In summer 2023, the Ashby Community & Senior Center got a long-overdue facelift — and Lakeside Lumber was glad to be part of the team that made it happen.
The Project
The before-and-after on this one speaks for itself. The original red-brick storefront with a small awning had served Ashby’s senior community for years, but the building was due for an exterior overhaul that matched its role as the community gathering space.
The renovation re-clad the front of the building, added a new gabled entry feature with decorative trusses, refreshed the porch and benches, and updated the signage to read “Ashby Community & Senior Center” — better reflecting its actual use today.
The Partners
Projects like this don’t happen without a lot of people pulling in the same direction. The renovation was a coalition effort:
- Ashby Legacy Fund — project lead and community fundraising
- Blandin Foundation — primary funding partner, supporting community projects across rural Minnesota
- Stan Balgaard Construction — general contractor
- Driggins Electric — electrical work
- Lakeside Lumber — building materials
Why It Matters
The Senior Center isn’t just a building — it’s where a lot of Ashby’s community life happens. Bringing it up to a standard that matches its importance is exactly the kind of project we want to be part of. We’re grateful to the Ashby Legacy Fund for organizing it, the Blandin Foundation for backing it, and to everyone in town who contributed time and resources.
If you haven’t been by since the renovation, it’s worth a look. The corner looks completely different.