Citizens
Putting the “Din” in Dinner
A partial list of the girls’ activities at dinner tonight:
- Praising the entree, sweet-potato chili
- Saying “please” and “thank you” (both did this, but it’s new for Vivi)
- Singing “Silent Night” and parts of “Most Wonderful Time” and “Frosty the Snowman”
- Debating whether it would be okay for Vivi to have “tree raisins” for dessert (it was not)
- Pretending that Jesus was with us for dinner
- Accidentally burping, and genuinely exclaiming, “Koos ME!” (Vivi only)
- Discussing breakfast options
- Counting the number of days (2) until the next day at nursery school
- Making barnyard-animal sounds, including alpaca and llama
- Analyzing the fact that it’s already “niddime” outside when we eat, and wondering when it will again be light at dinnertime
- Pretending to go to sleep (Vivi only)
- Struggling to hold up the right number of fingers (Vivi) for various numbers being called out by her sister
- Entertaining their father, and to a lesser degree, their mother
Coffee discussion on Representative Journalism Project
Len Witt, the person who came up with the concept of Representative Journalism, is visiting Northfield this month. I’m inviting the community to join us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Goodbye Blue Monday cafe for an hour of informal discussion. Please email me directly at RepJNorthfield@gmail.com if you think you might come. If we have a large response, I might change the venue of the discussion to a place with more space. Hope to see you there!
Holiday greetings from Morgan and Cameron
Just like last year, we got a holiday greeting card from Morgan Weiland and Cameron Nordholm that included their photo.
Who are they? We have this blurb on our About page:
We’re indebted to former KRLX news director Morgan Weiland and former KRLX station manager Cameron Nordholm for their help in launching the show in early 2006. Both graduated from Carleton in the spring of 2006 and then promptly abandoned Northfield for Washington DC and lives of quiet desperation.
Way Park public hearing tonight on closure of 1st Street West
I got this email yesterday from a Way Park area citizen, Tom Kotula:
On Monday, Jan 5th, the city council will hear discussions about whether or not to close off first street west to connect the two halves of Way Park. Perhaps this might be a good place to start a discussion concerning that possible decision.
See the agenda item and addenda pdfs for tonight’s council meeting.
See pps 24-26 of today’s Council Agenda packet (PDF) for more details on the public hearing. I’ve converted it to plain text below for convenience.
See the Way Park overview on P. 3 of this Appendix to the Northfield Park System Master Plan.
ITEM: Public Hearing for Closure of 1st Street West at Way Park
ACTION REQUESTED:
The City Council is being asked to hold a public hearing for the closure of 1st Street West at Way Park.
SUMMARY
The City Council is being asked to hold a public hearing for the closure of 1st Street West at Way Park. The 1st Street reconstruction project is dependent on a discussion on this issue. On December 15, 2008 the City Council received the feasibility study for the reconstruction of 1st Street. At this time staff asked for direction on the issue relating to the closure of the street at Way Park to maintain the project timelines. The Council made the motion for staff to move forward with the process required to close the street. The first step in this process is to hold a public hearing. A notice of the public hearing was published in the Northfield News on December 24 and 31, 2008. A notice was also sent to the residents potentially impacted by the project on December 23, 2008. The next step will be for the City Council to act on the closure at the second meeting in January 2009.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Project History
The Way Park Master Plan was approved by the City Council on April 16, 2007. Prior to adoption there was an extensive planning effort by the Parks Board that focused on development of the park for park and recreational purposes. The resulting concept plan includes the closure of 1st Street, with 72-foot diameter cul-de-sacs located at the west and east ends of 1st Street where it intersected Way Park. See Figure L-10. There was an in depth discussion of the use of this design, a hammerhead, from a functionality perspective.
However, there was not discussion on operation and maintenance of the design and how it relates to the overall city budget and staffing levels. The plan was approved contingent on further review of the vacation of the street as required by the charter. On October 20, 2008 the Council ordered the feasibility study for the 1st Street reconstruction project. At this time they also gave staff direction to provide information on seven items related to the project that included three related to closure of the street:
1. Report/Comment from fire/police chief on closure of 1st Street.
2. Cost implications of options
3. Vacation vs. Closure of the street
The feasibility report was presented to the council and received on December 15, 2008. The council also passed motion 2008-0165 with a 4-3 vote to move forward with the process necessary to close First Street.
A motion (M2008-0165) was made by C. Nelson and seconded by C. Pokorney to DIRECT STAFF TO CLOSE THE STREET THROUGH WAY PARK CONSISTENT WITH THE WAY PARK MASTER PLAN WITH POSSIBLE SIZES OF THE CUL DE SACS STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION.
Yes votes by Pownell, Nelson, Denison and Lansing. No votes by Vohs, Pokorney and Davis. Vote is 4-3. Motion carried.
The options for 1st Street through Way Park can be lumped in two categories, a thru street or street closure. The attached table presents information related to each category.
Closure Vs. Vacation
If 1st Street is closed through Way Park, the City could consider vacation of the street Right-of-way. However, the street could be closed without vacation. When a ROW is vacated the land ownership is turned over to the surrounding land owners, in this case the City. To go through the vacation would require the services of a land surveyor, attorney and staff time. Staff does not feel that there is a benefit for ROW vacation that would justify the expenditures. It should also be noted that the vacation procedure will require a public hearing adding an additional procedure to the project process.
Public Input
There was an extensive public process as part of the Way Park Master planning efforts. Throughout that process overall there was neighborhood support for the Master Plan as adopted by the council. A questionnaire was completed at that time related to closure of the street and parking. The full summary is attached.
Below is a summary to the question, “1st Street West should be closed at the east and west property boundaries of Way Park?”
Yes No
1st Street Residents 6 6
2nd Street West and St. Olaf Avenue Residents 23 6
SUBMITTED BY: Katy Gehler-Hess, P.E., City Engineer
Brian Hilgardner, P.E., Design Engineer
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Notice of Public Hearing
2. Figure L-10
3. Table on Issues related to Street Closure
4. Way Park Survey Results Summary
TVA coal ash — we had our own slide here in MN
Today’s STrib has an article about Minnesota coal ash piles, prompted by the TVA coal ash disaster in Tennessee. Seems Minnesota regulators have been sleeping at the switch – the three ash piles in dikes “classified as dams” in Minnesota are supposed to be inspected every eight years, and there are “no” records of inspections for two out of three. NONE. Not good odds. The three sites in Minnesota are at Xcel’s Sherco plant in Becker, MP’s Boswell in Cohasset and Laskin Energy Center in Hoyt Lakes (remember Hoyt Lakes? Where the Mayor testified “We’re used to mercury here.” Uh-huh…).
Thanks to the STrib for reporting on this:
Engineers to inspect 3 state dams for waste ash
The STrib’s “yes it CAN happen here, yes it HAS happened here” heads up on Minnesota’s own prior coal ash disaster, spilling all over Highway 61 and into Lake Superior:
The disaster highlights the concerns over disposal of coal ash, which has been a worry in Minnesota because of the risk of groundwater contamination. The Tennessee ash slide also is reminiscent of a July 1993 mishap on Minnesota’s North Shore, in which a rain-soaked coal ash heap crashed down the hillside.
…
Fly ash is known to become unstable when saturated with water. It happened 15 years ago on the North Shore of Lake Superior, when a 27-acre ash heap at a former LTV Steel power plant turned into uncontrollable sludge after heavy rain. About half of the heap crashed down the hillside, covering part of Hwy. 61 near Taconite Harbor and knocking out an electric substation. Some reached the lake, and the land cleanup cost the company $11 million, said Jeff Stollenwerk of the Pollution Control Agency.
Needless to say, Minnesota’s coal ash slide went to court:
Arrowhead Electric Cooperative v. LTV Steel
Here’s the court’s description of what happened:
Between 1957 and June 1982, LTV and Cliffs (collectively LTV) deposited waste ash, generated by LTV’s plant, on an ash heap located uphill from UPA’s facility. The heap consisted of approximately 770,000 cubic yards of waste ash, covering approximately 27 acres. When the contract was agreed to, much of the ash heap was covered with top soil, grass, legumes, and new growth trees.
In March 1991, LTV applied to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for a permit to resume depositing ash on the heap. The MPCA investigated and determined that the deposits could be polluting Lake Superior through rain and other water run-off. The MPCA issued a “no discharge” requirement, ordering LTV to stop the release of water from the ash pile.
LTV had several options for compliance, including placing a clay cover over the ash pile or hauling away the water from the ash pile. Instead, LTV opted to construct a containment and recirculation system, consisting of a large pond on the downhill side of the ash heap to collect surface runoff and leachate water. Water was pumped from the pond to the top tier of the ash heap, sprayed back onto the heap, and dispersed by “evapotranspiration”; i.e., evaporation of water through the vegetation covering the ash pile. This system was approved by the MPCA.
LTV also hauled excess water from a coal stockpile and dumped the water into the pond or directly onto the ash heap. The level of water in the ash heap was increased by above normal rainfall in July 1993. On July 28, 1993, the ash heap became saturated and liquified (a rare phenomenon called “static liquefaction”). A large part of the ash heap collapsed, and a mixture of ash and water flowed downhill, causing damage to UPA’s facilities.
For damages resulting from the ash slide, UPA recovered $509,345.38 from its casualty insurer, Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company. Hartford brought this subrogation action against LTV on theories of negligence, trespass, nuisance, and strict liability. LTV denied liability and affirmatively alleged that an act of God (the above-normal July rainfall) caused the ash heap’s collapse.
The result in the case? Mixed:
The insurer of an electrical cooperative brought this subrogation action against mining companies to recover payments for property damage caused by the collapse and liquification of a large ash heap. The district court ruled that an exculpatory clause in a contract with the electrical co-op exonerated the mining companies from strict liability but was unenforceable because it violated public policy. We affirm the construction of the exculpatory clause but reverse the determination that the exculpatory clause violated public policy. We also affirm the inapplicability of the act of God defense, and we remand for further proceedings to determine whether the mining companies are liable for willfully causing the damage.
The City of Northfield ‘Friday Memos’ for Dec. 24 and Dec. 31
The Friday Memo, written by interim Northfield City Administrator Joel Walinski and many of the department directors, managers, and supervisors, summarizes many of the staff activities for the week.
Although it’s directed to the mayor and city council, it’s helpful for citizens to see what’s going, too. The Friday memos are published and archived in PDF form at the bottom of Joel Walinski’s web page.
See the Friday memo for this past week and then comment or ask questions about it here.
And see the one for Dec 24, too.
NOTE! There’s a City Council work meeting tonight. See the Agenda.
High Winter
I snuck out of the house this morning to do some intervals on the Arb trails. Last night’s sleet had, predictably, turned the barely-skiable snow into rock-hard ice. The brilliant sunshine made up for the terrible conditions.
Icy New Year
Despite the frigid cold that followed the warm spell (pouring in from the north with gusty winds overnight that woke me at 3:30 as I tried to figure out what was banging against the house), the ice and the light sprinkling of snow that covered it melted rapidly on our dark, south-facing roof and water trickled steadily down icicles that had formed on this ill-fitting gutter and downspout. The resulting puddles at the top of the driveway froze solid, creating slicks of ice that would have been smooth enough to skate on, were we the size of squirrels and so inclined.
Roofies
I found this picture on the blog of a Norwegian pro skier. It reminds me of the childhood days when we would sled off the roofs of the buildings on the farm where I grew up. We got a lot of snow back then, and Grandpa would use the tractor to push it up next to the garages and sheds. Perfect for big, high speed sledding ramps.
Kristin Steira Doing Some Rooftop Skiing
One employee pleads guilty in Rate Search Ponzi scheme
Ever hear of misprision of a felony? Neither have I. But it’s in this Dec. 19 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch titled Prosecutors: St. Louis investment house ran $4.5 million fraud.
The City of Northfield’s missing millions are at the heart of the case.
A securities firm in St. Louis defrauded customers of more than $4.5 million and used some of the proceeds for the owner’s personal expenses, a federal prosecutor said Thursday. Rate Search Inc. billed itself as able to find the best return on certificates of deposit by searching financial institutions across the country; it made its money by taking a slice of the interest earned.
But for years, the company and its president and owner, Scott Luster, falsified account statements and other documents to hide missing money, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said in federal court in St. Louis. Goldsmith said the company never bought some of the CDs customers thought they owned, redeemed customer CDs before their maturity dates and sent money to customers to lull them into believing nothing was wrong.
Missouri regulators have described it as a Ponzi, or pyramid, scheme. Goldsmith’s accusations came in a hearing where former Rate Search employee Clark Schultz pleaded guilty of misprision of a felony, which means that he knew about a crime and concealed it. He faces about two years or less in federal prison and possibly a fine.
Here’s a cropped photo of Rate Search president and owner, Scott Luster, which I found on this non-profit fundraising event page.
Photos: St. Olaf’s Regents Hall in Winter
I took the photo above during a recent cross-country ski outing that took me around the periphery of St. Olaf College on New Year’s Day. As I was taking photos of Regents Hall, St. Olaf’s impressive new science center, I realized that the sky was fabulous that day.
I like the sky’s deep blueness in the center of the photo and its wispy clouds. The sky here says something to me about possibilities, about the wonders that exist near us and to which we are normally oblivious.
I’m glad I was able to get out on my skis, get some exercise, appreciate the natural scenery near our home, and take some photos. I’m thankful that I was able to start out the new year in this way.
See another photo of Regents Hall below.
Ski Season
Today was my first ski of the season in the Arb, a nice session tooling around the only good snow in the Upper Arb. I was happy that my arms didn’t fall off, since this suggests that I might have a chance to get in decent skiing shape for the the City of Lakes Loppet. Having my arms fall off would have definitely impeded my ability to ski in the race.
Just as exciting is that tomorrow will see the culmination of the third Tour de Ski, a multi-stage cross-country ski race that is one of the two high points of the World Cup. I’ve blogged embarrassingly extensively on the Tour in previous years on my previous blogs and this year on the “Nordic Commentary Project” that I share with another ski fan. Suffice to say here that tomorow’s last event is the hardest one in skiing, a race up a steep ski hill, the Alpe Cermis, in northern Italy.
Here’s the overall stage, 9k for women and 10k for men:
Final Climb Stage Profile
Here’s the big climb itself:
Final Climb up Alpe Cermis
The first man and the first woman to the top of the Alpe Cermis are the respective winners of the Tour de Ski. Last year’s race was good, but not as good as this year promises to be: for the first time, both the men’s and the women’s titles are up for grabs. I can’t wait to see what happens. (And I can actually see it this year: NBC’s “Universal Sports” service is webcasting the men’s and women’s Final Climbs shortly after the races end.)
Now we know what Heidi Hamilton’s up to!
Now we know what Heidi Hamilton’s up to since she left Northfield — it’s in today’s STrib:
Leaking voltage puts a shock in some Minneapolis dogs
A snippet:
But shouldn’t Steve Brandt be covering the developments in the CapX 2020 transmission project? The application for routing of the Brookings line is now in… see NoCapX 2020!
Hydrophobia
All kids are weird about something (or many things, more like), but some of Julia’s more puzzling idiosyncrasies involve water. One aspect of her hydrophobia is her dislike of swimming in any form. Just mentioning her upcoming swim classes is enough to nearly reduce her to tears - and this is after she had excellent one-on-one swim lessons last summer, which she claimed to enjoy.
But so lots of kids don’t like swimming and pools and things natatorial. But do all kids abhor having their chins wet? Before she even gets into her bath, Julia sets a hand towel or a dry washcloth on the edge of the tub, and then uses it periodically during the bath to dry her chin. Not her cheeks, eyes, or forehead, which also get pretty wet while she splashes with her sister - just her chin. Very strange.
Rick Warren: a good choice by Obama for the inaugural invocation
I’ve been paying attention to the left’s reaction to Barack Obama’s choice of Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration in 3 weeks. For example:
William Fisher, Huffington Post: Rick Warren: What Was Obama Thinking?
But symbolism is important, and it’s especially important for this particular inauguration. Regardless of how he may try to nuance it, Rick Warren is part of the constituency that was courted and won over by George W. Bush. And it was the enthusiastic support of this constituency that played such a major role in W’s journey to the White House. We can dialogue with them from now till The Rapture, but many of their ideas will still be anathema to most of those who elected Barack Obama.
Mike Madden, Salon.com: How the hell did Rick Warren get inauguration tickets?
For more than two years, cozying up to Rick Warren has been one of Barack Obama’s favorite ways of showing evangelical Christians that he might not be so scary, after all — and for just as long, palling around with Obama every once in a while has been Warren’s way of trying to show more secular-minded people that he’s not so bad, either.
But I’m more persuaded that it was a good choice. For example:
David Weinberger on NPR: I’m A Lefty And I Like Obama’s Pick Of Rick Warren
But he’s getting us to do what seems impossible: to listen to what’s best in what the other side is saying, because then you hear the shared values, and the other side isn’t another side at all. That means you put Rick Warren up on the stage with you, because he disagrees with you. Yet he’s there celebrating the moment when a person becomes a president of all the people. To progressives, Rick Warren is a symbol of views they disagree with. To the rest of the country, Rick Warren is a symbol of "the purpose driven life" that he has written about, a life lived for something larger than yourself … a value liberals completely share.
Andrew Sullivan in the Atlantic: Taking Yes For An Answer
If I cannot pray with Rick Warren, I realize, then I am not worthy of being called a Christian. And if I cannot engage him, then I am not worthy of being called a writer. And if we cannot work with Obama to bridge these divides, none of us will be worthy of the great moral cause that this civil rights movement truly is.
The bitterness endures; the hurt doesn’t go away; the pain is real. But that is when we need to engage the most, to overcome our feelings to engage in the larger project, to understand that not all our opponents are driven by hate, even though that may be how their words impact us. To turn away from such dialogue is to fail ourselves, to fail our gay brothers and sisters in red state America, and to miss the possibility of the Obama moment.
It can be hard to take yes for an answer. But yes is what Obama is saying. And we should not let our pride or our pain get in the way
Sweet Lou’s Waffles shuts down for now
I got a heads-up from Norman Butler earlier this week that Sweet Lou’s Waffle Bar and Cafe would be shutting down soon. He had recently spoken with Lewis Newman, the owner.
He told Norman that there’s a possibility the current managers would re-open the restaurant in the near future, but the sign on the door doesn’t indicate that.
See today’s Northfield News: Sweet Lou’s closes its doors by Brenda Ward.
I blogged about the opening of Sweet Lou’s just over a year ago.
Sparky
When, tonight, I moved Julia from the guest room bed, where she’s supposed to fall asleep while her sister wails, to her own bed, she whispered to me, “Daddy, while I was in the guest room, my knees were lighting up!” I thought for a second, wondering what she could mean, and then realized she’d seen static-electric sparks generated by the wool blanket. I told her it was static, just like when we accidentally shock each other after walking on the carpet, and that it wasn’t anything to worry about. She whisperered back, “Ohhhhhh,” as if a secret had been revealed. Now that I’m writing about it, I wonder if she was hoping it was fairies or something. Sorry, honey.
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Running Wild
Here’s a few minutes of an average evening at our house.
(Warning: Includes toddler nakedness and sisterly thumbs-on-lens. No sugary treats were involved in the making of this motion picture.)
Vivi Runs Wild from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.
No points are awarded for the correct deduction, based on the visual evidence presented here, that not five minutes after this video, the subject dissolved into a colossal crying fit.
