Kiger's Notebook

New Rep. Theatre + open house

Looking for something to do during the snowstorm Saturday?

Here's an option provided by The Rochester Repertory Theater:

The Rochester Repertory Theater will be hosting an open house from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday April 12. There will be refreshments, tours, and guest speakers (including Mayor Brede at around 2:30 p.m., and Nick Mezacapa at about 3:15 p.m.).

Board President Scott Koon will speak at about 4 p.m. and Cheryl Frarck – the artistic liaison – will be speaking at around 5 p.m.

Remember, the new theatre (Don't try to go to the hole in the ground on South Broadway. Heh) is at 103 Seventh Street North East, right next door to Kruse Lumber.

Hormel + new D.C. lobbyist

This dropped into my e-mail can Wednesday. Looks like Austin's Hormel Foods has a piece of a lobbyist.

It is interesting to note a few other members of the Canned Food Alliance are based or have a major presence in our area. Those other names are Lakeside Foods, Inc., Faribault Foods and Seneca Foods.

Anyway, here's the piece about cans and politics:

The Canned Food Alliance, a consortium of steel manufacturers, can makers and food producers that promotes canned foods, hired American Capitol Group to lobby the federal government, according to a federal disclosure form posted Tuesday.

The firm will lobby on the nutritional value of canned foods, according to the form.

Meat and food producer Hormel Foods Corp., steel maker United States Steel Corp. and packaging products manufacturer Ball Corp. are among the 26 members listed on the alliance's Web site.

Lakeside + $25,000 fine

OWATONNA — Lakeside Foods in Owatonna has paid a $25,000 fine and will contribute $10,000 to the
Cannon River Watershed Partnership for alleged water quality violations, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported.

The MPCA said there were several illegal wastewater and stormwater discharges from the food processing company between June, 2005, and September 2006. Because of structural and operational problems in the plant, some went directly into the Straight River.

To prevent future problems, Lakeside says it is upgrading its plant.

Counseling services expands

Catholic Charities has tripled the counseling services it offers in Austin.

That boils down to Paul Bartemes working three days a week from his office in St. Augustine’s Church at 405 Fourth St. N.W., up from one day in the past.

He began the three day a work schedule on June 20.

Bartemes is a clinical social worker with Catholic Charities, based out of the Winona Diocese. He provides personal theaputic counseling, help for grandparents serving caregivers for children, pregnancy planning, adoption information, immigrant aid and addiction care.

“It is not well known that it (Catholic Charities) does provide in this area and that we serve people of all faiths,” he said.

While there are still many slots open for people seeking counseling, Bartemes says the expansion of his offerings in Austin and the region grew out of an awareness of a geographic gap in the Diocese’s coverage of the area.

“The idea is that Catholic Charities has larges offices in Winona, Rochester and Owatonna,” she says. “But services were thin in the central part of S.E. Minnesota.”

As part of the beefing up of offerings in Austin and the area, St. Augstine’s has remodeled two rooms for the use of Catholic Charities and Bartemes.

“That was somthing the church took on,” he said.

While the addional time and facilities are great, Bartemes says there is still a key component that needs to be worked on.

“We have a number of openings right now. We just want people to know about the services,” he said.

Allina = New Owatonna hospital

This is a snipppet of a press release announcement that I thought was interesting for our region. Allina Hospitals & Clinics plans to build a $46 million hospital in Owatonna. It will be connected Owatonna Clinic on 26th Street.

I wonder how that will impact health care in the area and if it will have an effect on Mayo Clinic.

Anyway, here's some from the release:

“Now the real work begins as we move rapidly forward with the design and construction of our new hospital,” said Dorothy Erdmann, Owatonna Hospital president.

The release of capital came after a year of finalizing agreements with the City of Owatonna, as well as operating agreements between Owatonna Hospital and Owatonna Clinic. Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for early 2007.

In planning for the new facility, hospital management will gather input from Owatonna Hospital board members, hospital and clinic staff, nurses and the public through a series of meetings, slated for early fall. The new hospital will contain 38 beds and four operating suites. All rooms will be private and the hospital’s design will feature architectural details to promote safety and healing. Some of these concepts include the use of soothing colors, use of natural light and views to nature. “This new hospital will truly be designed, first and foremost, around the needs of the patient,” said Erdmann.

Construction of the hospital is expected to be completed by late 2008 or early 2009 and will replace the current hospital which was constructed in 1931.