progress 2012 business & health

health & businessSunday, february 26, 2012

Katherine IslandConnected to New

Denmark Park is a weathered steel foot-bridge that crosses over a portion of Fountain Lake to Katherine island. The bridge was installed in 2007. The island has three benches and is a popular fishing spot.

New Denmark Park A picturesque place,

New Denmark Park and its views of Fountain Lake are made into postcards representing Albert Lea. It features a Little Mermaid statue, a statue and wading pool commemorating Dan-ish immigrants, and four benches. Nearby are the fountains of Fountain Lake.

Albert Lea City HallNestled into downtown

Albert Lea, City Hall is home to city offices, the public library and the fire department. The City Council meets here.Fountain Lake Park

On the lakefront of downtown, Fountain Lake Park features a large gazebo, public dock, asphalt overlook and children’s garden. The park is the site of many weddings.

Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea

Albert Lea’s largest employer, Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea is home to a hos-pital, a clinic, Fountain Lake Treatment Centers and a cancer treatment center.

Fountain Lake

Faville ParkA corner parcel at the

intersection of Lakeview Boulevard and Grace Street.

Dress IslandA footbridge leads visi-

tors from the walkway to Dress Island, also known as Monkey Island and Hanson Island. There are benches on the island and more on the shore. Fishing is popular here.

Dane Bay BridgeFishing continues to be

a hit near this bridge. It allows Lakeview Boule-vard to cross the outlet connecting Dane Bay to Fountain Lake. A foot-bridge exists on the other end of Dane Bay.

City BeachA sandy beach on

Fountain Lake, City Beach features a sand volleyball court, a bath-house with restrooms and changing rooms and picnic tables. Nearby is a skate park, pub-lic dock and boat fuel concessionaire.

Pioneer ParkWith scores of mature

oak trees, this popular park features a picnic pa-vilion with kitchen area, restrooms with running water, a modern play-ground and the start of the paved trail to Brook-side Park.

Lakewood Cemetery

St. Theodore Catholic Cemetery

Brookside ParkThis park features the

Brookside Boathouse, a boat landing, Brookside Education Center and a 70-plot community garden. The start of the paved 0.75-mile trail to Pioneer Park also begins here, switching from side-walk to paved trail.

Lakeview ParkNot far from Edgewater

Park, Lakeview Park fea-tures two soccer fields, a soccer court, a modern playground and rain gar-den. In the winter, it has an outdoor ice rink and warming house is open.

Hatch BridgeBetween the Oakwood

Peninsula and Shoreland Heights, Hatch Bridge was reconstructed in 2005. It offers views of Edgewater Bay and the main body of Fountain Lake.

Lakeshore DriveNot part of the BlueZones Walkway, walk-ers and bicyclists often take a detour along this path. It is paved in some places, rocky in others. Cars travel one-way from the west end.

A stroll around The Blue Zones

Walkway

History of the walkwayAlbert Lea’s five-mile walking, jogging and biking route around Foun-

tain Lake was named the Blue Zones Walkway in December by the Albert Lea City Council. It honors Blue Zones’ founder Dan Buettner, who brought the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project to town in 2009.

The route is made up of sidewalks and trails that loop around Fountain Lake, going through neighborhoods, parks, downtown and past the local hospital.

City officials plan to install kiosks around the walkway identifying the “Power 9,” or nine principles for improving health and longevity featured in “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.”

A grand opening ceremony of the walkway is being planned for the spring with Buettner in attendance.

— By Sarah Stultz and Stacey Bahr

Cosmetic dentist Mark Kamel of Uptown Dental sits with samples of Botox and Juvederm, which he was licensed in August to inject. — Sarah Stultz Mending

more than just teethAs a family and cosmetic dentist,

Marko Kamel of Uptown Dental is interested in more than just people’s

teeth. Trained to perform tasks such as extrac-

tions, teeth whitening, denture making, along with other techniques to enhance a smile, Kamel in August expanded his train-ing and became licensed to perform Botox and Juvederm injections.

He’s one of a handful in the state able to do so.“We care about the teeth, but we care about the area

around the teeth, too,” Kamel said. Botox and Juvederm temporarily improve the look of

lines on the face that often come with age. Botox, a prescription drug used to stop excessive

movement of facial muscles that cause wrinkles, can be injected in the forehead, between the eyebrows and on the outsides of the eyes — the area commonly referred to as crow’s feet. The drug works by blocking nerve impulses to the injected muscles.

Juvederm, a gel filler underneath the skin, most often is injected in the folds around the nose and mouth, the area known as the smile lines.

Though the popularity of the treatments still is gain-ing steam, Kamel said little by little — mostly by word of mouth — area residents are starting to find out about what’s offered locally.

4Continued on Page 2

• Albert Lea Tribune • Sunday, February 26, 2012 PROGRESS 2012

PAINLESSprocedures leading to great

SMILES• Lumineers/Veneers• Sapphire Whitening• Restorative• Periodontal• Root Canal Treatments• Laughing Gas• VisiLite Plus (oral cancer screening)• Laser Check-ups• Same Day Crowns

A smile says a thousand words

507-377-5033141 East William St.

Albert Lea, MN

Dr. Marko Kamel, D.D.S.

Dr. Shannon Held, D.D.S.

Dr. Nicole NapierD.D.S.

We provide the latest in cosmetic and family dental care.

Dr. Nicole Napier D.D.S.

Dr. Shannon Held, D.D.S.

Dr. MarkoKamel, D.D.S.

For detailed explanationof services see

www.uptowndental.org

Match the letter to the business

Albert Lea High SchoolAnytime Fitness in the Northbridge MallBen’s Floral and FrameBill and Mark’s Barber ShopBookworld in the North-bridge MallThe Chapel Piercings and TattoosCEC Cinema 7 in the Northbridge MallCommunity Foot Clinic Conger Meat Market, Northbridge MallThe Freeborn County CourthouseCourtly ManorCrescendo’sExpressions Salon & SpaGrandma’s Kitchen, North-bridge MallLakeside Café & CreameryLeutholds in the North-bridge MallMrs. Gerry’s KitchenStatue on fountain at New Denmark ParkPlaza Morena, Northbridge MallPost OfficePower 96 RadioReinertson’s EmbroideryShoff ChiropracticStatue at Riverland Com-munity CollegeSt. Theodore’s Catholic ChurchTaco KingThe Heart of the ArtichokeTiger City SportsTone MusicUptown DentalZogg Dermatology

Answers to“Where in the Lea are these places” from the

Family & Home section

The next closest city to offer a similar procedure is Rochester.

What are the procedures?Whether receiving

a Botox or Juvederm injection, Kamel said he first meets with the patient for a one-on-one consultation.

During the consulta-tion, he photographs the face of the patient, par-ticularly the areas around the forehead, eyes, nose and mouth. The photos are transferred to an iPad for him and the patient to look closer at the details.

Once the photos are uploaded onto the iPad, Kamel said he consults with the Botox patients to discuss what changes they would like to see and how he can achieve those

goals. Then he figures out how many units of the injection are needed.

Kamel said the photo taking and the injections can all take place in one day — if scheduled ahead of time, they can even be on the same day as dental checkups. The treat-ment is not classified as a surgery and it requires no recovery time.

He noted that Botox in-jections last for about six months and typically cost $10 to $15 a unit. How many units each patient needs varies.

With the Juvederm in-jections, the dentist said sometimes it is harder to figure out how much of the drug is needed. He will inject some and then hand the patient a mirror to see if more is needed.

The patient will come

back two weeks later to have post-operative pictures taken and to see if more of the injection is necessary.

The Juvederm typically lasts for one to two years with some additional enhancements. It costs about $500, though some

people may need more of the drug or less.

Kamel said he plans to have an open house at the Uptown Dental office in Albert Lea in the first week in April for people to learn more about the procedures.

— Sarah Stultz

2000: Marko Kamel graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, with a dental degree. He soon began working as a dentist.

Jan. 21, 2008: Kamel purchased Uptown Dental in Albert Lea from dentist A. David Flor.

August 2011: Kamel received his license to perform Botox and Juvederm injections.

Timeline

Cosmetic dentist Marko Kamel of Uptown Dental shows a photo of a patient uploaded to his iPad in January. Kamel takes photos of the patient’s face before determining how much Botox or Juvederm is needed. — Sarah Stultz

Continued from Page 1

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Dr. Ella Wiemerslage, a psycholo-gist, is one of the new employees at Mayo Clinic Health System in

Albert Lea. She was working in Thief River Falls for the independent medi-cal center in that town but wasn’t fully satisfied.

She preferred being closer to her family in Decorah, Iowa, and felt she was too far away from a big city, like Minneapolis. She had previously lived in Denver, and missed being near a me-tropolis. Driving from Thief River Falls to Minneapolis takes about 6 1/2 hours, and she enjoys the arts, shopping and other amenities the Twin Cities offer.

But uprooting her family wasn’t easy, and though they’ve been in Albert Lea since the summer of 2010, she said they’re still adjusting and unpacking. It helped that she knew a colleague who worked at the hospital in Albert Lea, who encouraged her to apply at the medical center.

“It’s been a good move,” Wiemerslage said.

There have been some challenges with working at a completely different hospital, and even more from mov-ing to an independent hospital to a big system like Mayo Clinic. She had just gotten used to using a different com-puter system when Mayo upgraded its system.

“I had to learn two computer systems in one year,” Wiemerslage said.

There are far more positives than negatives though, and she said she’s overwhelmed with all the resources within Mayo Clinic and in the southern Minnesota region.

There is one big difference between her last job and this one — at the last hospital she was responsible for both inpatient and outpatient cases. Since Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea does not have a psychiatric unit, here she only sees outpatients, mean-ing patients who are not staying at

the hospital. Patients who need to be admitted have to go to another facility in the region.

Wiemerslage said most of her time is spent doing one-on-one work with patients. She identifies their problem, then tries to find issues that could be causing it like family history or lifestyle and then finally works with them to re-solve it or refers them to other medical professionals.

“I help figure out the issues and then what will make them better,” Wiemer-slage said.

For instance, if someone came in say-ing they can’t sleep, are gaining weight and not enjoying life or not happy, Wiemerslage asks about their family history and lifestyle. For someone with those symptoms, which could indicate depression, she would recommend therapy and/or medication. She mostly works with teens and adults but has worked with children occasionally.

Wiemerslage said she liked the area and the community a lot. She was impressed by the school system, which was important to her. She has two children, Kade, 16, and Bess, 10, who attend Albert Lea Schools. Wiemer-slage attended college in Winona and Decorah, Iowa, before graduating from Luther College. She got her doctorate at the University of Denver.

— Kelli Lageson

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Dr. Ella Wiemerslage poses for a photo outside Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea where she works as a psy-chologist. — Kelli Lageson

New medical professional

A new doctor at hospital is adjusting to the

different atmosphere

settles in at Mayo Clinic Health System

in Albert Lea

PROGRESS 2012 Sunday, February 26, 2012 • Albert Lea Tribune • Page ODD • Albert Lea Tribune • Sunday, February 26, 2012 PROGRESS 2012

By the numbersMayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea

admissions to the hospital in 2011.2,596

beds the hospital is licensed to have. On average only about 35 to 40 are filled on a regular day at the hospital.77

— Kelli Lageson

visits to the hospi-tal for clinic visits, labs, radiology and for many other resources. Dave

Pilot, the hospital’s chief financial officer, explained that many people have multiple visits per year.

254,000

surgeries were performed in 2001. That’s an average of almost eight per day.2,851

births at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea in 2011. The maternity ward

is named The Baby Place.

374

number of times a helicopter landed in Albert Lea to trans-port a patient to the

hospital’s facilities in Rochester. Pilot said most of those are for patients who need cardiac procedures.

142

27879

8005

nurses at the hospital.

providers at the hospital, including medical doctors, nurse practitioners and more.

allied health staff members, i.e., nurses, office staff, janitors, housekeeping; anyone who is not a provider.

administrators at the hospital. Also, several providers spend some of their time as administrators. An ex-ample would be Mark Ciota, a sur-geon who also spends some of his time as the chief executive officer.

961full-time employees at the hospital in Albert Lea.

dollars of charges filled out from 2011 for Mayo Clinic Health Sys-tem in Albert Lea. Mayo Clinic is a non profit organization.232 million

dollars collected by Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. That means almost $100 million of the $232 million that was billed was not paid, because of government write-offs and patients who cannot pay their bills.

137 million

dollars in charity care and finan-cial assistance given by Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. Pilot said the hospital never

turns anyone away from services, including the uninsured and the under-insured (those with high deductibles). Pilot said the hospital has a program to help these people, and they prefer people sign up to the program in advance so they can be getting preventative care. That way the under-insured don’t let a medical problem get worse and then come in when it’s much more serious. “We’d rather see them in primary care than for them to just show up in the ER,” Pilot said.

4.8 million

dollars paid out in salary and ben-efits for all the staff at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.85 million

percent of all patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea are covered by government programs like Medicare or Medicaid. Pilot said this reflects that many of the hospitals patients are seniors. He also said Albert Lea is one of the oldest communities in the state.

60


Exmark • Husqvarna • Snapper • Toro • Stihl• Chainsaws • Sharpening

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Back row left to right: Mary Jo Walk, Becky Boelter, Sherry Broskoff, Sarah Bobby, Meg Tibodeau

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People participate in a spinning class at the Albert Lea Family Y in the aero-bics room. — Andrew Dyrdal

The Albert Lea Family Y’s indoor cycling classes are

spinning out of control.The classes, known

as spinning classes, have become a hit are the Y after its inception last April. The Y first purchased 10 station-ary bikes — Kaiser M3 indoor cycles — but is up to 15 with an increased number of classes and instructors, too.

“People love the bikes,” said Susie Holst, sports and fitness director at the Y. “I can’t imagine this place without them.”

Spinning classes offer a full cardiovascular work-out with different levels of resistance to maximize the experience. Music is played throughout the class and the instruc-tor, through a headset microphone, motivates and directs the class on

the desired resistance and RPMs.

Holst said the work-out puts little stress on people’s knees, making the class great for all ages.

“I just love it because it’s low impact, and you burn lots of calories,” said Holst. “You’re not on a bike by yourself so there’s a little more ac-countability. You can feel the energy in the room and feed off that energy.”

Spinning classes have been popular since they began at the Y, and Holst said the classes are still filling up. To account for this, the Y added four more classes and three more instructors.

“Our night classes are pretty much full every time,” Holst said. “Before and after work are our busy times.”

Holst also said the Y added a new class

length. The Y has offered 45-minute and one-hour sessions since April, but has just added a 30-min-ute session. Holst called them “mini classes” and said more may be added in the future.

The latest innovation with spinning classes was to add strength train-ing to the routine. The Y now offers cycle-strength classes where it rolls its bikes into the aerobics room to maximize the space.

During the cycle-strength course, people bike for 10 minutes be-fore doing pushups and upper-body lifting for the next 10.

Holst said the Y has no pending plans to expand its spinning classes in the future, but as interest continues to grow, it may just have to.

— Andrew Dyrdal

An exercise ball stands at the ready to be used during a spinning class.

Some spinning classes offer weight training

Spin cycle


Everywhere aSignFamiliar sights from businesses in Albert Lea.

— Shelby Lageson

SignsSigns


220 ElizabEth avE, • albErt lEa, mn

373-2828

Karrie Christopherson, owner of Sugar Chic Cake Designs, airbrushes a design onto a bunny-themed cake for a little girl’s second birthday. — Danielle Boss

A bunny to be placed on the cake sits while Christopher-

son cuts out its ears.Icing is added to the top of the cake as a border.

Fondant is rolled out to be cut into a shape of a

number two.

An all-white wedding cake sits by a window at Sugar Chic Cake Designs.

Black and white flowers cascade down a wedding

cake sitting on display.

The owner of Sugar Chic Cake Designs makes unique

baked goods for all occasions

• Working together with architects, general contractors or individual business owners

820 North Lake St.Lake Mills, IA 50450

641-592-3333 (800)998-6651www.drascases.com

Family owned & operated since 1994

Commerical MillworkOffering design build, delivery

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For more information onclassified rates Call Michelle or

Joan379-9850 or

379-3425

Regional parksBancroft Bay Park

900 Hammer Road• 74.1 acres• walking trails• large oak trees, native

prairie• 18-hole disc golf

course• 9-hole disc golf

course• restrooms with run-

ning water• Many picnic tables• 2 open shelters• 1 lakeside shelter for

single table• 3 fire pits• 2 parking lots (1

paved, 1 gravel)• canoe launch• wildlife frequently

spotted

Brookside Park623 Richway Drive• 4.2 acres• Brookside Boathouse• boat launch on Ban-

croft Bay channel leading to Fountain Lake

• start of paved 0.75-mile trail to Pioneer Park

• 70-plot community garden

• next to 15.5-acre Brookside School

Edgewater Park1600 Edgewater Drive• 62.6 acres• Edgewater Bay

Pavilion• Large open pavilion• 3-season cottage• bandshell• large oak trees, open

spaces• many picnic tables• views of Edgewater

Bay• 2 fire pits• restrooms with run-

ning water• 2 modern

playgrounds• baseball/softball field• fishing pier• shoreline for ski

shows• horseshoe pits• 4 paved parking lots

City Beach300 Johnson St.• 1.6 acres• sandy beach on

Fountain Lake• bathhouse with

restrooms and changing rooms

• paved parking lot• skate park• sand volleyball court• public dock• boat fuel

concessionaire• permanent picnic

tables

Frank Hall Park505 Frank Ave.• 11.8 acres• boat launch on Albert

Lea Lake• fishing pier on

channel• popular site for ice

fishing• start of Blazing Star

Trail• horseshoe pits• modern playground• restrooms with run-

ning water• permanent picnic

tables• sledding hill• walking trails

Fountain Lake Park100 Fountain St.• 3.9 acres• large gazebo• on lakefront of

downtown• public dock• asphalt overlook• well-groomed flower

beds• children’s garden• large shade trees

along water• lined with crabapple

trees along street

Pioneer Park100 Hawthorne St.• 3.5 acres• picnic pavilion with

kitchen area• restrooms with run-

ning water• modern playground• start of paved trail to

Brookside Park• gravel parking lot• mature trees• views of Fountain

Lake

Shoff Park400 Highway 13• 12.1 acres• Higbie Gardens

(maintained by Shades of Jade Garden Club)

• small picnic shelter• meandering sidewalk

with footbridge over creek• large open spaces• tallgrass area with

walking paths• gravel parking lot

Neighborhood parksAcademy Park

910 Frank Hall Drive• 3.1 acres• play park• modern playground• lighted asphalt ice/

roller rink• warming house• softball/baseball field• view of Albert Lea

Lake

Bellview Park934 Lincoln Ave.• 1.8 acres• mostly open space• older playground

Eastgate Park1108 Eastgate Road• 2.2 acres• mostly open space• modern playground• basketball court, 2

baskets• small picnic shelter

Eberhardt ParkEberhardt St. & David

Ave.• 5.1 acres• meandering sidewalk

on raised bed• small picnic shelter• older playground• paved parking lot

Garden Villa Park100 McArthur Drive• 4.1 acres• mostly open space• older playground

Ginkle Park607 1/2 Cherry Ave.• 0.8 acres• mostly open space• surrounded by

backyards• playground

Hawthorne Park915 Garfield Ave.• 4.3 acres (school-

owned)• play park• modern playground• softball/baseball field• hockey rink in winter• warming house• next to Hawthorne

School• entire school/play-

ground is 7.4 acres

Hayek Park1215 Clark St.• 19.1 acres• play park• Hayek Field• modern playground• open space• basketball court, 1

basket• backstop, dirt infield,

bleachers• hockey rink in winter• warming house

Lakeview Park102 Willamor Road• 13.1 acres• play park• mostly open space• 2 soccer fields• basketball court, 2

baskets• modern playground• rain garden• hockey rink in winter• warming house

Memorial Park1400 Margaretha Ave.• 4.9 acres• modern playground• soccer field• young trees• small gazebo

Morin Park222 St. Mary Ave.• 3.2 acres• play park• 2 small ballfields,

backstops, bleachers• basketball court, 2

baskets, lighted

Oakwood Park1400 Circle Drive• 0.3 acres• mature trees• modern playground• sandbox

Park Avenue Park611 Park Ave.• 0.3 acres• mature trees• older playground• basketball court, 1

basket

Shoreland Heights Park116 The Fairway• 2.4 acres• mostly open space• modern playground• backstop

Shorewood Hills Park1900 Bayview Drive• 0.8 acres• mostly open space• playground

Sondergaard Park806 17th St.• 5.1 acres• play park• mostly open space• modern playground

• ballfield with backstop• basketball court, 2

goals

Southwest ParkFront St. & Maplehill

Drive• 24.5 acres (school-

owned)• play park• mostly open space• part of Southwest

Middle School• modern playground• 6 tennis courts• basketball court, 4

baskets• 4 baseball/softball

fields

Troy-Hammer Park603 Troy Road• 4.5 acres• play park• open space• mature trees• modern playground• basketball court, 2

baskets• backstop• small ice rink in winter

Valley Park611 Sheridan St.• 1.7 acres• play park• mostly open space• mature trees• modern playground• backstop, dirt infield• basketball court, 2

baskets

Virginia Place Park1205 Virginia Place• 0.8 acres• playground• sandbox

Wedgewood Park500 Wedgewood Road• 7.1 acres• older playground• backstop• sledding hill

Passive parksCentral Park

300 W. Clark St.• 1.6 acres• mature trees• picnic tables• Ten Commandments

memorial• surrounded by

churches• near medical center• lighted walkway

through center

Dress Island802 Lakeview Blvd.• 0.2 acres• footbridge• 2 benches on island• 2 benches on shore

Euclid Park500 Euclid Ave.• 3.41 acres• mature trees• flower gardens• 8 benches

Katherine Island• 0.27 acres• footbridge connects to

New Denmark Park• 3 benches• 3 fountains in water

between island and park

New Denmark Park411 Bridge Avenue• 1.46 acres• Little Mermaid statue• statue and wading

pool commemorating Danish immigrants

• flower beds• 4 benches• formerly Lincoln Park

Undeveloped parksDoreda Park

200 Giles Place• 0.4 acres• open space

Faville Park400 Lakeview Blvd.• 0.1 acre• young tree

Mattson ParkS. Broadway Ave. & W.

Ninth St.• 5 acres• storage space for city• snow dump in winter• across from township

hall

Summer Park824 Fountain St.• 0.4 acres• railroad that splits

park is being abandoned

Tiger Hills ParkParadise Road• 3.5 acres• open space

Weber Park300 Lee Circle• 0.2 acres• stone commemorates

WWII veteran John A. Weber

• formerly Lee Park

Recreation facilitiesAquatic Center

321 James Ave.• 5.72 acres• main pool handles

466,200 gallons• 236-foot water slide• main bathhouse

has lockers, show-ers, restrooms, cashier stand, concession stand, lifeguard station, physical plant

• family bathhouse with restrooms, showers

• zero-depth splash pool

• interactive play features

• 10 funbrellas• high-pressure sand

filters• open grass area• large parking lot• Eddie Cochran Me-

morial, Front St. & Frank Ave.

Blazing Star Trail• 10-foot wide path• 1.9 miles on city land

(of that, 1.5 miles is fig-ure-8 portion)

• connects to 6-mile state-owned Blazing Star Trail

• connects to Front Street bike lanes

• trailhead at Frank Hall Park

• parking lot at Garfield Avenue, Front Street

• native prairie, mature and young trees

Brookside Boathouse• 2,000 square feet• canoe/kayak rental• stand-up paddleboard

rental• classes for snowshoe-

ing, archery, geocaching, etc.

• operated by Al-bert Lea Community Education

City Arena701 Lake Chapeau

Drive• 28.99 acres• 2 ice rinks• 1 large arena, 1 small• seating for 1,200 at

main arena• seating for 200 at sec-

ondary arena• radiant heating sys-

tem at main arena• 4-sided scoreboard

hanging over main arena• press box at main

arena• refrigeration systems• dehumidification

systems• 13 locker rooms• public restrooms• lounge area• concession stand• upstairs room over-

looking main rink• skate rental• Parks and Rec Dept.

offices

Edgewater Bay Pavilion• 3,000 square feet• restrooms with run-

ning water• seating for 185• paved parking lot• fireplace• modern playground• view of Edgewater

Bay

Hayek Field1215 Clark St.• regulation high school

baseball field• bleachers, lights• scoreboard• restrooms• press box• concession stand• outfield fence with

screening• infield irrigation

system• batting cage• warmup pitching

mound

Kiwanis Basketball Court321 James Ave.• full-size basketball

court, 6 baskets• 6 benches• fences on street sides

Public shoreline• 270 public dock

spaces• several popular

fishing spots: Dane Bay Bridge, Fountain Lake Dam, northwest corner of Albert Lea Lake, chan-nel between lakes, Hatch Bridge, Katherine Island, among others

• sidewalk with foot-bridge near start of Dane Bay

• boat launch with paved parking lot on Edgewater Bay by High-

way 13.

Marion Ross Performing Arts Center

147 N. Broadway Ave.• fully equipped stage• lobby, box office• meeting rooms• dressing rooms• restrooms

Riverland Community College campus

2200 Riverland Drive• 82 acres (state-

owned)• 18-hole disc golf

course (city-leased)• adjacent to Albert Lea

High School• adjacent to Snyder

Fields

Senior Citizens Center1739 W. Main St.• at Skyline Plaza• 8,000 square feet• game room, 5 pool

tables• 150-seat main room• conference room• arts and crafts room• restrooms• kitchen

Snyder FieldsBridge Ave. & Hershey

St.• 37.62 acres (state-

owned, city-leased)• 5 softball/baseball

fields, 4 with fencing and lights

• 4 sand volleyball courts

• concession stand• restrooms• batting cage• adjacent to Riverland

Community College• nearby to Albert Lea

High School

Tennis courts• 3 at Aquatic Center• 8 at Albert Lea High

School• 6 at Southwest Middle

School• all fenced

Trail around Fountain Lake• approximately 5 miles• mix of sidewalks,

paved trails• popular among walk-

ers, runners, bicyclists


Fax:507-373-6301

310 2nd Ave. SWAlbert Lea, MN

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The parks of Albert LeaHandy

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By Brandi [email protected]

As an investment in today’s youth and their future, businesses such as Mayo Clinic Health System Albert Lea and Minnesota Corrugated Box Inc. donate their time and money to sports teams and sports clubs.

According to Patti Haried, director of com-munity relations and marketing at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, donating to youth activities was formalized about 15 years ago.

By that, Haried means the clinic donates mon-etarily and also through volunteer hours. Each year employees are given up to eight paid hours to volunteer.

“We want to give people a chance to

volunteer,” Haried said. “People are busy with work and home so we’re going to clear time to do it, and maybe they’ll want to do it more on their own time. With our num-bers, that would be huge if everyone here used those hours to volunteer.”

She said what it boils down to is a commitment to the community be-cause by investing in the youth, it helps to keep op-portunities available for them to gain experience that will prepare them for their adult lives.

Mike Moore, chief financial officer at MCB, agreed and said it became especially important to the company after the founder, Dick Krebsbach, passed away in 2005.

Moore said Krebsbach was supportive of sports because his own family

participated when they were young. His sons, Tom and Tim, wanted to continue the donations their father had started but with an even bigger emphasis on the youth.

“All of us went to school long enough ago that there was no such thing as an athletic fee,” Moore said. “We hope that no one is being turned away on the basis of money. In sports you have to athletically quali-fy, but we hope no one is saying I’m not going out because I can’t afford it.”

Before 2005, booster clubs had to make a re-quest for a donation from MCB. Now the company is proactive in their ef-forts and includes a total of 10 booster clubs from Albert Lea and Glenville in its budget each year.

Donations allow boost-

er clubs to send coaches to training opportunities, buy uniforms and provide transportation for the team and any other ex-tras not budgeted for.

Businesses are feeling more and more respon-sible because service clubs cannot do nearly as much as they used to. Some, like the Elks in Albert Lea, have folded altogether.

Moore said some ser-vice organizations have lost the gambling revenue they once had as a result of competition with the Diamond Jo Casino, built in 2006 in Northwood, Iowa.

With the donations from businesses rising, so is the accountability.

Moore said one reason MCB would like to know what the money is being used for is because they would like to see some of it going to help kids who can’t afford the athletic fees.

“That’s a big hurdle for some families,” Moore said.

Not only do the dona-tions help to shape leaders and give kids experience, they help to get kids ac-tive, which improves the overall health and well-ness in our communities.

“Being a kid is not as easy as it used to be,” Moore said. “At least I don’t think it is. Society is much more complicated and they are bombarded with many more elec-

tronic connections to the world and each other.”

Haried said the dona-tions are not given so that Mayo Clinic Health System’s name can be advertised all over.

“First and foremost, it’s the right thing to do,” Haried said. “Second, we want to give back to the community, it’s our responsibility to do so.”

Harried said receiving thank-yous is the most rewarding part for the businesses. The clinic keeps all the ones they receive. From last year she said there are at least 100 crammed in the book.

She said it’s how they tell how they’re doing and reinforces it’s the right thing to do.


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The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce"Find it in Freeborn County!"

Our members are the fabric of Freeborn County!

• Living and working here• Building & expanding their businesses• Creating new jobs• Re-investing their money in our community• Supporting community activities & local charities• Buying here to strengthen job security• Encouraging their employees to spend their money locally

The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce's mission is to "Promote and develop a healthy and positive business climate and improve the quality of life in the Albert Lea-Freeborn County area."

The Chamber of Commerce is the one organization that merges all phases of our local economy from the smallest employer to the largest. Always striving to enhance the business environment, we work with local and state government to create a climate conducive to growth.

Look for the Chamber of Commerce membership sticker at our member businesses.

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Investing in

Youth

The money found in big-time pro and college sports is not found in youth sports or in recreational adult sports.

Sponsorships support youth baseball teams, making little boys smile for photos like this.


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Hockey Day at City Arena in January is organized by the Albert Lea Youth Hockey Association and made possible through a combination of business donations and individual donations. — Sarah Savelkoul

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