NESNA

IT’S CENTRAL PARK!

NESNA Board applauds decision.

Late Monday, after all the private citizens had gone home, the City Council determined that the long-awaited Northfield community skateboard facility will be located in historic Central Park.  Budgetary considerations will preclude commencing construction until 2011 or later, but Northfield arborists were authorized to commence tree removal April 15th.

Not all neighbors have been in favor of the Central Park location, but a NESNA Board member spoke enthusiastically for the Board and for the neighborhood as a whole:  “The Central Park location is perfect.  After an $850,000 initial outlay, the City will save on grass cutting, tree maintenance, trash pick-up and the like.  The park will be lighted at least until midnight during the Summer months, with pleasant music provided by the skateboarders themselves. And safety concerns we’ve had in the past should be minimized; for example, unsupervised use of swings and sandboxes will be eliminated if, as we’re given to understand, park use will be limited to children 13 and older.”

This April 1st neighborhood update is from Mike Harper.

Arts Union Meeting
March 27, 2009

Five members of the NESNA Board (Mike Harper, Jerri Hurlbutt, Suzie Nakasian, Rich Noer and Bardwell Smith) met with Joe Hargis, Steve Richardson and Steve Spehn of Carleton and Sandra Rolph, a representative of Carleton’s consultant, Oslund and Associates.  The purpose was to discuss community responses to the six questions about the proposed Arts Union that are posted on the Carleton Arts Union Wiki web site.

As of the March 1 deadline, 76 people posted comments to the Wiki site, some anonymously (an exceptionally high response rate for a Wiki survey).  Oslund will provide a report that summarizes the categories of responses to each question, and that report will be posted to the Carleton and NESNA web sites by the end of April.

Work on the Arts Union has been put on indefinite hold, due to financial constraints. However, Carleton and Oslund agree that the community responses received through this effort will be valuable when work on the project re-commences.  Carleton would like to receive additional neighborhood input, and to that end the Wiki will remain open for further comments indefinitely.  All input on the project is still relevant and welcome, as the plans are by no means finalized.

While Carleton awaits the resuming of the project design and construction, the project planners will go to Carleton’s Trustees in May with a proposal for interim uses of the Middle School building as it now stands (with interior alterations made to bring the building’s interior up to code).  All comments about the Arts Union are most welcome and relevant. However, on account of the proposed interim use of the building, Carleton is especially interested to hear more thoughts and concerns relating to interim uses of the building, such as concerns about vehicular and pedestrian traffic, parking, noise and lighting.

Residents are encouraged to post their comments to the Wiki site, or forward comments to any NESNA Board member to be posted.  The Wiki can be found by going to northfieldeastside.org and following the link on the left side of the page to Carleton’s Arts Union Wiki. There is no deadline, but comments are encouraged in advance of the Carleton Trustees meeting at the end of May.

I just received this from Suzie Nakasian.   Check it out!    Ed

Native Plant Landscaping Program at the Northfield Library

For more information on Lynn Steiner, this program AND the Friends of the Northfield Public Library, go to: http://northfieldlibraryfriends.org/home/

The Friends of the Northfield Public Library will host author Lynn Steiner at their Annual Gathering on Tuesday April 7 at 7 p.m. at the Northfield Public Library.

Known to many Northfielders as the author  Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota, Ms. Steiner is one of the Upper Midwest’ best-known garden writers and speakers on gardening and environmental topics.

Come join other neighbors and friends of the Northfield Public Library to learn about landscaping with native plants, and their important benefits for our natural environment.

Ms. Steiner’s illustrated talk will address how home gardeners can incorporate native plants into beautiful and environmentally appropriate landscapes. A brief meeting of the Friends’ of the Library will open the meeting at 7, followed by Ms. Steiner’s presentation. A social reception and light refreshments will follow, where you will have the opportunity to purchase signed copies of Ms. Steiner’s books, as well as organic heirloom seeds to support the Library (see below).

Seeds for Thought!
Plan Your Spring Garden AND Support Our Local Public Library!
To celebrate Lynn Steiner’s April 7 talk at the Northfield Public Library, the Friends of the Library will offer a seed-sale fundraiser with Botanical Interests Seeds, a company that sells organic, heirloom, and non-GMO seeds.

25 percent of the proceeds from any seeds bought in the name of the Friends of the Northfield Library, will be donated by the seed company to the Library!

To view available seeds, and place and order, go to  www.botanicalinterests.com/nonprofits.php and select Friends of the Northfield Public Library from the list.

A fine pair of links have been called to my attention by Jerri Hurlbutt, who participated in interviews with undergraduates about the topic of off-campus rentals by college students.    Audio clips are a lively contribution to web media;     check it out right here.          Ed

This  address should get you to a discussion of Vern Rippley, Jerri Hurlbutt and others about student renting in Northfield. There are also other interviews between students and community.
>> >
>> > http://www.carleton.edu/departments/CAMS/audio/cams275w09/northfieldrentals.mp3
>> >
>> > Also, for the other interviews, from John Schott’s class:
>> >
>> > http://locallygrownnorthfield.org

Suzie Nakasian provided us this info on shade trees for Northfield.  Ed

Word On the Street … City of Northfield to resume its shade tree replacement program on April 6.

To encourage the planting of shade trees on local street boulevards, the City of Northfield will resume its popular Shade Tree Replacement program on April 6.

This year’s program will offer 102 trees of 8 – 10 ft. (typical trunk diameter of 1- ¼ inches) from nine different species (see list below). Trees are offered for sale to residential property owners only, at a discounted price that includes the locating of utility lines, and planting (and a first watering) of trees by the City Street Department crews.

Residential property owners can order trees in person at the City’s Maintenance Facility (1710 Riverview Drive) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. beginning Monday, April 6 and ending on Friday April 17 (the Maintenance Facility is located to the west of Hwy 3 as you head south from downtown Northfield, turn right at Perkins Restaurant, the facility will be ahead on your right.)

The following inventory of 15 gallon size trees will be available for order on a first-come first-served basis and must be ordered in person:

20 River Birch-single stem $59.00

20 Blue Beech $59.00

8 Harvest Gold Crab $59.00

8 Prairie Rose Crab $79.00

5 Prospector Elm $69.00

5 Vanguard Elm $69.00

6 Greenspire Linden $59.00

10 Celebration Maple $69.00

20 Autumn Blaze Maple $59.00 (Autumn Blaze in 7 gallon size only)

Payment must be made (cash or local check) at the time of placing your order. Home owners may elect to sign a “Waiver of Trespass” to allow City crews to plant the tree(s), or they can elect to plant the tree(s) themselves. In the latter option, the City will deliver the tree(s) but it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to dig the hole and plant the tree(s) (no discount is offered for this option). Trees will be delivered and planted by the City crews from May 4 – 8 weather and delivery permitting.

To allow greater flexibility in identifying suitable planting locations for trees in relation to utility lines, the program now allows the planting of trees on the front yards of residential properties (defined as “any portion of the front yard from the front house line extension to the Street”) as well as on street boulevards. Homeowners are responsible for staking out the appropriate site prior to the delivery of trees; all selected locations will be subject to the approval of City staff.

Once the tree(s) are planted, property owners will need to stake and water the trees as necessary to give them a good start (new trees should be given a good slow soaking of water daily during the first week – add water until water is visible on surface – 3 times per week during the following two weeks, and weekly there after during the first growing season).

Northfield’s tree lined streets are a valued feature of the City’s neighborhoods, and trees also play an important part in removing CO2 from the atmosphere and reducing urban heat island effect. So help beautify Northfield’s boulevards, and do the Earth a favor – by purchasing trees for the front of your residential property through Northrield’s City’s Shade Tree Program.

For more information contact the City Maintenance Facility at 645-3050 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday) ; go to: http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/cityservices/outsideyourhome/trees or contact Suzie Nakasian, Northfield Environmental Quality Commission and a NESNA Board member, 645-5652.

Thank you!