It’s unfortunate that the Albert Lea Medical Group and the citizen’s group interested in saving the Cap Emmons auditorium at the former high school will likely be losers as the medical group moves forward with its expansion plans after purchasing the school last week. In the end, the community as a whole will also lose.

The ALMC purchased the former high school from the previous owner Feb. 1, announcing it needed more room for parking and expansion.

The citizen’s group came forward, as well, appealing to local medical center management to save the auditorium, well-known in the area for its exceptional acoustics.

The former high school, sold in 2000 to a developer who simply couldn’t make renovations to the building, sat empty for several years awaiting its fate.

Situated fairly close to the medical center, it is as ideal a location as can be expected for the center’s expansion projects and we can’t fault officials for following their plan.

Sadly, the building will be razed to accommodate those plans.

No matter how you look at it, the medical center will come away with a black mark for tearing all the buildings down, and the citizen’s group will lose an historic piece of Albert Lea, shattering dreams of a nostalgic community space.

A community and its citizens always lose when an historic building is removed, however, we can’t argue against

economic development opportunities for the medical group.

However, as long as the high school remains standing, the medical group has an opportunity to find a win-win solution, allowing it to move forward with expansion plans and preserve a building citizens have identified as an important part of the community.

In the end, everyone could be winners.