The James Gang Coffeehouse opened for business yesterday. This is a new business located in the Heritage Square Business Park on the south side of Northfield.....directly across from Furlong Motors.

The James Gang Coffeehouse is owned and operated by Jim and Joan Spaulding, pictured here with their daughter Elizabeth.


This is a new adventure for Jim and Joan...they have not worked in the food or hospitality industry. They came to Northfield Construction Company and ask us to assist them with the tenant finishes to create this fine new businesses. Earlier in the year Northfield Construction Company built the Heritage Square building for the Jasnoch Partnership.

A full service coffeehouse, with a complete line of coffees, teas, soups, sandwiches, etc. is a wonderful breakfast and lunch option. I enjoyed a tasty sandwich with sprouts and cucumbers, with a cup of hearty chilli.

The new shop looks wonderful. Joan worked hard to decorate the service and eating areas. Jim and Joan both worked tirelessly to create this new business. Jim even installed all the wood flooring! The two-sided fireplace provides cozy seating for customers on these chilly, snowy days.

Stop out and visit Jim and Joan at the James Gang Coffeehouse....you will enjoy excellent food and good company. And see the other photos of their shop in the photo gallery, part of our commercial portfolio.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:51 AM | Link

 


The photo gallery of the employee holiday party at the Edgewood in Cannon Falls is now up.

Posted by Griff Wigley at 8:48 PM | Link

 
We are in the midst of a real cold spell here in Northfield, Minnesota. It is always a challenge to keep projects moving forward in such severe cold. My work crews are great and always willing to work. However, even that desire to work can be shut down when it reaches -10 to -20 below zero.


Wind is a real enemy for workers that are outside. Not only does it pull the heat away from the workers body, it is difficult to fight the wind as workers go about their tasks. Moving sheets of product, such as plywood or sheet metal, create wind planes that can whisk the material away in a split second. A sheet of steel flying through the air is very dangerous to every other worker on the site.

Erecting a plastic shelter over scaffolding in the wind can also be dangerous. The wind can grab the plastic sheeting and turn it into a sail. Workers must immediately let go of the plastic or risk being pulled over or off a scaffold. And once the shelter is up, it becomes a huge wind plane for the wind to try and topple over.

We have many tools and materials to assist us in our winter work, such as LP torches, reinforced plastic sheeting, admixtures for concrete and masonry, etc. Work continues to move forward during winter months in Minnesota, but it is not without additional risks to the workers.

I am always aware of the added dangers assoicated with winter work and allow my workers extra time and provide special equipment for winter work. I truly appreciate the fact that they have the desire to continue working in cold weather and always want to support that desire and see that they are as safe and warm as possible.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:29 AM | Link

 
Last night I was invited to participate in an Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) meeting at Longfellow school. There was a good group of local citizens in attendance that are working on ECFE issues.

The ECFE group is working with the Southern Minnesoata Initiative Foundation to build stronger ECFE programs in Northfield.

They have just finished doing a significant survey of community members, businesses, schools, arts groups, and many other organizations. This is being done to understand how the Northfield community views ECFE issues and to see how knowledgable people are about ECFE. They then will move on to working with the business community to develop a comprehensive public policy and advocacy plan.

ECFE is a very important to the overall health of a community. Through good ECFE efforts we can arrive at a well educated and well adjusted population.

It is good to see this kind of community effort in Northfield and is part of what makes this a geat community to live and work in.

Posted by Ray Cox at 7:24 AM | Link

 
Yesterday, as part of my work as a State Legislator, I attended an open house at the Gopher State One Call office. This is located in Mendota Heights and is a very professional looking facility. Virtually every project that Northfield Construction Company digs uses Gopher One Call.


Gohper State One Call is the clearing house for getting the locations of all underground utilities in Minnesota. They have annually updated maps of both all parts of the state and all utilities installed in the state. When a contractor or homeowner calls in, the operators visit about the type of project, duration of project and exact location of the project. They then issue a ticket number to the caller to prove that the contact was made. Then Gopher State One Call notifies all the utility owners in the area about the proposed excavation work. The utilities generally have 48 hours to get their utility locations marked.

The Gopher State One Call system is probably the best, most comprehensive system in the Nation. In a busy day they handle up to 5,000 incoming calls. It is a huge amount of work keeping this system up to date and properly functioning, but it saves lives and property damage. With the number of utilities being placed underground today it is essential to know where they are before digging in an area. This system, paid for by the utilities, allows everyone to operate in a safe manner.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:52 AM | Link