Laura Baker Services (LBS), a intermediate care facility for mentally handicapped people in Northfield, is holding it's "Gala" on October 9th. This is a fundraising event for this wonderful organization. There will be a 5 course dinner, entertainment, and a silent and live auction. There are a few tickets available, so if you wish to attend it please give LBS a call (507-645-8866). I will again attend this great event and help raise funds for LBS.

This year I made a rustic birdhouse and donated it to LBS for the auction. I enjoy all types of woodworking. Making birdhouses is a good way for me to relax away from legislative and business duties.

They have a variety of items on the auction including sports memorabilia, art, dinners, etc. There is something for everyone. It will be a fun evening of good food and conversation, all to raise funds for LBS. Please come if you can....and bid on my birdhouse!

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:19 AM | Link

 
Last Sunday Ellen and I, along with hundreds of other area folks, toured the new Northfield Middle School as part of the dedication ceremony. What a wonderful school building! It was a joy to wander around and see the classrooms, computer rooms, gyms, pool, cafeteria, media center and everything that is part of this new facility.



I served on the Northfield School Board from 1987 until 1002. I thoroughly enjoyed that level of community service. For much of that time the Board wrestled with what to do about our Middle School. The former building was constructed in 1912 and had significant additions in 1936 and 1956 as it was used for grades 7-12. In 1966 a high school was constructed and the grades separated. But, after another 40 years of use, the nearly 100 year old facility simply was not serving school needs any longer.



In 2001 the voters approved a $43 million bond levy, which included roughly $30 million for the new Middle School. As a member of the Bond Campaign Committee to pass that bond levy, I was thrilled when the levy passed, allowing the School Board to plan and construct the new Middle School. The new building is 205,000 square feet, two stories high and should serve the community well for many, many years. It is on a 60 acre site that will allow programing flexiblity in the years to come.



If you are on this site because you are considering moving to Northfield, you can know in confidence that Northfield Schools have some of the finest facilties in the state. Those facilites, coupled with the excellent teachers and adminstration, create a tremendous learning environment.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:56 AM | Link

 
For the past few weeks Northfield Construction Company has been remodeling the Lampert Lumber Yard in Northfield. The yard is located on Highway 3 and has been there for about 25 years. It was time for them to do some upgrading and I was glad we could assist them.



The Lampert work included 're-skinning' the building with new metal siding, new aluminum entrance doors, new sidewalks, etc. The building really looks nice. I'm glad Lamperts made the improvements. It shows they are committed to staying in Northfield and continuing to be a major player in lumber sales.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:08 AM | Link

 
Northfiled finished its big community celebration---Defeat of Jesse James Days. This has been going on for over 50 years and has turned into a very large celebration. I've been told that it is the third largest festival in the state, and the largest festival run completely by volunteers. Jesse James was a bank robber from Missouri that came up here in 1876 and robbed the First National Bank. There was a shoot out on the street, some robbers were killed, and eventually most of the gang was captured nearby. Jesse James escaped capture, but it was the last bank he and his gang robbed.

We had great weather all weekend. I belong to the Northfield Rotary Club. Each year for Defeat of Jesse James Days we host a bike tour. We organize a 10, 30, 60 and 100 mile ride which attracts between 750 and 1,000 riders. It takes a lot of effort to organize such a bike ride, but it is a good fundraiser for our Rotary Club. I was up hauling food at 5:00AM on Saturday.

On Sunday we had the Grand Parade through the town. There were lots of firetrucks, marching bands, tractors, etc.








I drove a float for one of our local charter schools, with drummers on the trailer. My favorite parade entry is always the James Gang---the horses and riders that do the band robbery reenactments over the weekend.



If you have never been here for Defeat of Jesse James Days plan a trip to Northfield next year. It is always the weekend after Labor Day.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:01 AM | Link

 
As part of our work for the Cannon Falls City Hall remodeling project we are removing all the existing wood siding on the building and replacing it with steel siding. There are several areas of the building where we have discovered significant deterioration due to water intrusion.



Water entering the building walls is becoming a fairly large issue. Often it occurs without any knowledge of the owner or occupant. Unless wet spots show up it is very hard to tell there is a problem. The continued dampness promotes decay, mold and mildew problems.

On this job the architect has authorized us to cut out the bad areas and repair them properly. We will be covering the whole building with new building wrap which should eliminate future problems.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:37 AM | Link

 
Northfield Construction Company started a job in Cannon Falls a couple of weeks ago. It is the remodeling and renovation of an office building to create a new city hall.



Cannon Falls purchased the Minnesota Malting Company office building. Minnesota Malting Company operated in Cannon Falls for many, many years producing malt for the brewing industry. A couple of years ago Minnesota Malting halted operations and the facilties became
available.



Our work involves installing a new roof and siding as well as extensive interior remodeling. We will create four new toilet rooms, a city council chambers, and police headquarters. The building is a sound structure wity fire suppression, adequate power, etc. so it should make a fine city hall for Cannon Falls. TSP Architecture in Rochester has done the architectural work for the proejct. We hope to be finished with the work by mid-November.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:24 AM | Link