By Ed Shannon, staff writer

All it took was one major project to nearly double the city&8217;s total valuation for building permits this year.

This particular building permit with a valuation of $15,337,001 was issued to the Naeve Health Care Association for the expansion of the Albert Lea Medical Center by two more floors, plus interior remodeling, according to the city&8217;s report. As a result, the total valuation for the 46 permits issued during October is $16,679,415. This increases the valuation for permits issued during the first 10 months of the year to $32,400,743.

At the end of October 2005, the city&8217;s report lists a total valuation of $26,645,455 for permits issued.

A permit with a valuation of $400,000 was issued to Alpha Orthodontics, 1647 W. Main St., for the remodeling of a portion of the Skyline Plaza for its future location.

Another October permit with a valuation of $275,000 was issued to Doug Lembke for a 44-by-92-foot building at 703 Algon St.

Building permits with valuations of $80,000 each were issued for a remodeling project on the building at 404 S. Broadway Ave., plus an 18-by-30-foot building at 1221 Sykes St. for Northern Natural Gas.

The Freeborn County Planning and Zoning Office issued 29 building permits during October with a listed valuation of $411,818. This increases the estimated valuation for county-issued permits to $4,727,164 for the first 10 months of the year.

The county permits issued during October include seven for new garages and seven for home additions.