TWO WEEKS HAVE PASSED since my first post about a re-siding project underway at our house due to damage from a mid-April hailstorm.
We halted the project for five days when my son and his girlfriend (whom we met for the first time and absolutely love) flew in from Boston. The second daughter and her 19-month-old son were also here from Madison, Wisconsin. And the other daughter and her family, who live a half hour away, were with us at her house and ours. I absolutely did not want any pounding, dust flying or other construction activity happening while my family was in town.
Those days with my family were glorious. It meant the world to me for all of us to be together. That usually happens only once annually, if that. For several days, I mostly forgot that the exterior north and west sides of our house looked stripped and exposed. No one cared. We were together.
And then reality set in once everyone left and work on the house resumed.
Our general contractor, Minnesota Precision Construction of Bloomington, called in Roselynn Builders of Blaine to ferret out and replace rotted wood. They found rotted studs, rotted sheeting, rotted window frames. So much rot. We had no idea this was hiding under two layers of siding. The condition was such that the west side of our house was somewhat structurally compromised.
I was upset. Stressed. Emotional. None of this rot had anything to do with how we’ve maintained our 100-year-old house for the past 42 years. Rather, it can be attributed to age, past poor workmanship under previous ownership (who installs siding over siding?) resulting in moisture infiltration and more. I cried. Vented. And, yes, even used a few bad words on days when I was particularly upset.
We also needed five new windows due to rotted frames. We went with builder grade rather than wait six to eight weeks for the much better quality Marvin or Anderson windows we prefer. We replaced these same windows 30 years ago with Marvin brand.
The rot specialists initially planned to be here 1 ½ days. That turned into 4 ½ days. By the time the crew left at 11 a.m. last Friday, I knew them well. Justin, Devin, Jeremiah and owner Jeremiah. I have only positive comments about these guys. They arrived, jumped right in and got to work, working at a fast pace. When I had questions, they explained. I appreciate their professionalism, skills, knowledge and craftsmanship. And bonus, they were kind, compassionate and caring. Just like our general contractor.
And so here we are on Tuesday. The siding team has returned. Julio and Alejandro are hard at work as I write. When they showed up unexpectedly, I was so happy. I just want this project done. I recognize, though, that the rotted wood discoveries under two layers of old siding led to the delays. These problems needed to be fixed.
If not for the hail damage and the need to replace our roof and siding, we would have been totally unaware of the rotting wood until something worse happened. Like a partial wall collapse. I’m not construction savvy enough to understand all the possible outcomes. But I do know that it wouldn’t have been good.
Once exterior work is completed, we will have work to do inside. Taping and mudding of sheetrock in the upstairs bedrooms is needed due to screws popping, seams cracking and other minor construction damage. This is an old house; things shift. Then it’s trimming the windows and painting.
It’s been a bit of a domino effect with one thing leading to another. We are now thinking of updating the kitchen before the new window above the sink is trimmed. Paint the cupboards. Replace the countertop, backsplash, sink and floor. Do something with the plaster ceiling and walls. My kitchen is outdated 1970s vintage—brown sink, leaky faucet, Formica countertop, yellowed cupboards.. I’ve disliked it for years.
I’d love to have an all-new kitchen, including new cupboards. But that is not in the budget. We need to come up with an affordable plan, roll up our sleeves and get to work, doing what we can, hiring out what we can’t.
I can dream. I need the distraction. But then, realistically, I wonder if I can handle the stress and expense of another house project…
THOUGHTS ON ANY OF THIS?
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
My take on the state-hosted Allina-Sutter community forum in Faribault July 31, 2026
Tags: Allina Health, Allina Health Faribault Medical Center, commentary, community forum, health, healthcare, listening session, Minnesota State Attorney General's office, news, proposed acquisition, Sutter Health
I’VE BEEN SITTING on pages and pages of notes from a community forum held in Faribault earlier this week on the proposed sale of Minnesota-based Allina Health to California-based Sutter Health. The Minnesota State Attorney General’s Office hosted the meeting, which drew around 200 people.
The intent of the listening session, according to Attorney General Keith Ellison, was to evaluate if the proposal is in the public interest. He cited concerns like wages, competition, unions and access to services. By state law (Statute 145D.01), Ellison is required to consider public input and then make a decision.
But Wednesday’s listening session, which allowed those who signed up in advance to comment for one minute each, seemed anything but a community-oriented event. Rather, Sutter flew in top leaders. Likewise Allina was well-represented by leaders and employees. This seemed well-orchestrated and slanted toward the proposed acquisition. Sixty-two people, nearly all healthcare leaders or professionals and others in leadership positions, spoke.
AVERAGE PERSON UNHEARD
I felt like the average person, the patients, the people in my city and surrounding areas served by Allina Health, were not well-represented. Maybe it’s their fault for not showing up more than they did. Maybe they weren’t aware of the meeting. Maybe they were, like me, intimidated by speaking before a crowd. Maybe jumping through the hoops to comment and/or register online and then waiting to learn the meeting location proved too technologically difficult. I think all factored into the voice of everyday people being mostly left unheard. Two friends of mine who registered online never received email notification of the meeting location.
I didn’t speak. I could have. But I’m uncomfortable standing in front of and addressing a large audience. I’d prefer a roundtable approach, where every voice, not just those of polished professionals, is heard, in person, not via a comment form.
AN IMPACTFUL STORY
Yet it was the voice of a rural Faribault resident who made the most impactful comment of the evening, in my opinion. And it was because of a personal story he shared. Stories connect us, proving to be undeniably powerful in making a point.
This man spoke of a neighbor finding him unresponsive, an ambulance transporting him to the Faribault hospital and then learning from his healthcare team that he had been within minutes of death. His point: He likely would not have survived a longer transport to a hospital in another community.
“If we have to go back to the municipal model, let’s do it,” he said. The Faribault hospital was community-owned until Allina bought Rice County District One Hospital in 2015. And now, 11 years later, change could be, likely will be, coming again with a large California-based healthcare nonprofit buying a smaller Minnesota healthcare nonprofit.
FROM OUT OF STATE & BIGGER
That concerns me—a much larger entity from out of state buying a healthcare system that currently provides services throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin, including in Faribault and neighboring Owatonna. Allina just recently closed Faribault’s birthing center.
The CEOs of both Allina and Sutter used the word “partnership” multiple times in describing the proposed purchase of Allina by Sutter. In my head, I was thinking, “Call it what it is, a sale.”
EMPHASIS ON LOCAL CARE
Allina CEO Lisa Shannon, stating that “healthcare is in real trouble,” something we all know, promised access to affordable and high quality care, keeping the patient as close to home as possible. Likewise Sutter CEO Warner Thomas said several times that “Local care is best care.” I agree. I prefer local to going out of town for my healthcare, although I understand sometimes that’s necessary.
I hope the two CEOs mean what they said. Numerous commenters asked for assurances in writing to protect patients and employees. That seems a valid request.
TECHNOLOGY & FINAL THOUGHTS
The topic of technology also came up repeatedly in referencing benefits of the acquisition by Sutter Health. That bothered me, not because I don’t consider advances in technology in healthcare to be important, but because technology was emphasized so much. It is people who are at the heart of healthcare, not technology.
I could write much more about the positives and negatives expressed during the state-hosted listening session. But rather I’ll stop, hoping that the distrust, doubts and concerns I feel are unwarranted. I will continue to stay informed.
I hope, if this purchase happens, that healthcare in Faribault remains strong—available, accessible and affordable for everyone. That means no closures, no loss of services. I hope I can continue to get most of my healthcare locally from professionals I’ve grown to know and trust. That’s important to me, especially as an aging Baby Boomer.
THOUGHTS?
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling