Caledonia Argus

Houston County Historical Society seeks support from county board

Posted: 7/15/03

The Houston County Historical Society made its annual request for support at the county board meeting of July 8.

Shirley Johnson, Georgia Rosendahl, Anita Palmquist and Richard Cordes attended the board meeting to discuss the Societyís budget and plans for the future.

ìI hope we can have your continued support,î Johnson told the board.

The proposed budget for the historical society for 2004 is $48,400. Of that amount, the society is requesting a total of $34,000 from the county. That figure represents $29,000 from the county levy and $5,000 in matching funds.

Johnson told the board that a number of people use the resources of the historical society for research, and the society does not charge for its services in assisting those people. Anita Palmquist told the board that the members of the society feel that they receive more through donations from people grateful for the help than if they would charge for their services.

The county board was informed that the historical society had its most successful book sale ever this year, bringing in $3,800.

In regard to plans for a new building, the representatives of the historical society told the board that about $150,000 of the $700,000 needed to construct the building has been raised. The society would like to have at least two-thirds available before ground is broken for the project. The building will be built at the Houston County Fairgrounds and will be located near the societyís existing buildings which include a museum, pioneer home, town hall, church and school. The society has received a number of donations which it has had to put in storage because of a lack of space in its current facilities.

The Houston County Historical Society is run entirely on volunteer help. It has no paid staff.

Lutheran Home to reduce nursing home beds

In another matter, the board approved a letter to be sent to the Minnesota Department of Human Services supporting an application from The Lutheran Home-Caledonia to close 12 active beds and place four beds on layaway. The move reduces the capacity of the Lutheran Home to 50.

Lloyd Swalve, administrator of The Lutheran Home, told the board that he had originally applied to close 16 beds, 12 of which were on layaway status.

Swalve explained that the state has implemented a $2,900 yearly surcharge on all active beds, whether occupied or not. The Lutheran Home recently raised its rates $5.56 per resident per day to address this surcharge. That charge is paid by all residents, whether they are private pay or on Medical Assistance. Medical assistance is paid approximately half by the state and half by the federal government. The increased daily rate allows the state to leverage more federal dollars, said Swalve.

The state has put a moratorium on nursing home beds in the state, Swalve explained. However, the Lutheran Home was granted a moratorium exception last year while it contemplates developing a specialized facility for memory care or Alzheimers care. As of the present time, the project is on hold while discussions are held with neighboring nursing homes to determine what the needs of the region are and to avoid duplication of services. The state has already approved a $3.5 million project, and has extended the deadline for submitting the project plan to mid-2005.

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