The city of Albert Lea is celebrating the completion of the Fountain Lake sidewalk project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday at noon on the corner of North Shore Avenue and Lakewood Avenue. 

This project included the installation of the following new sidewalks:

Martin Road: 2,150 ft

Lakeview Boulvard: 1,410 ft

Fountain Street: 751 ft

Albert Lea Street: 931 ft

North Shore Avenue: 1,147 ft

While all the sidewalk segments were planned to be finished in the next three years, the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project played a factor in insuring that they were done in a more condensed time frame.

“This project really highlighted the importance of connectivity and emphasized the importance of sidewalks and shared user paths to the community, said Steven Janhke, Albert Lea director of public works. “Albert Lea was moving toward more improvements in its non-motorized paths, but the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project advanced the educational learning curve and implementation of construction significantly.”

Joel Spoonheim, director of health initiatives for Blue Zones couldn’t be more pleased. “The completion of this segment of sidewalks in Albert Lea is a long-term investment in the health and longevity of all residents. It’s especially wonderful that people can now enjoy the entire beauty of Fountain Lake.”