VINE breaks ground on building improvement project

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) -In 2014 VINE moved into their current building.

It’s been a long decade with lots of changes, with membership dropping to record lows during COVID, and has now once again doubling since then.

With the continued growth of the facility, VINE has officially broken ground on some renovations to their facility.

“We’re going to start on the fifth floor and work our way down to the first floor. Interior renovations, freshen up the space, some new locker room additions, and then the big scope of the project is really going to be remodeling of the front entryway as well as some additional parking in the parking lot,” said Nate Host of APX Construction Group.

The construction is expected to finish by the end of the year, and will run alongside VINE’s usual programs, which will take some teamwork between VINE and construction crews.

All in all the project will cost around $3-million, a significant amount of money for the organization.

Luckily that bill has been taken care of.

Two community members, Jim and Jennie Ward, have taken care of the funding on behalf of VINE.

That support combined with a groundbreaking event that saw support from local organizations and city leaders like mayor Najwa Massad is something that VINE said they could not go without.

“At the heart of everything that VINE does, it’s about making this community a better for people to live and grow older, and all of us are aging, so I think when you see the people that come out today it’s because everybody understands that we’re all aging and VINE is an asset for everyone,” said VINE CEO Melinda Wedzina.

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