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ADRIAN - Ground was broken Wednesday afternoon for a building on Adrian’s Maine Avenue that will house a new Sanford Adrian Clinic.
The current clinic is located in the former Arnold Memorial Hospital in Adrian, an aging structure where temperature has been difficult to regulate. Representatives from Sanford had been in talks with city officials on a potential new site for the past few years, according to Adrian City Administrator Bruce Heitkamp.
The new building will be constructed and owned by Lyndon Drenth on a bare lot just north of Adrian City Hall. The site had been vacant since fire destroyed the hardware store and cafe, and resulted in the demolition of a bakery in December 2004.
Sanford will lease the more than 3,300-square-foot building, which will include exam rooms for family medicine, physical therapy, radiology and a laboratory.
“We are excited that this new clinic location will feature the same great providers offering the same excellent care that demonstrates their commitment to the community,” said Tammy Loosbrock, senior director of Sanford Health Adrian Clinic and Sanford Luverne Medical Center. “We are looking forward to joining the businesses on Maine (Avenue) and are happy that our proximity to the pharmacy will offer extra convenience to our patients.”
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The clinic is scheduled to open in December, and will be staffed by one certified physician’s assistant and one medical doctor.
Adrian Mayor John Faber said he is looking forward to the new Sanford Clinic’s opening in the community’s downtown area.
“I’m a retired person, my wife is retired. If Adrian would not offer a clinic, a pharmacy, a dentist, a grocery store it would make it awful hard to live here,” he said. “We’re working toward filling those needs to hopefully keep our people living here in Adrian.”
Faber said having the clinic downtown adds to the vitality of Maine Avenue.
“It looks a lot nicer - it doesn’t look like we’re a dying community,” he said.
The city of Adrian agreed to a 10-year, 50 percent tax abatement for the building project. The city is also contributing some manual labor - the removal of the curb along Second Street so that diagonal parking can line the north side of the new clinic.
Approximately 50 people attended Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
“The community support we have received is so appreciated,” said Loosbrock. “We strongly value our community partnerships including those we have established with our builder, the city, county and school.”
