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Construction on the alumni garden on the Luverne Middle-High School campus began in earnest last week with landscapers spending days removing dirt from the location.
Steve “Junior” Selseth with Oh’Landscapes out of Mayer, Minnesota, is heading up the project.
“This whole project is design built,” he said. “There is a basic format that was agreed upon but basically it is built as we go.”
Once the area is fully excavated, the project will begin first with the setting of 154 tons of granite slaps. Sioux quartzite boulders will be added along with similar materials used in other monuments and gardens in Luverne.
After preparations to improve drainage and the installation of electrical and irrigation lines are complete, the garden build will begin.
Timeline has Selseth moving the granite pieces into place the first week in June with construction finished before the start of the 2023-24 school year in September.
“It’s going to be a cool project,” Selseth said.
The alumni garden is a Luverne Education Legacy Fund (LELF) project, which funds various school facility improvements through community donations.
The garden project is primarily funded through the KAHR Foundation, including a hall of fame wall to recognize former Luverne students.
Initial costs were slated at $1.4 million.
The existing steel canopy will be incorporated into the garden design that includes a 30- to 40- person seating area with podium and sound system.
Vegetation will surround the garden.
Alumni hall of fame unveiled this fall
The inaugural induction for the Luverne Public School’s Alumni Hall of Fame will take place this fall during the district homecoming weekend.
Luverne Superintendent Craig Oftedahl reported to the March 23 school board that the selection committee received 20 applications.
“Very deserving nominations” is how Oftedahl described the candidates.
The committee anticipates selecting no more than eight individuals to honor. Nominees not selected this year will be considered the following year.
Individuals selected will have shown excellence in their profession; exceptional service, volunteerism and/or contributions to society; excellence in their personal endeavors; and/or contributions to education. Individuals must exhibit qualities of character and action to be outstanding role models for current students supporting District 2184’s vision: Learn, live, lead.