Comments for Northern Letter

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by Christopher Tassava

Christopher Tassava — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:24:23 +0000

Thanks for this post (and welcome back!), Bill. Though I’m glad that the Woodley project - which is finally underway, judging by the forest of survey flags and some big machinery out front today - is exempt from this new policy, I’m aghast at the idea. The rationale is hardly convincing, and only serves to highlight the real concern - making sure automobiles can zoom around every goddamn place they want. “Rice County to Walkers & Bikers: Drop Dead.”

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by Andy Alt

Andy Alt — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:33:46 +0000

It’s all about how we can’t do this and can’t do that. Has anybody tried using creativity to solve problems, to break even, or to make money instead of lose it? I suppose I need to wake up now. Bill, don’t get discourages. You’re smart enough to know how politics work. Issues and leaders turn on a dime and things could change tomorrow.

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by bill

bill — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:02:22 +0000

Forgot to mention: Mr. Luebbe said that the county’s funding of sidewalks and paths in the Woodley St. project in Northfield will not be affected by the new policy; it was negotiated under the earlier policy.

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by bill

bill — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:55:07 +0000

I attended the Board of Commissioners meeting this morning. They voted to approve the new cost participation policy. I did not speak because there is no option for public input at commissioners’ meetings (with the exception of work sessions).

Galen Malecha, Northfield’s representative, was the only commissioner to vote against it. The others view sidewalks and paths as nonessential “amenities.”

Mr. Luebbe made a strong case for the significant financial pressures the county is under as it deals with huge increases in construction costs and lack of funding from all levels of government.

I shared with Galen and Mr. Luebbe an idea for a compromise: move paths and sidewalks to the “potential” category for county funding. That way if the funding environment improves, the county could help with sidewalks and paths and realize some of the benefits of moving county residents to walking and biking. That’s less ideal than the policy we had before, but it’s an improvement on the new policy.

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by bill

bill — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:58:17 +0000

I emailed Steve Clark at Transit for Livable Communities (tlcminnesota.org) , who said he hadn’t heard of a county having such a policy. He said it seemed “backwards” at a time when other counties and cities are considering “complete streets” policies. He pointed to Ramsey, Hennepin, and Washington counties as offering a better example for Minnesota. He also suggested looking at the Rice Co. transportation plan.

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by bill

bill — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:36:41 +0000

I’ve added the PDF of the policy at the end of the main post. In fairness to the county’s position, some bike/ped facilities such as traffic signals could be funded. Presumably bike lanes in the existing right of way would be also, since they involve only striping. So my post headline might be considered exaggerated, but l still think it’s generally truthful.

Comment on My county seeks to avoid funding new bike/ped projects by bill

bill — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:15:27 +0000

I found a PDF of the agenda for the Aug. 12 county Board of Commissioners meeting.

The relevant agenda item seems to be:

“Approval of Revised Cost Participation Policy on Cooperative Roadway
Construction Projects ”

So it applies only to “cooperative” projects, where a city or township and the county participate, apparently, but is that any better? That would rule out the kinds of urban locations where bike/ped facilities are most needed.

Comment on Appreciating western Wisconsin by Jule Fetch

Jule Fetch — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:11:18 +0000

I have driven through that beautiful part of Wisconsin before.
I remember the little town of Ellsworth, very quaint.

It’s stunning, and I didn’t stop to take pictures either but I sure
enjoyed the drive!

It has always been a part of Wisconsin that I want to visit again.

So, I recommned to anyone drive from Red Wing and go East across the MIssissippi towards Ellsworth, WI and then North to Cumberland, Wisconsin. Do it this fall! You won’t be disappointed.

Julie Fetch- a Midwestern Scenic Drive Advocate

Comment on Northfield area wins $30,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant by Safe Routes to School « Rob Hardy for School Board

Safe Routes to School « Rob Hardy for School Board — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:15:51 +0000

[...] the public schools and promote healthier, less fuel-dependent school transportation. Bill Ostrem blogged about the grant on his Northern Letter blog back in March. His blog post provides links to the [...]

Comment on A house-cooling strategy by bill

bill — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:00:59 +0000

Karen Youso’s StarTribune column dealt with this home-cooling strategy (available for a limited time online):

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/25418444.html?location_refer=urlTrackSectionName

This excerpt reminded me to run the fan only intermittently. Fortunately, we had a timer installed on a furnace fan that lets us control when it runs, with the ability to do so in 15-minute increments:

“Continuous operation of the furnace fan as a solution to your problem can be expensive. The typical furnace fan in most homes uses a good deal of electricity. Newer furnaces with variable-speed fan motors can save up to 80 percent and may be the best option for continual fan option. If your fan isn’t one of these, then run it intermittently.”