Northfield Councilors Put Rubber to the Road on Transit Hub

Northfield is finally moving on a long-planned mass transit hub.

Proposed sites for the hub—which would serve as a station for Twin Cities-bound bus lines, as well as a head for city trails--include Laurel Court, the historic city depot and .

City Engineer Katy Gehler told the Northfield City Council on Tuesday that the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Transportation Administration—the two agencies funding the project—require project planning to be completed by year's end or the city would have to forfeit the funds, which total $346,500, and pay back $25,000 it already spent. The city first received the money in 2006.

Gehler added that failing to finish the project on time, or choosing to return the money granted, would put a black mark on the city's future grant-soliciting efforts.

"If you show you cannot deliver on a project, you're known as the city that can't deliver the project," Gehler said.

Laurel Court is the only option that Gehler and Engineering Resource Manager Brian Welch said could be completed by the deadline.

The depot and Babcock Park sites would require between four months and four years of additional planning time, which require environmental and other surveys.

But the Laurel Court site, near the head of Sechler Trail behind the on Hwy. 3, is small and may have to be expanded in the future.

"None of these are slam-dunk plans," Welch said.

Mayor Mary Rossing said that keeping on with the Laurel Court site, which already features the Sechler Trailhead, shows that the city has successfully completed the first half of the proposed multi-use site, giving it a good track record for future projects.

"We can show that we've already delivered," she said.

Other councilors were skeptical of the plan.

Councilor Erica Zweifel said that she was uncomfortable spending the money on the Laurel Court site because it has limited space for expansion.

Access is also an issue. 

The intersection of Fifth and Poplar streets, Ganey said, is "horrible" and hard to navigate in his Honda Civic, let alone managing multiple motor coaches heading into the transit station.

Councilor Rhonda Pownell pointed to the convenience of the space.

"I think it's a good use of property that's currently not being used," she said.

Councilors vote on the issue Tuesday.

"We have a short time frame,” Gehler said. “We either need to move forward, or stop this.”

Safety Center Sites: "The least of all evils."

Councilors also discussed the logistical challenges of plans for a . Most details of the city's involvement with the property owners of potential sites have not been made public due to the sensitivity of sales information. 

City Administrator Tim Madigan said councilors are at the least required to approve the purchase of the property at a public meeting.

But the details spared left plenty of room for questions on the pros and cons of each, which include adjustments to stormwater management and broadband access.

The safety center, which will cost about $10.7 million dollars, was approved last November. Of the four sites up for consideration, the Cowles property near Perkins on Riverview Drive is the highest rated among those properties. 

The remaining three sites are the location, the Cannon Valley Co-Op and a site further southwest of the Cowles property in Riverview Park.

Councilor Suzie Nakasian said she was disappointed with the range of sites available.  

"There is no perfect site," said Rossing, saying it was a matter of "the least of all evils."

Public Safety director Mark Taylor said that many communities have had the same problem.

IN OTHER NEWS

• Councilors planned discussion items for the next week's visit by legislators representing Northfield in the Minnesota Legislature. Sen. Al DeKruif and Rep. Kelby Woodard, both freshman Republicans, will stop by.

• Councilor Betsey Buckheit raised the issue of an expected cut to state Local Government Aid, which she called an easy target for the cash-strapped state government.

"Convenience is not a policy," she said.