By Teri Knight
Emergency management and the role of City Council
“Emergency Management” and the role of the City Council was a topic at last week’s council work session. Police Chief Monte Nelson, Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn and other emergency personnel presented an “All Hazards” management plan. Nelson said in a situation such as the 2010 flood, only the Mayor has the authority to declare an emergency.
As emergency personnel are out assessing needs, the Mayor and City Administrator will be moving between the Emergency Operation Center and a separate area with Council members to give direction on spending without bidding. Tracking of spending and where it’s spent is very important for reimbursement from the State and Federal entities. Sheriff Dunn said preparation is key. He said they practice a lot and he’s glad to see the Council being proactive because during the 2010 flood there were a lot of the members wondering what to do. He advised going through table top scenarios. Rice County’s emergency management director advised getting to know the various other agencies that might be beneficial. She said you should know their capabilities and limitations beforehand so there’s no confusion as to their role. The Council will be discussing it further and plan on having training sessions in the near future.
Dundas and Northfield discuss Cannon River Regional Park
Last week Northfield Administrator Madigan and Engineer Jasper Kruggel met with Dundas Administrator McCarthy to discuss cost sharing and long term maintenance of the proposed Cannon River Regional Park. The group is recommending costs be shared in proportion to the area which each community contributes to the park. The grant application
indicates the total park area will be 147 acres with Dundas’ portion being just over 39 acres. Dundas’s share would be about 27%. The local match for the Grant is $152,000 which would means Dundas will pay about $40,700 with Northfield picking up the remainder of the tab. In addition the State will be requiring two surveys, one an archeological review and one a boundary survey. Northfield is obtaining quotes for both of the surveys. Northfield will act as the fiscal agent for joint obligations and each community will be responsible for other ongoing maintenance within their corporate limits. Madigan reports that Northfield has applied for additional grants for trail construction.
Hampton man sentenced for 2012 Vehicular Homicide
A Hampton man was sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to Criminal Vehicular Homicide. In November of 2012, 28 year old Keri Gesme was driving at speeds near 100 miles per hour on Hwy 50 in Hampton Township when he lost control of his pickup, left the road, went airborne and struck two trees. His passenger 27 year old Dennis Paul Underwood of Cannon Falls, was a passenger. He was thrown out of the truck and struck a tree, killing him. Gesme received a year in jail, 10 years probation and a $700 fine. His blood alcohol was more than two times the legal limit at the time of the crash.
Extra patrol meant plenty of citations this weekend
While residents were enjoying the outdoors walking, hiking and bicycling, the Northfield Police department was busy with extra patrols. They handed out about 25 seatbelt violation citations, several speeding tickets and several citations for no proof of insurance. Police Chief Monte Nelson was not available for comment.
Listen for Teri Knights mid-day newscast audio post.
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