Groundbreaking Spokespersons

 Center in southwest Fargo. The project is an equal partnership between Sanford Health and the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties.

This $12 million, 78,000-square-foot comprehensive fitness center is expected to serve 3,500 members and employ 30 people following the projected opening in October 2011. Zerr Berg Architects, Fargo, is the firm designing the facility. Gerhtz Construction Management, Fargo, is handling the construction of the facility.

“It is very exciting for us to begin construction on a facility with so many amenities and benefits under one roof. With the combination of aquatics, fitness, courts, group exercise and programs, this facility will truly offer something for everyone and every family in our community,” said Paul Finstad, president, YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties.

“This marks an exciting step forward in a growing area of our community with an outstanding and well-regarded partner,” said Dennis Millirons, president, Sanford Medical Center Fargo. “Sanford is dedicated to the work of health and healing, and this project will provide a fabulous environment for helping people stay healthy for years to come.”

Additional Information:

• Because this is an equal partnership, the new facility will be an independent non-profit organization and a stand-alone facility. Memberships will be available to all community members. Current YMCA members will have access to the Sanford YMCA twelve times per year. Sanford YMCA members will have the same reciprocity at existing YMCA facilities in Fargo.
• Members of the Sanford YMCA will receive member rates on programs at any of the three YMCA sites, as well as membership in the AWAY program, which allows members to access YMCAs across the world while traveling.
• The timeline for the new site will be to hire a director approximately six months prior to the facility’s opening in October 2011. After a director is hired, additional staff will be brought on board.
• The partnership will provide more fitness opportunities for individuals and families. It enables both organizations to expand their core belief in the value of health, wellness and fitness as part of building the complete individual.
• Of 2,686 YMCAs nationwide 1,148 are collaborations with hospitals. Many health care organizations across the country have successfully partnered with local YMCA’s. Sanford Health has existing partnerships with YMCA’s in Sioux Falls, SD and Worthington, MN.
• Members will have the confidence in knowing they have the backing of a high level of medical expertise including direct access to physical therapists, exercise specialists, doctors and others.
• Sanford has housed fitness centers open to the public for more than 20 years. Sanford will close and move from its current 17,000-square-foot fitness center at Southpointe, 2400 32nd Ave, Fargo.

Information for the Media
Spokespeople:
Dennis Millirons, president, Sanford Health Medical Center
Paul Finstad, president, YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties

Directions:
Take 32nd Ave. to the Urban Plain Center, 5225 31st Ave. S., Fargo, travel north on the east side of the building to the north end to park. Site is located northwest of the Urban Plains Center.

Images:
Click here to download architectural renderings of the future facility. Photos of the groundbreaking event will be available later today.

Contacts:
Kristan Bullinger, YMCA, (701) 364-4127 or (701) 388-5710 / bullinger@ymcacassclay.org
Andrea Voorhees, Sanford Health, Fargo, (701) 200-6080 / andrea.voorhees@sanfordhealth.org

In other news, Sanford Health plans to build a new center, which will be dedicated to helping athletes boost their performance. The center will be modeled on one built two years ago in Sioux Falls that cost $2.5 million but will be tailored to athletic needs in the Fargo-Moorhead market. The performance center will work with athletes of all skill levels. Programs will include speed strength, weight training and agility training.

By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM

 The Sanford “power bubble” is a 21,000-square-foot facility near the football stadium for the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. Special to The Forum

Sanford Health-MeritCare plans to build a new center in southwest Fargo dedicated to helping athletes boost their performance.

The center will be modeled on one built two years ago in Sioux Falls, S.D., that cost $2.5 million but will be tailored to athletic needs in the Fargo-Moorhead market, a Sanford Health-MeritCare executive said.

“We’ll customize that facility to what the needs are,” said Kevin Lampe, a Sanford Health-MeritCare vice president who oversees its orthopedic and sports medicine programs.

In a related matter, Sanford expects soon to have an agreement to provide sports medicine services for the North Dakota State University Bison, perhaps as early as this week.

Gene Taylor, NDSU’s athletic director, was traveling Friday afternoon and couldn’t be reached for comment on the talks or what the planned performance enhancement center could mean for Bison athletics.

Innovis Health has long provided team doctors and trainers for the Bison but recently announced that it would not provide those services after Wednesday in light of discussions taking place between NDSU and Sanford-MeritCare.

Through a spokeswoman, Innovis declined comment Friday on Sanford-MeritCare’s latest plans to expand its sports medicine and orthopedics services.

Demand for sports medicine services is strong in the area, given the multitude of teams fielded by NDSU, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College, and many high school programs, in addition to the area’s many serious amateur athletes, Lampe said.

The performance center will work with athletes of all skill levels. Programs will include speed strength, weight training and agility training.

Sanford Health-MeritCare is striving to develop an orthopedics and sports medicine program with a reputation that will attract athletes from around the country, he said.

Sanford’s National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance opened two years ago. It’s directed by Dr. Michael Bergeron, who is known for his research in exercise, heat stress and athletic health.

Research, in fact, will be an important part of the work done by the performance center, with athletes sometimes serving as research subjects.

Sanford Health-MeritCare – which will drop MeritCare from its name in July – plans to have a medical residency program in orthopedics in 10 or 12 years to help attract physicians specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine, Lampe said.

“You need to build the research base” to attract top specialists in the fields of orthopedics and sports medicine, he said.

Discussions between Sanford Health-MeritCare and Orthopaedic Associates, which are exploring a possible partnership, continue, Lampe said.

The performance athletics center is separate from the recently announced $12 million fitness and wellness center Sanford will build in partnership with the YMCA but also will be located at the Urban Plains development in southwest Fargo.

The new performance center got final approval last week from the health system’s local trustees and will proceed in the new fiscal year, which starts Thursday.

The exterior of the building likely will resemble the “power bubble” look of its Sioux Falls counterpart, a 21,000-square-foot facility near the football stadium for the University of Sioux Falls, although no designs have been drawn, Lampe said.

Details are being worked out in consultation with local athletic officials, but the facility’s activity areas will include artificial football turf, track lanes and a wooden basketball court floor for athletes to train on.

“I’d anticipate there’d be some hockey support we’d put in that facility,” Lampe said, noting the popularity of hockey in the Fargo-Moorhead region.

Sanford Health-MeritCare is not involved in talks for a possible indoor aquatics center or other community athletic facility, such as a soccer complex, but is interested in exploring partnerships, Lampe said.

“Our history is one of working with community groups,” he said, noting as an example that Sanford donated land in Sioux Falls for a junior football facility now under construction and has a sponsorship supporting youth soccer in that city.

A large parcel of land awaiting development in southwest Fargo will be the focal point of Sanford Health-MeritCare’s future expanded metro medical services.

Executives of the health system later this month will present their concepts for a major new medical center at Agassiz Crossing, described earlier as a $250 million to $350 million facility.

Following ongoing planning and design work, the target date calls for construction to begin in 2013 and continue into 2016, said Dennis Millirons, president of MeritCare Medical Center.

MeritCare bought the Agassiz Crossing land a decade ago with future expansion in mind. The 109-acre parcel is more than five times bigger than the 20 acres at its downtown medical center.

Meanwhile, the downtown center will remain a significant presence, as will MeritCare’s South University Drive campus.

“Whatever we decide to do, we’ll continue to have a meaningful and active role downtown,” Millirons said.

The Agassiz Crossing site is located south of Interstate 94 between the 45th Street and Veterans Boulevard exits, also close to the interchange with Interstate 29, making it an ideal location for a regional medical hub, Millirons said.

“It’s a perfect setting for developing health care as we look to the future,” he said. “That’s our hundred-year future.”

But MeritCare administrators said it is still too early in the planning stages to talk about specific features for the new medical center.

Both the trauma center and Roger Maris Cancer Center are in need of more space, but Millirons said details of expansions still are being worked out as planning continues.

“I don’t think you’ll see expansion here,” Millirons said of the downtown medical center, which has aging infrastructure and space limitations. “I think you’ll see preservation of the better facilities.”

The Sanford-MeritCare executive team will offer its concept of the new medical center as part of a strategic plan it will present to the Sanford Health-MeritCare board of trustees in a meeting June 15-18.

“The results of the approval of the strategic plan will be the start of an exciting new era here,” Millirons said.

Kelby Krabbenhoft, the chief executive officer of Sanford-MeritCare, first spoke of the possible Agassiz Crossing medical center last August, when the merger of Sanford Health, based in Sioux Falls, S.D., and MeritCare still was pending.

At the time, Krabbenhoft said he envisioned a center of $250 million to $350 million, later adding that the complex could include an attached hotel. A hotel, if built, would be an independent project, but MeritCare believes its planned medical center would be “attractive” to a hotel developer, Millirons said.

After physicians, nurses and others finish their planning for the center, including future service needs and demographic studies, MeritCare will begin working with architects on a design, he said.

“You can well imagine that’s going to take awhile,” Millirons added.

MeritCare’s Agassiz Crossing parcel is adjacent to the Urban Plains Center development, where MeritCare and the YMCA of Fargo-Moorhead are expected to announce plans early this week for what the partners describe as a “comprehensive fitness and wellness center.”

MeritCare broke ground in Detroit Lakes, Minn., last week for a $15 million clinic expansion and is working on plans for a combined new clinic and hospital in Thief River Falls, Minn.

Also, beginning in July, Sanford Health-MeritCare will switch to a “unified brand,” but the name is not yet available for public release, MeritCare spokesman Darren Huber said.

Take a look at the map.

 By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM

FARGO, N.D. – Sanford Health-MeritCare and the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties are announcing a unique partnership to expand health and fitness in rapidly growing southwest Fargo. A new 78,000 square foot comprehensive fitness and wellness center will be built in the Urban Plains Development. The facility will be located at 5225 31st Ave. S., Fargo. The facility will cost $12 million and is an equal 50/50 partnership. It will employ 25-30 people and is projected to serve 3,500 members.

“Fitness is clearly a key component of helping people stay healthy. By partnering with the YMCA, we are proud to be able to work together to inspire people to improve their quality of life. This will be one of the premier facilities of its kind in the region and serves the entire greater Fargo-Moorhead area,” said Dennis Millirons, president, MeritCare Medical Center.

“It’s all about partnership and doing what’s best for the community,” said Paul Finstad, CEO of the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties. “I believe together with Sanford Health-MeritCare, the YMCA can build a facility focused on providing services for families and individuals who are seeking a healthier, more active lifestyle. Partnering with Sanford Health-MeritCare will also help the YMCA fulfill our mission of enhancing the spirit, mind and body of all persons in our community.”

Zerr Berg Architects, Fargo, is the firm designing the facility. A groundbreaking will be held later this summer. The facility is expected to open in the fall of 2011. This is an especially good fit as plans for the neighborhood call for an active lifestyle community. Including 25-acre public park which will include a half-mile body of water, a boardwalk, sculpture, amphitheater, open green space for activity and over five miles of bike paths.

Background:
• An independent feasibility study conducted in the summer of 2006 found that a new comprehensive recreational facility would generate 3,316-4,437 new memberships. A four-community (West Fargo, Fargo, Moorhead, Dilworth) metro study of community wellness needs conducted in 2005 recommended indoor fitness and exercise, as well as aquatic facilities. Based on the survey data, the facility should be located in the high-growth area south of Interstate 94 and west of Interstate 29.
• Both nonprofits had been looking to build a center in southwest Fargo, the power of two nonprofits pooling their money has created a facility that can provide more diverse services to more people at one time. The opportunity to work together is a very unique experience. It’s good for Fargo to see that two different businesses can come with different missions and work for the betterment of the community.
• When Sanford Health & MeritCare merged, a commitment was made to bring growth opportunities to the greater Fargo region. This is the first of many expected examples.
• The partnership will provide more fitness opportunities for individuals and families. It enables both organizations to expand their core belief in the value of health, wellness and fitness as part of building the complete individual.
• Of 2,686 YMCAs nationwide 1,148 are collaborations with hospitals. Many health care organizations across the country have successfully partnered with local YMCA’s. Sanford Health has existing partnerships with YMCA’s in Sioux Falls, S.D. and Worthington, Minn.
• Members will have the ease-of-mind knowing they have the backing of a high level of medical expertise including direct access to physical therapists, exercise specialists, doctors, and others.
• MeritCare has housed fitness centers open to the public for over 20 years. MeritCare will be closing and moving from its current 17,000 sq foot fitness center at MeritCare Southpointe, 2400 32nd Ave, Fargo. Moving will allow us to expand much needed space for orthopedic doctors to see patients at MeritCare Southpointe.
• Because this is an equal partnership, the new facility will be an independent non-profit organization. Memberships will be available to all community members. We are also working on a plan to grant limited access for existing YMCA members.
• Amenities include: Recreation pool, racquetball and basketball courts, cycling room, running/walking track (nine laps per mile), professionally-certified trainers, cardiovascular equipment, group exercise space, community education room, massage and weights.
• Short-term child care will be available while people are using the facility.
• Sanford Health currently has partnerships with YMCA’s in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Worthington, Minn. These partnerships have great synergy and help to promote a healthy community.
• Sanford Health-MeritCare has an ongoing contract with the Fargo Force to provide sports medicine services and our relationship with the Urban Plains Center has been very positive.
• The YMCA and Sanford-MeritCare are very excited and proud to be part of a great neighborhood very focused on wellness. There are plans in place to develop the surrounding area with a 25-acre public park which will include a half-mile body of water, a boardwalk, sculpture, amphitheater, open green space for activity and over five miles of bike paths. This facility will help to supplement that effort.

Information for the Media
A press conference will be held at the Urban Plains Center, 5225 31st Ave. S., Fargo at 9:30 a.m. Directions: (to avoid the construction zone on 45th St.) Take the Veterans Blvd exit of I-94 south to 32nd Ave.

Spokespeople:
Dennis Millirons, president, MeritCare Medical Center
Paul Finstad, CEO, YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties

Exterior architects renderings of the new facility – Download Image.
Map showing new location in the Urban Plain Development – Download Image.

The building itself is conducive to good work. Each service area is together so people can discuss ideas. They also have great meeting rooms and video conference access that allow employees to stay in touch with each other. Find out more at www.ulteig.com, 297-6587.