| Council stalls on building projects |
By: JIM HAMMERAND, Staff Writer
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Posted: Monday, November 9, 2009 11:42 pm
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NORTHFIELD — Monday night may have brought more questions than answers for the City Council on two — and now perhaps three — major projects.
Its work session was intended to clarify the council’s preference for timing, financing and scope of a library expansion and new public safety facilities.
Seeking a commitment to be voted on next week, City Administrator Joel Walinski asked for the council’s direction on costs, locations and schedules for the projects or just general support. But as the discussion wore on, council members couldn’t forge an agreement.
The only certainty, said Mayor Mary Rossing, was that the council felt the projects were needed.
“We’re all behind all of the projects. There isn’t one that’s moving off,” she said.
Councilors were uncertain whether taxpayers should pay for the project sooner or later, who was best qualified to determine what the projects should include or if the projects should be done at the same time or spread out.
They understood that construction savings realized in the down economy might not be there by the time they reach a decision. Councilor Jon Denison said dollars were “flying out the window” as deliberations continued, and Councilor Kris Vohs called for groundbreakings by 2011 in the interest of cost.
The council mulled cost-cutting in other ways. Some wanted the Library Board and Safety Center Task Force to go back at their proposals and make cuts of 10 to 20 percent, prioritizing according to their most pressing needs. Rossing said an independent group with expertise in building, architecture and other areas crucial to the projects’ cost-effectiveness might be able to pare down costs.
They also considered formally rejecting the Safety Center Task Force’s recommendation that the city build a shared fire and police facility. By the conclusion of Monday’s meeting, the council seemed to lack any clear direction. Asked what progress was made, Walinski said nothing and left.
— Jim Hammerand covers the city. He can be reached at jhammerand@northfieldnews.com or 645-1114. |
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Apparently one of the issues Jon Denison brought up at this meeting was what we really get out of the $40,000 we give the NDDC every year. Something I've asked about several times. If the downtown businesses want to support such an organization, let them do it. But why is the city paying for an individual who in turn, among other things, lobbies the city on behalf of the downtown? The city pays someone to lobby itself?
I don't want to say this money is of no benefit at all, but these are hard economic times, and we need to look at how we're spending our money, especially when we're all going to get charged an extra fee for streetlights every year. Banners are nice, but so are lit street lights!
Maybe we should look at our spending on this and other similar programs that were implemented during prosperous times and reconsider that spending until the economy turns. Programs where we're basically paying for someone's salary. Could we do without them for a few years? If the NDDC was coming to us right now for the 1st time saying "give us $40K a year", would we do it?
Mr Denison apparently got scolded by Betsy Buckheit at this meeting for raising this question. It's interesting that if you go to Ms Buckheit's website, you'll see a story about a green roof they put on, and how Griff Wigley, Tracy Davis , and Ross Courier all came over and helped. Then when someone threatens the NDDC's funding, she jumps to Ross Courier's defense. I thought it was fiscally responsible of Mr Denison to raise this kind of question? Isn't that what we do in tough economic times, question spending???
It seems as though Ms Buckheit is awfully cozy with Ross and the triumverate. Tracy Davis is on the planning commission, and she's doing work at a council person's home. How does that affect Ms Buckheit's decision making regarding the planning commission? Is that ok with everybody?
When Al Roder had his friends (some of whom worked for the city?) come and work on his house, a lot of people got up in arms about it and ended up basically driving Mr Roder out of town and tried to get him prosecuted. How do those same people feel about this?
4 Newspapers on the steps of city hall implies a relationship that is apparently of grave concern to us. What is/are the relationship(s) between Locally Grown and city hall?