A dozen years and plenty of sweat and tears – the Skateboard Park is a reality
Over a dozen years later, the City of Northfield announced the soft opening of the Northfield Skateboard Park at noon yesterday. Formal groundbreaking took place on June 1st at Old Memorial Park and, after a weekend of curing, City staffers, including Project Manager Jasper Kruggel took down the tape. About a dozen kids were already on it. From start to finish, the $190,000 project it took just under 2 months. The original completion date was scheduled for October 31st. Kruggel says the skaters will now have a few extra months to enjoy the park. The steel and high strength concrete structure will remain open year ‘round should the kids want to sweep off the snow. They’ve planted trees around the perimeter to, eventually have a sound buffer. Phase 2 is designed but it’s a matter of allocating funding and monitoring the use of the park to see if it makes sense. They will be adding a picnic table, a couple benches, trash receptacles and shade structures similar to pool area. They’ll price those out and see if they can work them into the budget or perhaps get it into a CIP. The park holds a Tier 1 status which means there’s no need to fence it in or to monitor it. If it were a tier 2 the City would be required to have all skaters sign waivers. Tier 1 means there are no structures over 4 feet. Kruggel said they’re planning on a Grand Opening in September, possibly on the 10th. A $240,000 Phase 2 has been designed but there are no dollars for that yet. They’ll also see what the usage is before getting too deep.
First of 5 sentenced in beating
The first of 5 people charged in May with hog-tying and beating a man in Faribault pled guilty to felony 3rd degree assault. 1st degree assault and kidnapping charges were dismissed. 25 year old Jacob Glende was sentenced last week to 36 months for his part. The victim, a confirmed meth addict was hogtied and beaten after not paying dealers. The dealers and other participants were also high at the time of the beating according to Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn. According to the criminal complaint, District One Hospital alerted Faribault police of the assault after the victim was brought in covered in blood. The victim was was lured to a cemetery in Faribault and then taken to a home where he was tied up and beaten for nearly 2 hours. A gun was held to his head while others punched and kicked him and a woman spat in his mouth. The other defendants remain jailed awaiting their next court dates.
C-U-P’s and high bids on Nfld Council agenda
The Northfield City Council meets at 7 o’clock tonight. On their regular agenda is approval of a Conditional Use Permit for Geronimo Energy and their greatly reduced solar garden project on St. Olaf property. The CUP was reviewed by the Planning Commission three times. They analyzed potential impacts with a focus on landscaping, screening, glare, and future infrastructure needs. The initial reviews were conducted based on the original proposed 15 megawatt project but with the scope dropping to 5 megawatts and moved to the rear of the parcels, many of the previous concerns were eliminated. Also on the agenda is a rejection of the single bid for the Hwy 3 and 3rd street project. There will likely be a discussion regarding the large discrepancy between the estimate and the bid. The meetings are streamed live on the City’s website. Mayor Graham will be in studio tomorrow morning at 7:20 with a recap.
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The post Today’s news update – A dozen years and plenty of sweat and tears – the Skateboard Park is a reality; First of 5 sentenced in beating; C-U-P’s and high bids on Nfld Council agenda; appeared first on KYMN Radio - Northfield, MN.