Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

The following is an important public service announcement, delivered to me by a passing leprechaun, (and here’s the disclosure) one of a race of elves from which I am descended. (Click the image for a larger PDF of the flyer.)

Hello to all,

Bring your family, friends & neighbors to Northfield’s 6th Annual St. Patrick’s Parade and Celebration this Friday, March 17. All are welcome – Irish Heritage not required!

The pre-parade rally starts at 5:30pm in Econ O’Foods Southeast lot with Banners, Flags, Family Coat of Arms, Walking Floats – be creative!

The parade begins at 6:30pm, strolling North on Division and culminating in Bridge Square, with fun for everyone of ALL nationalities, featuring 2006 Grand Marshall Shawn Dudley.

See you there!

Parade Organizers

Kevin O’Connell
Jim Bohnhoff
Jim Pokorney

This month’s edition of the Third Thursday Series, the Very Short Play Festival, is quickly approaching. It’s this Thursday, March 16th, from 7 to 9 pm, at the Grand Event Center.

The Festival, sponsored by the Northfield Arts Guild, the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation and the Grand Event Center, is the brainchild of Brendon Etter. It features fourteen 30-second to 12-minute plays. The authors of the plays represent a wide spectrum of our community, including the public schools, the colleges and very post-graduate studies. Click here to view the event poster with more details.

Come downtown and see the incredible diversity of creativity that exists in our community. It should be great fun.

Before the EDA meeting officially started this morning, in a conversation about moving projects forward more quickly, Vice President Mark Moors suggested combining the Swimming Pool and Liquor Store and thus making the City’s development dollars go further. Treasurer Rick Estenson added that, through this approach, perhaps the Liquor Store could subsidize the operations of the Swimming Pool. Director of Community Development Brian O’Connell pointed out the economic development potential of a “swim-up bar” and offered to conduct research on Tiki Bars in Mexico. Council and EDA member Galen Malecha then pointed out that he was perhaps uniquely qualified to be a combination lifeguard and bartender.

Then they called the meeting to order and talked about their 2006 Work Plan which includes:

– Enhancing the relationship between the EDA and the City Council
– Implementing the Q Block Redevelopment Project
– Implementing the Economic Development Plan
– Increasing Land Resources for Business/Industrial Expansion
– Monitoring, Advising and Challenging (when necessary) Rice County Economic Development Initiatives
– Creating a Marketing Plan for Existing and New Businesses
– Reviewing the EDA Organizational Structure and Making Necessary Changes

Personally, I really admire a group of people that can create improvisational comedy based on economic development issues at 7:15 in the morning.

There’s quite a buzz around town about the release of a new report. The report is “Artists’ Centers: Evolution and Impact on Careers, Neighborhoods and Economies” by Ann Markusen and Amanda Johnson.

Ann Markusen spoke at the August 2004 NDDC Monthly Forum about her previous report, “The Artistic Dividend: The Arts’ Hidden Contributions to Regional Development”. The Forum was co-sponsored by the Northfield Arts Guild as part of one of our programming partnerships, ArtSwirl. At the time, the NDDC was working with the Reuse Committee, Artspace and the NAG to create a new community artist center in the old middle school.

Markusen’s previous report highlighted the economic development potential of the arts. Our belief in this potential was one of the reasons why the NDDC was working so hard on the old middle school and why we are now working so hard on the Building for Creative Professionals.

Among the recommendations in Markusen’s recent report are:

“Public and nonprofit policymakers responsible for economic development, urban planning, and cultural policy should acknowledge and support artists’ service centers as good investments and as candidates for brick and mortar subsidies, operating funds, and technical assistance.

State and local governments should use the many tools at their disposal to help create appropriate spaces for artists and embed such centers in their neighborhoods.

State and regional art agencies, especially those operating in suburban and smaller town settings, should foster collective spaces for artists.”

The NDDC is working with public and private policymakers as well as state and local governments to secure their support for the community artist center…and “embed” it in the downtown neighborhood. Their support is essential if the space is to work creatively and financially for Northfield’s artists.

We believe that such a center will enrich the community both economically and culturally. We urge all artists and art organizations, as well as all citizens and citizen organizations, to work with us to achieve this vision of a community artist center.

Heads up downtown restauranteurs and retailers, hundreds of athletes and coaches and thousands of spectators are coming to Northfield. St. Olaf College is hosting the 2006 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track Championships this Friday and Saturday.

With all that running, jumping, putting and vaulting, these college students will be hungry. No doubt their families will work up appetites with all that cheering too. And maybe, in between events, they’ll want to do a little shopping.

So, once again, heads up downtown merchants. And, thank you St. Olaf College, for bringing all these folks to town.