Furst Draft

Zip Rail gets ready for planning study

With DMC just about done, I believe we'll see Zip Rail moving ahead more quickly:

Public meetings to introduce ZIP Rail planning study between Rochester and Twin Cities set for June 3-6

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The public is invited to attend one of three open house meetings to learn about the planning study for the proposed high-speed passenger rail service between Rochester and the Twin Cities Metro area.

All meetings will occur from 5-7 p.m. with a formal presentation at 5:30 p.m. at the following locations:

Rochester – Monday, June 3, at Rochester Community & Technical College Heintz Commons Area, 851 30th Ave. SE, Rochester

Minneapolis – Tuesday, June 4, at Ramada Bloomington Hotel Minneapolis Airport/Mall - Miami Room, 2300 American Blvd. E., Minneapolis

Cannon Falls – Thursday, June 6, at Urland Lutheran Church, 
6940 County 9 Blvd., Cannon Falls

Participants will receive information and updates about the study schedule, purpose and initial route options. Public feedback will influence future study decisions. It will also help the study partners prepare the Tier 1 environmental impact statement required by the Federal Railroad Administration. The Tier 1 EIS will evaluate all potential passenger rail alternatives for the Rochester-Twin Cities high-speed passenger rail corridor.

Representatives from the Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority and the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be available to answer questions and discuss the study.

To request an ASL or foreign language interpreter, or other reasonable accommodation, call Janet Miller at 651-366-4720 or 1-800-657-3774 (Greater Minnesota), 711 or 1-800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay). You also may send an email to  HYPERLINK "mailto:janet.rae.miller@state.mn.us" janet.rae.miller@state.mn.us. Please request at least one week in advance.

For more information, visit goziprail.org.

'Bea has been progressive in designing benefits'

I'm now on the mailing list for Mercy Health System news releases, apparently. Here's a laudatory one regarding Javon Bea:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MERCY HEALTH SYSTEM HONORS LONG-TIME PARTNERS

JANESVILLE, Wisconsin‹During the month of May, Mercy Health System is
honoring its employee/partners by hosting a variety of Health Month
activities and celebrations, including its annual Partner Recognition
Celebrations. This year, 531 employee/partners will be honored for five to
50 years of service with Mercy. This includes ten individuals celebrating
40, 45 and 50 years.

Marilyn Potts, who is celebrating 30 years of service, is very thankful for
the opportunities Mercy Health System has given her. “I’ve enjoyed several
different job opportunities during my years at Mercy. And the benefits are
only growing and getting better,” she said. “Mr. Bea has been progressive in
designing benefits and programs that value workers who have been around as
long as me, such as the work-to-retire program. He really understands that
tenured employees are valuable role models for younger employees.”

“We realize the wealth of experience and knowledge our older workers bring
with them, and have added benefits and employee programs to not only retain
these workers, but also help them achieve a work/life balance,” says Bea.
“Creating a great place to work for each and every one of our
employee/partners is extremely important to us.”

Mercy prides itself on creating a work environment that provides benefits,
development, training and opportunities that meet the needs of
employee/partners of all ages, including those 50+. Currently, over 38
percent of Mercy’s workforce is 50 or over. The valuable contributions and
unparalleled experience and knowledge they bring to the organization are
appreciated.

Mercy’s effort to attract and retain older workers has received national
recognition. Since 2005, Mercy has been named to AARP’s Best Employers for
Workers Over 50 list, including being ranked #1 and #2 on its Top 50 Best
Employers for Workers Over 50 list. AARP looks at criteria such as flexible
work options, age-neutral policies and practices, training and development
opportunities, pension, health benefits and corporate culture when compiling
the list. On June 17, AARP will be announcing its 2013 Best Employers for
Workers Over 50 list.

In addition, Bea has visited Washington DC to serve as a key witness and
provide testimony to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing
titled "The Aging Workforce: What Does it Mean for Businesses and the
Economy?” The committee recognized Bea as a leader who demonstrates a strong
commitment to a maturing workforce. Bea provided a briefing on Mercy’s best
practices for older workers and was also in support of the Older Worker
Opportunity Act. The act aims to expand opportunities for older Americans to
work longer if they so choose.

-END-

Media contact: Trish Skram
Contact: tskram@mhsjvl.org
Office: (608) 741-2413

Is there some doubt that Mayo will accept the DMC compromise?

That's what we're waiting on this morning. After the near-death experience Thursday -- with Bloomington Rep. Ann Lenczewski laying down the law and saying, we need to wrap up DMC and get on to other stuff or skip it for this year -- a deal was reached Thursday evening. Reporter Heather Carlson is wrapping up her story shortly, but it's now up to Mayo, apparently, to weigh in on whether it meets their expectations.

Fundraiser for burn victim at the Loop

Here's an event to help out a woman who was badly injured in a fire -- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Loop. Best wishes!

Kruesel presents Lund with an award

News release from Rochester Heritage Preservation Committee:

PUBLIC INVITED TO HERITAGE PRESERVATION AWARD CEREMONY

The Rochester Heritage Preservation Committee invites Rochester residents to participate in an award ceremony at Central Park on Saturday, May 18th, at 2pm. The event will be held rain or shine. There will be refreshments and desserts provided. The event will start out with the Louise Hill family celebrating her life though photo slideshows and spoken word. Then there will be a short break. The preservation award ceremony will begin with Justin Voss, Chair of the Committee, introducing John Kruesel, previous award recipient, who will announce this year's recipient of the Louise Hill Individual Achievement Award, Kevin Lund. Free tours of the Heritage House from 2pm to 5pm.

Mr. Lund is being recognized, just to name a few, for the following achievements: restoration of the Kelly Building, drafting the first preservation ordinance in 1988, efforts in getting the most recent ordinance passed, involved in preservation/restoration/adaptive reuse efforts for Soldiers Memorial Field Bath House, Northrup Community Education Center, St. Mary's Park, Chateau Theater, Chicago Great Western Depot, and the Timothy J. Whiting House. Mr. Lund has also given countless presentations and numerous walking tours relating to historic preservation.

The Louise Hill Award for Individual Achievement was created to recognize individuals who have displayed leadership, courage and dedication to heritage preservation in the course of their career or lifetime. Louise Hill was a pioneer woman in the field of historic preservation in Rochester. Mrs. Hill was instrumental in the acquisition and renovation of the Riverside Building and in moving and renovating the Timothy J. Whiting House to Central Park. Her work on the Riverside building is considered to be the first historic adaptive reuse project in Rochester. Mrs. Hill was also involved in the revitalization of 3rd St SW which includes the Williams Building and was responsible for the redevelopment of the Time Theatre on Broadway and 4th St SE.

Working closely with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office, Rochester neighborhood associations, City Council members, City of Rochester staff, and the local business community for the past few years, the Heritage Preservation Committee helped develop (the most recent) new ordinance as a way to support preservation of local historic resources. The ordinance outlines a process for selection of historic sites to be considered for designation, a process for drafting an incentive plan, and creates a historic preservation commission to administer the process and act as a resource for property members and community members. For this reason the Committee, in its conclusion, has decided to give one award this year.

Kahler management hit by age discrimination lawsuits

Here's the top of a story soon to be posted at PostBulletin.com:

ST. PAUL — Four Rochester residents, all former employees at Kahler Properties, have filed federal age discrimination lawsuits against Interstate Hotels and Resorts Inc., the Virginia-based company that manages the Kahler hotels.

At the heart of the complaints are comments made by Javon Bea, the Oronoco businessman who has an investment stake in the new Kahler ownership and is the key executive locally.

Doing business as Sunstone Hotel Properties Inc., Interstate operates the Kahler Grand Hotel, Rochester Marriott, Kahler Inn & Suites, and Residence Inn by Marriott, which were all acquired by a private investment partnership — fronted by Bea — as part of a $230 million deal in January. Bea is not named as a defendant.

The lawsuits were filed by St. Paul attorney Alf Sivertson on behalf of Sandra Woodford, 72; Jim Helget, 66; Virginia Hameister, 66; and Phyllis Berman, 64. The lawsuits are based on alleged violations of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

"This is blatant age discrimination," Sivertson said Wednesday. "Ms. Woodford had an impeccable work history with the Kahler Properties. Absent the blatant age discrimination, there was no reason for her to terminated — the others, as well."

Interstate released a statement through its public relations agency Wednesday afternoon regarding the lawsuits.

"Interstate Hotels and Resorts works diligently to create a professional and friendly working environment for all of its employees, and it strictly prohibits all forms of employment discrimination," the statement says. "Of course, the Company takes very seriously the allegations of age discrimination advanced by four former employees of the hotel." The company declined further comment, citing policy about pending litigation.

Graduation rate at University of Minnesota Rochester

Among other things I learned at UMR yesterday (and this morning, in talking with an administrator):

UMR will graduate its first class on Saturday, and of the freshmen who enrolled four years ago, about 54 percent of them will get their diplomas.

Of the 54 percent who are still enrolled, a few won't graduate this weekend but 94 percent of them will, which that administrator said is well beyond the four-year completion rate of other Minnesota colleges and universities.

 

Interesting point about Kahler management

According to court documents, the banks that financed Oronoco businessman Javon Bea and his investment partners' acquisition of the Kahler Properties earlier this year required that Sunstone Hotel Properties remain as the management company as a term of the loan. That's an assertion in a court filing against Sunstone (and its parent company, Virginia-based Interstate Hotels & Resorts).

More to come...

A good time to review the federal shield law

This ought to clarify who's on the side of First Amendment protections and who's not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/us/politics/under-fire-white-house-pushes-to-revive-media-shield-bill.html?hp

Check out Interstate Hotels & Resorts

You might be interested in checking this out -- the new management in charge of the Kahler hotel empire, and the defendant in the lawsuit that's to be filed today in federal court for age discrimination.

Interstate Hotels and Resorts, based in Arlington, Va., calls itself "the leading U.S.-based global hotel management company. Hotel owners, developers and guests discover the Interstate difference in our nearly 350 hotels with more than 65,000 rooms located throughout the U.S. and around the world, including six wholly-owned hotels. Interstate is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a joint venture between Thayer Lodging Group and Jin Jiang Hotels."

Their history: "From relatively humble beginnings in 1960, Interstate Hotels & Resorts has evolved to become a leader in the hospitality industry. Once the owners of a single property in Erie, Pennsylvania, we’ve expanded internationally and are now recognized as the leading U.S.-based third-party hotel management company. Along the way, we’ve forged partnerships with major brands in the industry and earned a reputation for high-quality, performance based operations."

They have nearly 350 properties under management. They include a few Hyatts and Westins, but I don't see any of the top-tier international brands that Mayo so covets as part of Destination Medical Center.