Tribune staff reports

Albert Lea Medical Center&045;part of Mayo Health System&045;has accepted a bid from the Veit Company to take down the buildings on the former Albert Lea High School campus. Demolition could commence as early as Dec. 1.

Phase one will begin with stripping the brick from the old auditorium for donation to the city of Albert Lea Sesquicentennial Committee. The demolition may take up to six months.

Phase two activities will immediately follow the demolition process:

– Creating a temporary parking surface, most likely gravel, to accommodate off-site staff parking.

– Expanding patient parking on the main campus.

– Clearing a staging area for upcoming building projects on the northeast end of the demolition site.

The timeline for the final stages of the project&045;permanent surfacing and landscaping&045;has not yet been determined, but ALMC’s long-term goals remain the same:

– To create space on our main campus for expanded patient parking.

– To add clinic space and enlarge the front entrance.

– To recruit new physicians, specialties and programs to create community needs.

Safety is the top priority for ALMC and the Veit Company, of Rogers, and there should be minimal disruption for neighbors. Demolition will occur during daylight hours and there are no plans for weekend work. There will also be no grinding or recycling on the site. Veit also did the demolition of the old Farmland site.

For more information, contact Patti Hareid, Community Relations director, at 377-6394, or Mark Fenstermacher, in Facilities, at 377-6240.