Oaks Condominiums celebrating;br; 15 years of success today

Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 29, 1999

The Oaks Condominiums is 15 years old today.

Sunday, August 29, 1999

The Oaks Condominiums is 15 years old today.

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The owners are celebrating. Special guests are admiring the courtyard, relaxing around the piano in the front living room and sharing the excitement of a milestone with residents.

Mindi Cambern, general manager, has a display of old newspaper clippings and advertisements to trace the opening in 1984 to the present.

It is a milestone for an idea that worked.

"Twin Cities developers had the idea and it is really the only one of its kind with everything under one roof," said Cambern.

All 40 units built and furnished in 1984 were sold immediately.

Don and Lillian Adams were the first owners of a condo at the Oaks located along 18th Avenue Northwest and across from OakPark Mall.

"We chose the Oaks because we didn’t want any steps to handle as we got older and we wanted the lawn and other maintenance things taken care of," said Lillian.

Don Adams retired from Hormel Foods Corporation after a 36-year career and buying a condominium was the right decision, according to his wife.

"There are people to socialize with when you want to do that and you can also have your privacy," she said. "We have potlucks and celebrate birthdays and do all sorts of things like take field trips.

"We love it here. We wouldn’t move anywhere else," she said.

Another happy owner is Maxine Amacher, who moved into the Oaks the spring after it opened.

Like the Adamses, she bought a condominium after living in a home in Austin.

"I like everything about the place," she said. "We have coffee in the morning. We get our mail delivered and we have all sorts of conveniences."

"I like everything about the Oaks," she said.

The Oaks offers one- and two-bedroom single-story condos. The one-bedroom has 702 square feet and the two-bedroom, 1,372 square feet.

The list of amenities is considerable. There is central air conditioning, controlled entrance area, lobby lounge area, administrative offices and meeting rooms, public restrooms, a library, two guest rooms and more, including van service four times a day, five days a week – and personal garden spots.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Home manages the condominium complex and delivers meals Tuesdays and Thursdays plus one Saturday evening each month.

Cambern started as a full-time manager in 1996. She was assistant manager there since 1991, when Judy (Mrs. Conrad) Schaefer) held the manager’s position before retiring. Cambern became manager in 1996.

Kim Klapperich is assistant manager.

Vern Shamp and Bob Bahl take care of maintenance duties

Kathy Ramseth and Merilee Blake comprise the house-keeping department and Marlene Schaefer is the meal-server at the Oaks.

A regular program of capital improvements is in place under the supervision of the The Oaks Owners Association. Some roof repairs and seal-coating of the driveway and parking areas is the latest.

One of the most coveted enhancements is the garden in the central courtyard at The Oaks. "They enjoy it very much," said Cambern.

Maxine Amacher, an owner, and her daughter, Diane, an airline flight attendant, were instrumental in bringing the large flower garden complete with trees and shrubs as well as colorful blossoms to life.

Today, the courtyard garden is both a gathering place for owners as well as a point of pride, among many, for all.

Don Adams regularly waters the plants and Diane Amacher returns frequently to visit her mother and tend to garden duties.

Residents also have their own gardens in the rear of the Oaks.

There are 12 new owners at the Oaks since 1998.

Cambern knows them all.

"The residents are very social people," Cambern said. "The owners seem to allow both the opportunity to socialize with others or to respect that you may want to be as private as you can," said Cambern. "It’s really one, big family of people, who respect the individuality of each other."

Cambern is like a college dormitory’s "house mother," seeing to every need of the owners. She joins them on frequent "outings" or trips to area restaurants such as Grumpy’s at Grand Meadow or the 7th Rib at Racine.

Cambern says the condos are all handicapped accessible and "peaceful." Traffic along heavily-traveled 18th Avenue Northwest is not heard inside the complex.