About 10 days ago I had one of those dreaded "Good News...Bad News" days. My employees informed me that one of my workers had tipped over one of Northfield Construction Company's rough terrain forklifts...bad news....and that he had jumped off the unit and no employees were hurt in the incident....good news. We were able to bring another forklift to the site and lift the flipped forklift back onto its tires.


The rough terrain forklifts that we use are large, heavy pieces of equipment. They can lift 6,000 to 8,000 pound loads and reach heights of 43'. Because of the ability to reach forward and up, one always has to be careful with the booms. We regularly discuss the "stability triangle" as it relates to these forklifts and make sure that all operators understand safe operations. All employees rely on every other employee to conduct themselves in a safe manner to keep everyone on a construction site safe.

On the day before my employee tipped the forklift, we had a mandatory all-employee safety meeting...we hold such meetings every month. In a bit of irony, the topic of the safety meeting was safe operation of forklifts. We watched an excellent video that outlines safe operation of forklifts on construction sites. In another bit of irony, the only employee to come late and miss most of the film was the one who tipped the forklift.

It will cost my company several thousands of dollars to get the forklift repaired. As I made arrangements for the repairs, I heard comments from some of the employees that the accident was avoidable, that the accident will cost everyone money, "something" should be done to the employee, etc. They do understand the actions leading up to the incident and the results from it.

I took the opportunity to call everyone back for a safety lunch last week. We discussed the incident and made sure everyone was clear about what was done incorrectly. To address future equipment damage issues, I asked four of my employees to work as a safety sub-committee and prepare a policy dealing with damage to Northfield Construction Company equipment. They are working now on developing a policy that deals with incidents (avoidable damage due to improper operation) and accidents (damage that occurs through no fault of the operators).

While no one likes to see equipment damaged, we all are glad that no one was hurt when the forklift tipped over. I'm pleased that my employees understand the issues surrounding this incident and that they are willingly working to implement policies to address future incidents and accidents. Construction work can be dangerous at times. All employees need to feel confident that their fellow employees care about safety and safe operation of all equipment. Every incident or accident can be used as a learning tool...this one included.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:32 AM | Link

 
My son, Tristan Cox, a Northfield Construction Company employee, appeared in the Minneapolis StarTribune yesterday. The Strib did an article on Senator Paul Wellstone's life in Northfield. Tristan owns the home that Paul and Sheila Wellstone raised their family in during the time they were in Northfield.


Tristan has been working hard this past year to fix-up and restore the home. This summer he painted the exterior and rebuilt the brick chimney. He matched the paint colors to the colors the Wellstone family painted the home. He also found an old Wellstone political sign from 1982 during the house cleaning process.

Tristan has had a lot of comments from neighbors and friends in Northfield about the home. People seem to be genuinely appreciative of his care of the home....I am too.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:55 AM | Link

 
We are getting close to being done with the Cannon River Walk Condominium project on the west bank of the Cannon River in downtown Northfield. The building is looking fantastic! It is wonderful to see this vacant "hole" used for productive purposes again.


We worked with Dean Kjerland on this project (his ArcheoPaleo business will occupy one of the retail spaces on the west side of the building). It took a lot of up-front work with the various city regulatory bodies to make it happen, but Dean stayed with it and got the job done. His decision to use brick with stone sills and lintels for the exterior finish was excellent. The building blends into the downtown area well and provides new locations for businesses and residents.

As part of the project the city is redoing the path between Larson's Screen Printing and the Cannon River Walk Condo building.

They are discussing various materials options and configurations for this path. Since cold weather is approaching quickly we decided to install a temporary asphalt path from the public sidewalk to the door of the Riverwalk building. Next spring it can be removed when the permanent path is installed.

See the complete RWC photo gallery from the day the project began.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:37 AM | Link

 
Several people have talked to me lately about the cost of building permits...they wonder what you get for the fee. This is a very sensitive subject for many building contractors today. It is especially sensitive to me in my dual role as building contractor and State Legislator.

The original intent of building permit fees was to allow jurisdictions to collect fees to offset the cost of the service provided. I totally agree with that philosophy. Since building inspections are directly related to the specific project, it is reasonable to expect the person in charge of the project to pay fees to cover the inspection costs.

Problems start to arrise when the cost of permits far exceeds the cost of operating a building inspection department. For example, in Northfield in 2002 the total cost of the building department was roughly $425,000 but the fees generated by the construction projects were well in excess of $700,000. The "missing" $275,000 was sent to the city general fund and used for other purposes.

Is setting fees that high proper? That is a good question. The Legislature two years ago required jurisdictions to gather information and complete forms outlining their inspection department costs versus revenue generated by permit fees. I've seen much of this city information.....cities are generating a lot of revenue from people who decide to build homes and buildings in thier municipalities.

I'd like to see building permit costs brought more in line with real, true building inspection department costs. I don't think it is really right to ask a select group of people (homeowners and others doing building projects) to make an exceptionally large contribution to the operation of a city. It makes sense to me to closely tie permit fees to the departmental operational cost.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:38 PM | Link

 
Last Friday I met with Tom Andrews at the Cannon Valley Coop in Northfield.


Tom ran 500 miles across Minnesota to publicize and support E85 fuel. Tom was in Northfield as his last stop before he ended his run in St. Paul. He was running daily between fuel stations that sell ethanol. Local supporters and press have greeted him at every stop, encouraging him on his E85 publicity journey.

Tom is making a tremendous personal statement by expending this great personal energy for a good cause like clean air and agricultural support. His wife and young child follow along in an E85 powered vehicle. After visiting with Tom, I know he and his family will be glad to have the run over and get back to their normal lives!

E85 is a blended fuel made primarily from ethanol derived from corn....about 85% ethanol and 15% petroleum products. Many vehicles today are designed to run on E85. My own family car burns the fuel, runs fine and gets excellent fuel mileage. The great thing about E85 is that it not only burns cleaner than regular petroleum based fuels, but it also supports the local agriculture economy through the use of locally grown corn and the operation of the ethanol plants.

There are several ethanol plants in Minnesota producing this product. The state supports ethanol production up to .13 cents per gallon, with limits on total individual plant production. By supporting the industry in this manner I hope it can progress to a point that it becomes totally self-supporting and profitable for the plant owners without any state subsidy.

We all gain from ethanol use. As Tom Andrews posters say "Run Tom Run"... and help us all understand, become familiar with and use ethanol...a Minnesota product.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:45 AM | Link

 
Monday was the ground breaking ceremony for Community National Bank's new facility on south Highway #3 in Northfield. The bank invited Chamber of Commerce members, former Directors and a variety of people involved in the Northfield community. With a tent shelter from the wind and Ole rolls from the Ole Store, everyone had a great time visiting and congratulating bank personnel.


President Don Kuehnast unveiled a drawing of the planned bank facility. At three stories in height, it will be a substantial building on the corner across from Furlong Motors.

I am pleased that Northfield continues to have a strong business community. When I'm not working at Northfield Construction Company I work at my "other job" as a State Representative to keep the Minnesota economy healthy. One of the best ways to do that is to see that jobs are being created. A major expansion such as the new Community National Bank increases job opportunities for many people, adds to the real estate tax revenue and generally shows to the world that Northfield is doing well and is a solid community.

A big thank you to eveyone at Community National Bank for planning this fine new bank and good luck with your project.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:47 PM | Link

 
Sunday I participated in the Northfield CROP Walk.

This is an ecumenical program supported by many churches across the nation, organized by the Church World Service. It provides support for refugee camps, AIDS prevention programs, nutrition assistance and many other programs in developing nations of the world.

CROP Walk particpants gather pledges for Church World Service for their walking challenge. My son Tristan walked with me on Sunday. It was a beautiful day to be out in the community supporting such a worthy cause. Previous walks have been rainy and cold, but Sunday was great. The organizers hoped to move the Northfield CROP Walk up to the third largest in the state....and from the looks of the crowd I think they may have accomplished that goal.

One of the nice benefits of taking part in a community event such as this is I run into many past and present Northfield Construction Clients. One of the main CROP walk organizers was Faye Caskey. We finished a nice home for Faye and Carl a year or so ago. Also, Marshall and Carla Hansen walked with their two children. You can see photos of their home currently under construction in our residential portfolio.


That is one of the best things about this job...staying in touch with happy clients.

Posted by Ray Cox at 12:24 PM | Link

 
We all seem to be concerned about energy use these days, which is good. One thing that has an impact on overall family energy use is the size of a home....the larger the home is the more energy of all types it takes to operate the home. Energy use includes heating fuels, but also maintenance energy...either by the homeowner or hired help.

I read some interesting statistics by the National Association of Home Builders in my local news update from the Builders Association of MInnesota:

* The median size of a new home in the USA is now about 2,300 square feet, or about twice as big as a new home in 1960.
* More than 50% of new homes built last year had 9' or higher ceilings.
* Between 1970 and 2000, the percentage of households without children rose from 17% to 25%. During the same period households with children has declined from 40% to just 24%.
* Since 1970 median family income has gone from just over $44,000 to just over $66,000.

We are seeing evidence of these demographic changes in Northfield. There are many 2, 3 and 4 unit townhomes being constructed. As I go about town I discover these townhomes are being filled with lots of retired people and also lots of mid-career people without children. Northfield is a great place to retire or spend the later portion of a working career. From what I can tell, we seem to be mirroring the USA demographics. We have good, steady growth in all residential areas, but need to do better in creating jobs and business growth.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:11 AM | Link