extension that the team members or the teams should be called Oles. “The St. Olaf Lions” is so much more romantic, dramatic, just goldarn’ interesting. “Oles” is mundane. Sorry. I realize that this is a minor issue on a global scale, but it’s bugged me for a long time. Humor my ignorance and confusion, OK? I’m done now.

Full disclosure: however one defines it, I’m an Ole, class of ‘74.

In my June 8 post about a vacant Northfield building, I wondered why no one was actively promoting the sale of the property. Outside of a listing on the Chamber of Commerce website, there’s nothing. You couldn’t tell by driving by the outside of the building that it was for sale.

However, when I went by there on my Saturday bike ride, there was a freshly planted Premier Realty sign. I can’t claim credit for this apparent emergence from MLS limbo, but I will express excitement at the prospects and the hope that a buyer will emerge that will be a perfect fit for the property. In addition to this opportunity, there are 26 or 27 acres across Armstrong road that are owned by the same company and there’s a matching for sale sign on that parcel as well.

Come on down!

Over the past year or more, the Northfield EDA and others have spent a lot of time debating the need for expanding the commercial tax base of the city. Their preferred method for doing so is to create a new industrial/office park somewhere on the fringe of the city. Various methods are available for doing this including annexation and/or land purchases from private landowners. This is expensive and requires adding utility infrastructure if none exists (making it even more expensive). Sites frequently mentioned are on the western and northwestern boundaries of Northfield.

I’m not against this goal, but wonder if there aren’t easier, less expensive options that could be achieved first. The first among these, in my opinion, is to look to the north along HWY 3. The photo above was taken at the city limit sign on HWY 3 looking north. One is struck by the fact that there are 6-10 mature businesses outside the city limits of Northfield (but probably connected to the city’s utilities). These businesses are in Dakota County, contributing to Waterford Township’s tax base. But they are in a Northfield commercial zone. What would prevent Northfield from annexing the land on which these businesses reside and immediately increasing its commercial tax base? The deal would have to be negotiated with Waterford, but I’m guessing that we could work that out.

There may be an obvious reason why this hasn’t happened yet (it seems like a no brainer), but I haven’t heard anyone even mention the possibility after all of this discussion. Can someone help me understand this one?

Anyone noticed these signs besides me? Sometime in the past year, signs detailing winter parking regulations have been posted around the Northfield periphery. This one is on southbound Highway 3, just south of the Northfield Boulevard (Dakota County 47) turnoff. My first response to this is that it’s regulatory overkill, but my second response is , “What an unfortunate way to welcome visitors.” It’s overkill and ineffective, because it’s impossible to see, let alone read when you’re travelling by at the speed limit. It also makes little sense to have these signs up in July.

If there was a complementary sign somewhere in the vicinity that said “Welcome to Northfield, we’re glad you’re here,” I might be inclined to disregard these little annoyances. But there aren’t any welcome messages in the locations where these signs are posted. In the case of the sign above, it’s posted fully a mile outside city limits. On Dakota 23 (commonly known locally as Cedar Ave.), there isn’t even a city limits sign on the road so I don’t know whether the winter parking sign is inside or outside city limits. But that’s another story.

Anyway, these little bureaucratic irritations both amuse and infuriate me. They clearly aren’t on the scale of finding a solution to global warming or finding a cure for AIDS, but they’re actions that I think we could easily manage better.

As I was riding through town yesterday, it struck me that only one of the six bridges spanning the Cannon River in the Northfield/Dundas area actually has signage that announce the presence of the river running beneath the wheels travelling overhead. Why is that? Is there a law against it? Are we ashamed of the river and want to keep it hidden? Don’t we want visitors to know how important this stream is to the health of our community?

Some of us talk often about the Cannon as a community asset that should be protected and promoted. What better way to promote it than to tell people where it is and what it’s called? In all the conversation about improving the streetscape in downtown Northfield, I don’t believe river signage has ever been raised. Well, I’m raising it.

Here’s the only existing signage that I could find as well as the other potential venues for additional signage. New signage doesn’t have to be as utilitarian as the MnDOT standard, although I wouldn’t care if it was.

The photo on the left is the Railway Street bridge in Dundas looking to the west. The middle picture is the 4th St. bridge in Northfield at the Ames Mill looking east. The photo on the right is the 5th St. bridge in Northfield looking west. There are two other crossings in downtown that I haven’t shown, the pedestrian bridge and the bridge at 2nd St. Neither of them acknowledges the Cannon flowing underneath either.

This reminds me of the opening passage of a book called “Old Glory” written many years ago by the British journalist, Jonathan Raban. The book chronicled his journey in an open boat with an outboard from one end of the Mississippi to the other. When he got to Minneapolis, he couldn’t find the Mississippi for some time because it was hidden by bridges with tall railings and no signage. He wondered if there was some shameful reason for hiding the river or if this was just a colossal oversight by urban planners. I believe in the ensuing decades that Minneapolis has done much better on the river’s behalf and I’m hopeful that Northfield and Dundas will work to continually improve our relationship with the Cannon River.

It’s so gratifying to see the progress on the Dundas, MN trailhead for the Mill Towns State Trail. There are many reasons to celebrate the progress and one of them is the way that the asphalt for the bike trail has been laid separately and alongside the concrete sidewalk. This methodology could be significantly helpful to the Northfield City Council as they deliberate the placement of sidewalks along Lincoln Parkway between Cannon Valley Drive and North Linden Street

So far the debate has been centered on whether to place sidewalks on both the south and north sides of Lincoln Parkway. I think that the debate should be about how to accommodate both pedestrians and bicycles, even if the solution for them both occurs on the same side of the street. My personal feeling is that there’s plenty of room to add bike lanes in the street and restripe the car lanes, but if the city doesn’t want to do that, then this is a good alternative. It’s certainly safer for young children going to school.

 

There is easily enough room next to the sidewalk already in place on the north side of Lincoln Parkway for an asphalt bike path. What a great way to accommodate both walkers and bikers safely, especially if the bikers are children on the way to school. It would be fine with me if there were sidewalks on both the north and south sides of Lincoln, but if there are concerns about budgeting for this project, then the most economical solution is to put multiple use pathways on the same side of the street.

 

 

 

I hesitate to complicate an already emotional issue, but I’ve advocated for several years that there could be an asphalt bike/skate path on the shoulder of the drainage canal that runs east/west at the northern edge of the Greenvale Elementary School property. Howard Merriam (no longer on the Northfield City Staff ) and Spenser Jones can attest to this. If such a pathway did exist AND there was a bike/skate path next to the sidewalk along Lincoln Parkway, what a terrific loop for neighborhood residents to enjoy year round! People, we can do this for our own benefit! All it takes is an interest in your own self-interest.

 

 

 

This building has stood empty for the better part of a decade and to me that’s just mystifying. It has been used for light manufacturing twice in its life, once by 3M and once by Ryt-way, but apparently its useful life is stalled. There is endless talk in our community of “no commercial space available”, “we’re out of land”, “there’s no room to expand”, etc. and yet, here’s a 63,000 square foot facility that’s been vacant for the entire 21^st century (and more). Why is that?

There is a vigorous effort currently going on by the Economic Development Authority and others to recruit new businesses to Northfield. I wonder if this facility is part of the discussion. After all, there is no need to spend piles of money to bring city services to the site to make it functional for a future tenant . . . it’s already on the grid!

For the curious, the former Ryt-way building is located at 1407 Armstrong Road. It has large parking areas on both the east and west sides of the building and two loading docks for access. I do not know what the asking price is for the property, but that shouldn’t be hard to find out. I believe that there’s land across the road that’s for sale by the same party. Let’s send an emissary to investigate the needs of the seller soon.

By the way, I think it would be great if the Chamber of Commerce website showed pictures of all the properties that are listed as available business sites. Right now, it feels like the classified section of the newspaper, rather than a showcase of available opportunities.

If you’re like me, there are regular opportunities to ask yourself, “why does it have to be this way?” In the case of this lonely bench (which I pass multiple times a week and have done for years), I keep wondering if the poor thing will ever receive a new coat of paint. It’s serviceable as is (someone clearly trimmed it up so that the broken back piece wouldn’t injure anyone), but relatively unpleasant to look at.

My good friend, Griff Wigley, likes to play the game of “where is this place/object?”. I won’t keep you in suspense about my bench. It’s on the grounds of Greenvale Elementary School so I’m assuming it should be maintained by the school district. However, it abuts a city sidewalk so maybe it’s the city’s responsibility. Maybe someone out there can enlighten me.

In any case, my question about paint remains and while we’re at it, maybe the sawed-off back piece could be replaced at the same time.