Herald Journal,
July 28, 2003
Bank is ready to move in Sept. 1, clinic shortly after
By Lynda Jensen
Editor
Following nearly a year of construction, the Security State Bank of Howard Lake and the newly expanded Ridgeview Clinic will be moving into new quarters this September.
The new complex along Highway 12 will feature an expanded clinic with nearly three times the square footage of the old clinic, and a new bank with nearly twice the square footage of the old.
Crews continued working on the finishing touches of interior work, such as carpeting, last week.
The bank plans to move out of its old office building at Eighth Avenue Labor Day weekend and be open for business Tuesday, Sept. 2.
The bank would normally be closed Monday during the Labor Day holiday anyway, which gives the bank a three-day weekend to move, she said.
The clinic will open its doors later in the month, although the exact date is not chosen yet, commented Director of Ridgeview Clinics Anne VanEpern.
The Steaming Bean gourmet coffee shop will also open sometime during the month.
In addition, there are four large office rooms on the second floor of the building that are up for lease, said Megan Edwards of the bank.
The building interior features beautiful tile, spacious rooms, and large windows; with mahogany and cherrywood throughout.
The interior design was done by Janet Forstrom, a professional interior designer and the wife of bank president John Forstrom.
The difference in square feet for the bank is 5,100 square feet for the old building and 8,750 for the new; and for the clinic 1,100 for the old clinic and 2,850 square feet for the new, Edwards said.
The old bank building was purchased by the city as a new location for the city police department, city offices, public cable access, and the city council chambers, commented City Administrator Kelly Bahn.
There is no time table or plans to move the city offices yet, Bahn said.
Clinic expansion is part of bigger picture
The expansion of Howard Lake's clinic is one part of a larger expansion plan already in progress at Ridgeview Medical Center, as it plans to open two new clinic, one in Chanhassen, and another in Delano this year.
The new clinics are a sign of fast-moving progress in the western metro, with the new Chanhassen clinic opened June 2, and Delano scheduled to open in late July.
The Waconia clinic is also undergoing significant expansion, commented President and CEO Robert Stevens.
Ridgeview is also in the process of expanding its rehabilitation services and opening two new surgical suites in the fall.
For Howard Lake, the expansion is a boom of growth that will draw from the population increases in neighboring communities, VanEpern said.
There is also the possibility of adding internal medicine at Howard Lake, VanEpern said.
Previously, there was speculation about the Winsted clinic being consolidated or perhaps a new clinic being built in Waverly or Montrose.
However, Security State Bank of Howard Lake offered the clinic an opportunity to expand ahead of schedule in a new facility, which Ridgeview accepted, VanEpern said.
The full-time practice of Dr. Roberta Midwinter has also attracted a large clientele between the Howard Lake and Winsted clinics, VanEpern said.
"She's a doctor who will take time," VanEpern said; adding that the practitioners before her were good, but that Midwinter offers consistency.
If growth continues, Ridgeview may add another doctor to the Howard Lake and Winsted clinics, she said.
This will make 10 communities served by Ridgeview: Chanhassen, Chaska, Delano, Howard Lake, Maple Plain, Mound, Norwood Young America, Waconia, Watertown, and Winsted.
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