Portraits of Waseca County 2020

Portraits of waseca county 2020

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PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Friday, March 27, 2020

Inside Portraits of waseca county

Plant planning never ceases for Waseca Parks Department ............................................................ 3

2020

Economic development work forged on a reliance of networks ..................................................................... 4

A special publication of the Waseca County News Look for this section on

Skinner gives her all to students and community ............ 5 Latasha Vannote does more than work for Elm Homes ...................................................................... 6

Publisher Steve Fisher

Media Consultants Jennifer Flowers

Editor Nick Gerhardt

Cover Design and Layout Kate McGillen

Youth Connection at Waseca Snap Fitness helps get kids exercising ................................................................ 8 A friendly face dedicated to serving customers at McDonalds for 28 years .................................................. 9

Contributing Writer Bailey Grubish

Portraits of Waseca, March 2020 is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Waseca County News at no additional charge. All rights reserved. ©2020 All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertiser.

WIS is a special place for one volunteer ....................... 10

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Friday, March 27, 2020

PORTRAITS OF WASECA

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Plant planning never ceases for Waseca Parks Department

By NICK GERHARDT ngerhardt@wasecacountynews. com

Right now I’m kind of thinking what those towns have done. She about things that attract pollina- also spends part of her summer tors.” traveling by wagon to help raise money for Special Olympics with the annual Wagon Trail.

The planning of deciding on the The Parks Department mainflowers for next year in Waseca tains 200 acres of park land, starts nearly after this year’s including 15 parks and planning “I pretty well check out every town as I’m going through on flowers and plants have just gone takes place in earnest in the winter months, though Gunder- my travels,” Gundermann said. into the ground for this year. mann always has ideas.

“July and August, there’s always pretty much looking at trees and The Waseca Parks Department “I’m always thinking, constantly flowers all the time. Sometimes maintains around 44 hanging it just hits you.” flower baskets downtown, five at thinking about what I want to do next,” she said. “I jot it down Tink Larson Field and seven at on pieces of paper and once my In 2018 as Waseca celebrated the water park, not to mention pieces of paper get so heavy in its sesquicentennial, flowers the work that goes into each my pocket, I have to go through in the colors of all the schools park. into town popped up. Blue and them.” gold flowers for Waseca High “Each year we don’t plant the Gundermann stockpiles ideas same thing,” Waseca Public for what to plant in Waseca Works Park Division employee The Waseca Parks department maintains hanging flower pots throughout the city. (Waseca County Jolene Gundermann said. “You when she travels across the News file photo) Continued on page 7 state. Oftentimes she stops into want bright flowers to draw Northfield or Medford to see people into the park to look.

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Maplewood Park features an assortment of plants and flowers each year. (County News file photo)

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PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Friday, March 27, 2020

Economic development work forged on a reliance of networks

By NICK GERHARDT ngerhardt@wasecacountynews. com

Economic development work doesn’t happen overnight and Waseca Economic Development Coordinator Gary Sandholm does a lot of work behind the scenes with a variety of organizations.

Some of that work means contact with the Department of Employment and Economic Development to see what businesses might be looking for a spot that will fit in Waseca.

Other times it means working with organizations like the Community Venture Network where companies can pitch to communities. Waseca shares a partnership with Fairmont and Mountain Lake in the Community Venture Network, which extends into eight states. Sometimes businesses can be attracted through word of mouth.

Sandholm can help businesses already in the area and with startups navigate through the process.

“If a business is looking to expand, there is where we can use DEED,” Sandholm said.

Organizations like the Region Nine Development Commission and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation have funding available for entrepreneurs. The Waseca EDA can also provide loans for businesses.

Then there is the Small Business Development Center in

Mankato where entrepreneurs can get advice and learn how to write business plans. SCORE is another group that will provide mentoring for those seeking to start a business.

Since joining the city of Waseca four years ago, Sandholm has worked to fill the void left after the Quad Graphics closing left nearly 400 people out of work. The city received around a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Authority that will go toward finding a person to reach out to businesses.

“The purpose that this person will try to fill is the outreach to industries and businesses on a wider scale than what we’re able to do for one person,” Sandholm said. “More outward than local businesses.”

Part of that grant money is being used to do a viability study of an area manufacturing resource center, which Region Nine will do.

Some businesses have started to fill the building Quad Graphics occupied. Midwest Hemp Farms, Rhino Markers and Green Forest Recycling have moved into the building.

“One of the things we’ve been fortunate about is that the job demand in this region has been very strong,” Sandholm said. “So the people laid off by Quad and Clear Lake Press, have basically been rapidly absorbed into the workforce.”

Waseca Economic Development Coordinator Gary Sandhom sits at a table with a map of the Waseca in the background at city hall.

Sandholm has worked as the economic development coordinator since 2005. (Nick Gerhardt/Waseca County News) But the closure has meant fewer workers coming into Waseca.

“Three, four years ago we had a net surplus of people driving into Waseca to work,” Sandholm said. “Far more than drove out.

Now that’s flip flopped. We haven’t seen people moving away from Waseca. People are working in Mankato, Owatonna,

Austin, Albert Lea. That hurts the local economy because they’re probably not spending as much money locally.”

coordinator and Chamber of Commerce director in Hartford, South Dakota before joining the city of Waseca.

Sandholm dealt with an Electrolux plant closing in his hometown of Dayton, Iowa where he worked as an economic development coordinator. He worked as the economic development

He sees the education system in Waseca and the transportation access as selling points to business. Plus, the railway has capacity and there’s utility capacity available. Waseca also has

building space available.

“We have a building space surplus,” he said. “We’ve got a lot more building space than we’d like to have right now.”

Friday, March 27, 2020

PORTRAITS OF WASECA

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Skinner gives her all to students and community

By BAILEY GRUBISH bgrubish@wasecacountynews. com

dently. Most directors have help.

They have someone who takes care of the set or the costumes or something. She does it all from sets to props to blocking to Going above and beyond is costumes. It’s really remarkable natural to Dawn Skinner. and hugely time consuming for She is the Waseca Area Learning her. She does it because she loves Center language arts/art teacher our kids and she loves theater. and a director for the high “She also runs the International school drama club.

Thespian Society chapter for Waseca high school and does so Skinner gives her time to the for zero pay. Again, this is a ton kids of Waseca County. of time and work that she does because of her dedication to the “Dawn is truly the heart of the drama department and our kids. drama department,” Waseca high school language arts teach- She is always seeking new opportunities for our kids to learn er Karen Pfarr-Anderson said.

“The most amazing thing Dawn about theater and what it has to offer. She is an outstanding does is she can create a show entirely top to bottom indepen- colleague who has helped me

numerous times, always voluntarily, to get a show to completion. Without Dawn, our drama department would not be nearly as successful as it is.”

by Skinner to teach the classes to others in the community as a way to give back.

In her free time she volunteers on the Minnesota Thespians Skinner has been directing plays board, the Minnesota branch for the Waseca High School of the International Thespian Thespian Society, drama club, Society. for 18 years. She does at least one play a year and up to three Her position on the board is volunteer coordinator. She plays a year. This school year she directed the two main stage makes sure all of the people who attend the festival are taken care plays at the high school. In the fall of 2019 she directed “Clue.” of and everything is organized for competitions.

Skinner’s theater involvement doesn’t stop with directing plays. Each year the organization hosts She also wrote the theater classes a conference and this year it was that are offered through Waseca Dawn Skinner has been teaching and directing plays in the Waseca County Community Education. school district for the past 18 years. (Bailey Grubish/Waseca County The drama students are trained Continued on page 11 News)

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PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Friday, March 27, 2020

Latasha Vannote does more than work for Elm Homes

By BAILEY GRUBISH bgrubish@wasecacountynews. com Latasha Vannote puts others first.

She has been working for Elm Homes in Waseca for 15 years and is a full-time mom.

Working at Elm Homes she has

been able to stay at the same something I really like doing.” house with the same ladies since the beginning, allowing her to At Elm Homes, Vannote is a create bonds with them. certified residential instructure, CRI. With this position she “I’m not there just for money,” helps do a variety of planning Vannote said. “I love working and care for the clients. with people with disabilities or working with elderly. It’s just She will help plan the menu, something that I’ve loved to schedule events and outings, do since I was younger, so it’s train new people and just keep awesome that I can work with everything up to par.

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helping people. When she decided she wanted to move on and try something similar but different she found Elm Homes and fell in love.

“I work with the exact same ladies I probably came into the house with,” Vannote said.

“I don’t really work in other houses. I stay in the one house with my ladies, so I’ve been with them for 15 years. It’s like my second home so I’ve been there for a while and I love my job. It’s a good company to work with and I’ve been there for what seems like forever, but it’s like a second home.”

“We try to get them outside as much as possible in the community,” Vannote said. “Waseca is an awesome place for them to go because there’s so many Elm Homes. It’s awesome that there’s a big group here and they can go Sometimes when she is working out in the community and not feel like they’re being stared at.” her kids will stop by to visit her clients. Both the kids and the cliVannote said keeping a routine ents enjoy visiting and chatting is key for her clients but her and with each other. her team also work on teaching the clients in the house life skills Working at Elm Homes has also allowed her to have a flexible so that some can move out on work schedule so she can be their own in the future. present at all of her kids’ activi“I’ve had two of them move out ties and at home with them. on their own in the community and it’s just awesome to see that “I work a lot of overnights and mornings so I can be at home happening from when they moved in to running into them with my kids and it’s awesome that you can pick what works at Walmart,” Vannote said. “I around your schedule,” Vannote definitely just fell in love with said. “The staff is awesome. it and I love watching them all They’re willing to help you if grow and you definitely get atyou have to be gone for your tached.” kids. My team that I work with is absolutely awesome. They She got into working at Elm Homes after working in nursing definitely will help you out no matter what. That’s another homes when she was younger thing about the group that I and she found that she enjoys

E C p

Vannote work with, the people that I have, my bosses, I love working with them.”

Having a reliable team to work with is something Vannote stressed because she is a sports mom and wants to be at everything she can and needs to be.

“I think Elm homes is a great place,” Vannote said. “You’ll really love your job if you like working with people. It’s a great place to work and for somebody that’s not just there for the money but loves the people that they’re working with.”

Friday, March 27, 2020

PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Waseca safety center flowers (Waseca County News file photo)

Downtown Waseca hanging baskets

PARKS

Continued from page 3

and emerald ash borer. These days the staff encounters Japanese knotweed and buckthorn.

School, maroon and gold for the University of Minnesota campus Gundermann received her in Waseca and red and white for degree in horticulture and landscape management at the Sacred Heart.

University of Minnesota and first started working in the field “Jolene has done quite a bit at the University of Minnesota as far as laying out and detercampus in Waseca. She spent 13 mining what plants should go where,” Waseca Park Superintendent Brad Dushaw said.

“Jolene and other staff do the prep work and planting, maintaining, weeding throughout the season.”

The Parks Department has added a landscape area to Every summer a beautiful array of wildflowers blooms in Waseca Northeast Park in recent years County parks and along the area’s trails and lakes. (County News file and Gundermann tries to pick photo) the plants she thinks will do well in different areas.

Trowbridge Park (County News file photo)

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“I really read a lot about the plants, trees, shrubs, flowers,” she said. “I try to get it so they fit the site. The plant you want to use actually fits where you want to use it. Many times I find that one didn’t like being planted in all that wetness. We thought it was going to be hot and dry in a certain spot.”

The Parks Department has two other full-time staff members in Loy Spies and Brett Van Der Horst. The department adds eight seasonal employees as well.

The Parks Department works hard to combat invasive species

years working at Carleton College on the grounds crew there, commuting from Waseca before getting a job with the Waseca Parks Department.

Dushaw has worked with the city for three years after stops in Owatonna and the St. Paul Parks Department.

As for what to expect this year around Waseca, Gundermann wants it to stay a surprise.

“I’m not positive what that’s going to look like exactly but we hope it’s going to be beautiful,” she said. “Cross your fingers.”

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PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Jamel Johnson leads a group of kids through instructions at the Waseca Snap Fitness. Johnson has led a weekly fitness class for youth on Thursdays. (Nick Gerhardt/Waseca County News)

Friday, March 27, 2020

Children come to the Waseca Snap Fitness on Thursdays to get a work out in for $5. The children do a number of stretching exercises, jumping jacks, pushups and more. (Nick Gerhardt/Waseca County News)

Youth Connection at Waseca Snap Fitness helps get kids exercising

By NICK GERHARDT ngerhardt@wasecacountynews. com Kids in Waseca have found a place to workout at the Waseca Snap Fitness through the Youth Connection.

Jamel Johnson got the Youth Connection running at the Waseca Snap Fitness and provides a chance for some exercise in a fun atmosphere. The class starts at 5:15 p.m. on Thursdays and is just $5 per child to attend.

Ages range from 6-14 and all are welcomed to attend an evening of light workouts.

“A lot of it is crossfit training,” Johnson said. “A lot of it is circuit training with the kids.

It’s a lot of non-stop moving, callisthenics, no weights.”

The kids run races and laps before getting some time to shoot hoops.

Johnson started holding a basketball camp at Clear Lake last summer and the number of kids interested in having more activities like that grew.

The Youth Connection typically draws 15-20 kids each Thursday but it’s been as many as 50 there at other times.

Oftentimes the kids split into groups for competitions where they cheer each other on in a low-pressure situation.

“It just kind of took off,” Waseca Snap Fitness manager Jarius Volkmann said.

Johnson has plans to continue basketball work through the formation of AAU teams.

Johnson played basketball collegiately and has always seen sports as a vehicle to teach life lessons.

The Waseca Snap Fitness announced March 16 it would be closed for 10 days to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“I’ve always been into sports,” Johnson said. “I’ve always been an athlete my whole life. These are things that can stick with them the rest of their lives.”

Jamel Johnson leads a group of kids through stretching exercises at the Waseca Snap Fitness. He has held classes for children for $5 on Thursdays. (Nick Gerhardt/Waseca County News)

Friday, March 27, 2020

PORTRAITS OF WASECA

PAGE 9

A friendly face dedicated to serving customers at McDonalds for 28 years away and looks for empty hangers. These are a few of what she does to help out.

“I love volunteering there,” Hagerty said.

Outside of work and volunteering Hagerty enjoys watching plays and participating in plays.

She has been in four productions so far with the Aktion Club Theater in Mankato. The next play she will be in is called, “Turning Toward Each Other”.

Mary Sue Hegarty is a long-time McDonald’s employee who enjoys what she does 28 years later. (Bailey Grubish/Waseca County News)

By BAILEY GRUBISH bgrubish@wasecacountynews. com Mary Sue Hagerty has been a friendly face at McDonald’s for the past 28 years.

She’s a Waseca native who was hired through Jobs Plus to work in the lobby of the restaurant.

At McDonald’s she spends her days maintaining the lobby for guests by sweeping, moping, filling condiments, napkins and straws as well as assisting customers.

and helping out the customers occasionally. She does really well at her job. She’s always smiley.

She’s really a sweetheart. She’s good at keeping busy and does a good job, I don’t have to worry about lobby when she’s here.”

done last spring in 2019. This update was to modernize the look and the technology in the building. Touch screen stations were added to the lobby area for customers to use as well as the lobby being an open concept.

At work Hagerty’s favorite thing to do is interact with the customers. With her schedule remaining the same each week she gets to see a lot of the same people daily and weekly.

Hagerty spoke of liking the update and the openness of the lobby. The openness helps her to see what tables are dirty and to keep customers from vandalizing the lobby.

“I like getting everything done,” Hagerty said of her job.

Her days are also filled with volunteering at the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center.

In her 28 years with the “She’s great” McDonald’s manag- restaurant she has seen three er Brandi Hill “ I mean she does different buildings in town.

The most recent update was really great cleaning the lobby

When she volunteers at the Neighborhood Service Center she hangs clothes up, puts toys

Her favorite part of being in a play is having a speaking part.

Aktion Club Theater serves 18 counties in southwest Minnesota. According to the Facebook page, the club is committed to a brighter, more inclusive future for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

frequently travel together.

Their most recent trip was to Arizona where they were able to take tours of different cities.

They have been to many places together but her two favorite places are California and New York, which they have plans to go back to New York in the fall.

Going to the movies with friends When Hagerty and her mom aren’t traveling they shop is another way she spends her together and go to jazzercise in free time.

Waseca.

Hagerty enjoys spending time with her mom as well and they

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PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Friday, March 27, 2020

WIS is a special place for one volunteer

By BAILEY GRUBISH bgrubish@wasecacountynews. com

for me when I see her in the building. I only wish we could have more volunteers like her.”

Margaret Whitemore has volun- For the 2018-2019 school year, teered at the Waseca Intermedi- also her first year, she was in ate School for the past two years. Karen Simmons’ fifth-grade classroom. She shared that she She has volunteered for numer- has regrets she didn’t start 25 ous other organizations but she years ago in the schools. loves working and spending time with kids.

“It’s a marvelous opportunity,” Whitemore said. “It’s just you This school year she is voluncan’t lose being here with the teering in Michelle Priebe’s kids.” classroom on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Whitemore also gives her time morning. to summer school. She recalled a time when she was walking her “This (WIS) is where I get my dog on the trail and she walked energy,” Whitemore, 89, said. “I by some kids playing when one suck it up.” of them said hello to her. She didn’t recognize the student at Every day that Whitemore is at first but the student continued saying they were a summer WIS she is escorted by student school student that Whitemore Cory Bartz from the office to worked with.

Priebe’s classroom and back to the WIS office before she drives She spoke of the student saying home for her adventure of the hello as a nice thing that made day. her feel good about her volunteering. She was happy they “She is just a gift to my classroom,” Priebe said. “I mean what would remember her. she just brings with her age and “They are taught respect, it’s experience and the kids love having her here. She just brings very subtle but it’s part of the curriculum,” Whitemore said of a different perspective.” the students.

Whitemore stays in the classVolunteering is not something room for the first couple of Whitemore is new to. hours of school with fifth and sixth graders. While she’s in the Before she was volunteering at classroom she reads with the WIS she volunteered at a nurskids and listens to what they have to say, which is her favorite ing home. She has also volunteered at her church for many part. years with only recently stepping back from volunteering with the “I think that it is absolutely church. fantastic that Margaret continues to volunteer at WIS,” School Board Member Dave Dunn said. When she is not volunteering Whitemore enjoys going on “What a great experience for the students and staff that get to adventures with her friends and work with her. It is always a treat doing what she wants in her

Margaret Whitemore sits and reads with students on a daily basis at WIS as well as talking to them. She is sitting with student Cory Bartz.

(Bailey Grubish/Waseca County News) retirement.

Her and her husband have enjoyed traveling during their 68-year marriage. They have been on six of the seven continents. Another activity they enjoy together with friends is play bridge.

Whitemore moved to Waseca many years ago because her husband is a Waseca native.

During their marriage, before finally settling down in Waseca, they lived in Malaysia for five years. This was not the first time Whitemore has lived in a foreign country because she grew up in Panama.

She spent the first 11 years of her life there before the country was evacuated due to war. She shared that when they were being evacuated from Panama they experienced an attack from a German U-Boat.

“It doesn’t define me,” Whitemore said of her experience of leaving Panama.

Margaret Whitemore is walked to and from the classroom she volunteers in by student Cory Bartz.

Friday, March 27, 2020

PORTRAITS OF WASECA

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of charge as a kind of public service.

in January. Skinner was able to take students to this conference competition to compete for national awards. Some of the categories students competed in were stage management and monologue. This is an opportunity for the students to meet other teachers from around the state and other students working on the same competition and to learn from them.

For the play this year there were 16 students on stage to perform on bullying.

Continued from page 5

In the future she is hoping to take on the role of the southern Minnesota liaison position for the board to get more schools outside of the Twin Cities involved. Waseca joined about eight years ago and the organization continues to grow.

“The goal is to be accessible to more people and make sure more people hear our message and join our efforts to make theater an important matter,” Skinner said. “Arts have always been the way people connect with the world so that’s important for me.”

Theater is a large part and a passion for Skinner so she teaches theater classes four times a year to her ALC students.

“Every single one of the kids who took the class performed, which is a huge success,” Dawn said. “These kids are afraid to be in front of anybody. They have been minimized, they have been ostracized and so for them to stand in front of a group of community members and to perform these things is a huge deal for them.

“I think that if I can help a kid get over anything that’s stopping them whether it’s I don’t know how to read or I’m not good at reading or I’m slow at reading ...

We’ve got a lot of options where you don’t always have that in a class of 35. So one of the nice things being in the ALC is being able to find the ways around the problems that have been causing them to not succeed and that’s what I like about my job.”

Skinner is not the standard language arts teacher that students have interacted with before.

She brings theater to them but she also takes the time to help students with their individual needs as well as baking every morning for them so they have a breakfast option.

PAGE 11

how it is a negative image. The students and staff work on community involvement to change this image to a more positive one. The ALC students have done maybaskets and donated tie blankets to the senior center to give back to the community.

“We’re getting a lot of kids coming here for non-traditional reasons,” Skinner said. “The most common reason we have students come over here now is social anxiety. We have several students who are working on their social anxiety in a small setting but still with people.”

The ALC has math, English, history and science teachers on staff along with various support staff.

“It’s a pretty awesome staff and we talk a lot,” Skinner said. “Not just about what our kids are doing educationally, but how can we help with their life skills.”

Dawn Skinner is a language arts and art teacher at the Waseca ALC and with her theater degree and drama club involvement she implements theater classes for her students. Last spring Skinner received grant money from the Waseca Area Foundation from the Barb Penny Youth Foundation for a student play performance of “Here and Now”. (Bailey Grubish/Waseca County News)

“Waseca is an incredible place Skinner is a licensed theater to do art,” Skinner said. “The teacher with her degree from community supports its arts College of St. Benedicts. Though incredibly well. It’s the best through the ALC she teaches all forms of art using online tools and resources to best teach the students.

“I loved the high school, but when I got to the ALC I kind of realized that this is where There is a production class I needed to be,” Dawn said. where the students build the set “These are the kids who need a for the high school play that she little bit more coddling, a little She spoke on teaching the studirects. The other class is an actbit more mothering, a little dents real world skills they are ing class. Through this class the bit more prodding, push them going to need in the future along students pick a theme they want along. So I really fit in well here, with academic work. to talk about and then perform a I’m pretty strict but they know play based on it. that I care about them. This is Since there are smaller classwhere I’ve really found my heart room sizes Dawn has found she The most recent theme was for teaching. I do still miss my is able to challenge her students bullying. high school kids because I do more with college level texts still direct them but I do enjoy because she can take them “We have chosen (bullying), my job here.” through it as opposed to a larger because we are ALC and we class size. want to talk about themes that She started her teaching career are underrepresented in society,” in Mississippi before moving “Our kids are not here because Skinner said. “So last year we did back to Minnesota and finding they’re stupid they’re here a play called “Here and Now” a job in Waterville. After teachbecause they’ve had one of a which was about the problems ing in Waterville her position million different things go on nobody wants to talk about and was moved to part-time so she in their lives that they couldn’t this year we chose bullying.” started looking for another job control or didn’t control and and found an opening at the they just need a different place, ” She went on to say the students Waseca High school. She taught Skinner said. pick the specific play that they at the high school for three years rehearse, light and build sets She spoke of the image that peobefore moving into her role at for. Once everything is done ple think of ALC students and the ALC. they perform for the public free

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but where I wanted my kids to support I’ve ever had any place I’ve worked. I think the fact that go to school and where I want to Waseca values it’s arts so much build my life.” is probably the biggest reason it’s not only where I wanted to teach

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PORTRAITS OF WASECA

Friday, March 27, 2020

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