As you might suspect, managing a sizeable construction company with 32 employees, serving as a Representative in the Legislature, running for re-election, and spending time with my family keeps me very busy. Most morning work for me starts at 5:00 AM and extends past the 10:00 news. Fortunately for me, I'm a person that has kept up a pretty busy pace for many years and I can manage all my activities.


A few days ago there was a spectacular morning sky---full of brilliant reds, oranges, and pinks. It silhouetted the Cannon Valley Coop elevators and Cemstone Concrete directly across from my office. I snapped a photo of it, but it was truly awesome to see.

Posted by Ray Cox at 1:14 PM | Link

 

About a week ago we started work on a project for the Trondhjem Lutheran Church in Lonsdale. The work involves a large addition to the south of the existing building as well as remodeling of the interior of the church. Greg Swanson of Architects Plus, Faribault has been providing the architectural services for the project.

At this point we have done some minor selective demolition and work on the site. The new water and sewer services have been installed. Next week the foundation work should be well underway. Click the photo to see more pics in the gallery.

This is our second major church project of this year....the River of Life Church in Hastings was started in March. It is nice to be able to assist the area congregations with their building needs.

Posted by Ray Cox at 1:02 PM | Link

 
Earlier this week I attended the National Wild Turkey Federation dinner for the Northfield chapter....the Cannon River Gobblers. This was the 3rd Annual dinner and the crowd is growing each year. This year there were about 140 people in attendance...a really good showing for a fairly new chapter.


I brought my nephew Matthew Cox with me to the dinner. Matt really enjoys hunting and fishing but has not yet gone after wild turkeys. The photo here shows Matt with his two Uncles....me and Jim Bierman. Jim has been instrumental in getting the Northfield Wild Turkey chapter organized.


During the dinner I sat with Pat and Mary Douglass and their daughter Erin. Erin was recognized during the program for winning the Cannon River Gobblers annual college scholarship. The Chapter presented Erin with a $250 check to put towards college expenses.

Minnesota has been very successful at developing the wild turkey population. When I was in high school and college and doing a lot of hunting I don't think I ever saw a wild turkey. Then they were selectively introduced and have now become a very popular bird to hunt, creating a big economic engine for many, many small rural communties in Minnesota. There are lots of birds in the hills and valleys of southern Minnesota. One day soon I'll have to try my luck at bagging one of these tasty birds.

Posted by Ray Cox at 12:12 PM | Link

 
A couple of weeks ago I attended a business forum in Northfield. It was the third in a series of business development forums, hosted by both the Northfield Enterprise Center and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF).


This forum focused on business capital and use of funds. The presenters included Dave Shumway from the First National Bank of Northfield, Kirk Muhlenbruck with Wells Fargo Bank, Dick Schroeder from Communty National Bank, Diane Lewis from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, and Deanna Kuennen from the Northfield Economic Development Authority (EDA). The bankers gave a good overview on working lines of credit, demand lines of credit, permanent credit, etc. They also reviewed how lending decisions are made, and what types of ratios they look for in debt to equity.

Diane Lewis outlined the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation's revolving loan of credit program, small-enterprise loan program, step-up loan program, and the find-fund program. SMIF is a great organization that assists small business with development and growth issues. Their goal is "to improve southern Minnesota's economy and communities so that all residents can enjoy economic self-sufficiency and fully participate in theri communities' civic life."

I truly appreciate the self-sufficiency part of the SMIF organization. They do not want to create programs or processes that rely on govenment assistance or handouts forever. They believe in providing the tools and direction necessary to allow individuals and small businesses be successful. It reminds me of the old saying "Give a man a fish and you've fed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you've fed him for his life."

It is great to see the Northfield area work to provide assistance and education to individuals and businesses----that is what keeps a healthy, strong community and state.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:43 AM | Link

 
In-floor heating has become very popular in the past 10 years. The majority of the homes we build today include some type of in-floor heating. The main advantages of in-floor heat are even heating, quiet operation and cleanliness.


The most common type of in-floor heating we install is hydronic tubing in concrete floors. This photo shows the tubing installed in an accessory building, ready for the concrete pour. We generally use this type of heating in the lower level of homes. The system takes its heat from a hot water boiler. The water temperature is low...generally around 100 degress. We bring the lines from each room or area back to a manifold in the mechanical rooms so that each room can have a different temperature. The temperature ranges are changed by adjusting the amount of water that is allowed to flow to each room. The more heated water that flows in the tubing of a particular room, the warmer that room becomes.

The spacing and amount of tubing for each room is generally specified by a heating consultant, taking into consideration the home's energy loss, window placements, door openings, etc. Many times the tubing is closely spaced around the perimeter of a room near exterior walls.

One of the most commone types of in-floor hydronic tubing, Wirsbo, is made nearby in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The tubing is not simple plastic piping. It is cross banded polyethylene of a type that is not harmed by oxygen. Afterall, we cannot have leaks occuring in the piping once it is contained within the concrete floor. The systems years ago used copper piping which had problems with both expansion and contraction abrading holes in the pipes, and also with chemically aggressive water eating holes in the copper pipes. We do not have any problems with the Wirsbo tubing.

This heating system can also be used throughout the entire home, including the upper level floors that are not constructed using concrete. When we install the hydronic tubing over wood floors we typically encase the tubing in 1.5" of Gypcrete. Gypcrete is made from gypsum, sand and portland cement. It is pumped into the home in a semi-liquid state and self levels itself on the floor, covering the tubing. This floor sets up much line concrete and we cover the substrate with standard flooring....carpet, stone, tile, etc.

In-floor hydronic heating is used in many commercial projects today. Production facilities like it bacause the floor stays warm for the workers, water spills evaporate quickly, and there is no open flame with this heating system.

Another popular type of in-floor heating is electric radiant. This is generally used in small areas such as bathrooms. We usually install this system under ceramic tile floors. There are two systems in use: one consists of thin heating wires placed in the "mud" base under the tile, and the other consists of pre-wired mats placed directly under the tile. In each case the wiring is connected to a thermostat in the room. The thermostat turns the wires on and off as needed. This system works very well in remodeling where it is not possible to add hydronic in-floor heat.

In some areas in-floor electric radiant heat is popular for use under basement concrete floors. If an electric utility offers "off-peak" power metering it becomes a very cost effective way to add heat to a home. Off peak power generally only comes on between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The electric radiant heat in the basement are energized during this time period and end up creating a stoage mass of latent heat that radiates out during the day.

All these in-floor heating systems operate without noise, dust or drafts. They create a very even heat in the areas people most like to have it...near their feet. I have been told that people are able to keep their homes temperature settings lower using these systems and still feel very comfortable.

Research and development continues on in-floor heating systems. I'm sure we will continue to see advances in these systems making them more affordable and available for everyone. They are great systems to use for heating any building.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:15 AM | Link

 
Last week I attended the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC) monthly meeting. NDDC, formed a couple of years ago, continues to be active in encomic and development issues in the City of Northfield. It was good to see a large group turn out for the meeting.


NDDC is a group that was formed a couple of years ago to look after Northfield's downtown interests. It is made up of a very diverse group of people---not just downtown merchants or property owners. They work on a variety of issues and have committees of:
Economic and Redevelopment; Economic Viability; Public Relations; Resources; and Arts and Culture. I believe they have room for more members on these committees. If you are interested contact Ross Currier, the Executive Director of NDDC.

The focus of this meeting was to visit with Northfield's new Director of Public Works, Heidi Hamilton, and the new Resource and Park Planning Director, Howard Merriam. Heidi opened the meeting giving a brief background on her education and previous work experience. Howard followed with similar information, noting that he is the "creative and artistic" portion of city projects and Heidi is the "nuts and bolts" part.

During the audience question and answer part of the meeting we heard comments on the development of the bike trail on Fourth Street, crosswalks in downtown, rip rap along the river banks and general maintenance of downtown areas....all good discussion issues.

Posted by Ray Cox at 12:12 PM | Link

 
A couple of weeks ago I attended the retirement party for Northfield School Superintendent Terry Tofte. It was held in the High School cafeteria commons area and was well attended.

Folks from the Ehlers bond house were down and presented Terry with a "retirement bond". Northfield Schools have worked with Ehlers for some time on facility bonding and it was nice that they participated in this way. The last line on the bond reads "bond voyage"!

I was able to chat with Noel Stratmoen, current chariman of the Northfield school board and Chris Thomforde, President of St. Olaf College, shown here with Terry holding his "retirement bond".


Everyone in Northfield will miss Terry. I was serving on the school board when we selected him to lead our schools four years ago. He has done a good job and truly cares about educating students. This was shown when he came to St. Paul to testify in support of Education Commissioner Yecke. He isn't one to support "fluff and feel good curriculums" in schools. He knows students need to have solid academic standards in place in all schools. Terry was supportive of the efforts to replace the Profile of Learning with new academic standards.

Northfield operates a great school system. We have many advanced placement classes in the high school, a brand new $32 million middle school opening in September, three fine elementary schools and wonderful teachers in all buildings. Our graduates become successful in life and appreciate the good educations they receive in Northfield.

The school system is a big marketing tool for home builders in the area. Many advertising brochures feature information on our high-quality school system for prospective home buyers. Having served for nearly 16 years on the Northfield school board I can personally attest to the fine operation it is. I know they will miss Terry, but the schools will continue to move forward and offer great educational opportunities for our students.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:15 AM | Link

 
Earlier this year I mentioned that we were working on a new home that will not be connected to the main energy grid system. We now have the roof on, windows in, basement and garage floors poured, etc.


This is a fine looking home. (See the photo gallery for the home.) Gary Hanson from Prairie Creek Architects designed the new home using Prairie Style architecture. With its wide overhangs and well placed windows it will be a very inviting home to live in. The homeowners have been very involved in the construction process.

The electricity for the home is being furnished by a combination of sources: a wind energy system, photovoltaic cells, and storage batteries. There will be a small propane fired electricity generator for back-up conditions.

As you might guess, we are paying particular attention to the insulation and air barriers in this home. We are using high grade sealants to seal all air and wind barriers and create a very tight home. All homes need fresh air. This home will introduce the fresh air in controlled amounts in the proper areas, keeping the insulation dry and doing its job.

It is great to see individuals that are interested in electric use. Many homes today are "energy hogs" even though they seem to be insulated well. The homeowners have measured every electric item they use in their daily activities. Since they will be generating the power they consume they will be closely monitoring their use, planning activities around available power, etc.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:46 AM | Link