Katryn Conlin, Communications Director
651-385-6364, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Bergwall Arena on MSC Southeast campus in Red Wing is slated for demolition this fall
Red Wing, MN (September 28, 2017) - Since 1983, Bergwall Arena has stood on the Red Wing campus of Minnesota State College Southeast. This fall the building will be demolished.
"Due to the extremely poor condition of the building, and the fact that it has become a safety hazard, it cannot be renovated or re-purposed," according to Michael Kroening, MSC Southeast CFO and facilities manager. "Instead, the area will be graded and planted over until such time as we are able to expand our campus and put the available land to good use."
From 1983 to 2012, the arena and an accompanying 3-acre parking lot was owned and maintained by the Red Wing School District. In 2012, the college purchased the arena from the school district, with the understanding that the arena would continue to be operated by Red Wing Schools for another 3-5 years and then demolished.
In 2015, due to the mounting costs of maintenance and operation, and faced with budget deficits, the school board voted to close the arena permanently.
State funding has been allocated for the arena demolition, landscaping, and improvements to the remaining exterior of the college campus. The college has set a goal of recycling or re-using 80% of the demolition waste, which far surpasses the 50% required by the State of Minnesota.
Future use of the land might include creating more classroom and lab space for the health sciences and STEM-related programs. However, breaking ground on any new building project would take place several years in the future.
Bergwall Arena was named in honor of George A. Bergwall (1919-1981), a long-time resident of Red Wing who was an active supporter of youth sports. The college will be setting aside a number of bricks from the building for those who might want to keep part of it as a memento.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) for "Demolition of Bergwall Arena" has been announced. For more information, see www.minnstate.edu/vendors.
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About Minnesota State College Southeast
Minnesota State College Southeast is a two-year technical and community college that prepares students for a lifetime of learning by providing education for employment, skill enhancement, retraining, and transfer, to meet the needs of students and the community. The Winona campus opened in 1949, merging with the Red Wing campus in 1992 and updating its name to Minnesota State College Southeast in 2016 with the change of mission to offer both technical training and the associate of arts degree. Minnesota State College Southeast is a member of Minnesota State. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.