The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board approved an $18 million loan to support development of a $52.8 million biotechnology manufacturing facility at its Friday, Oct. 30 meeting in Eveleth.

Sweetwater Energy, of Rochester, New York, plans to utilize the loan to help construct a commercial scale biotechnology facility in Mountain Iron that would be fed by northeastern Minnesota forestry resources. 

“This project places northeastern Minnesota into the leading edge of the growing green biotechnology industry,” said Mark Phillips, IRRRB Commissioner. “It’s an innovative process that makes use of our region’s natural resources, creates new well-paying jobs, and helps diversify the region’s economy.”

The facility will use Sweetwater’s patented biomass processing technology, which splits Minnesota’s local timber and waste wood into its constituent components quickly without producing harmful byproduct chemicals. Those components then become the building blocks of many types of biochemicals used throughout the world.

“We can’t say enough about how thrilled we are to work with the great people in Minnesota,” said Arunas Chesonis, Sweetwater Energy chairman and chief executive officer. “Right from the start they’ve been welcoming and energetic, and we’re looking forward to offering solid employment in the region and expanding there as we grow.”  

Combined with IRRRB support, loans from the 21st Century Minerals Fund ($6 million), Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Minnesota Investment Fund ($1 million), and Minnesota Agricultural and Economic Development Board ($1 million), would provide total funding of $26 million for the project. The facility would become operational in 2017. 

Community leaders from Cuyuna Range are invited to communicate priorities for the area at a Tuesday, Nov. 10 listening session with IRRRB Assistant Commissioner Joe Radinovich.

The listening session, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at Heartwood Senior Living Community in Crosby, is aimed at gathering input on business, community, and workforce development needs in the Cuyuna Range area.

“As the IRRRB moves ahead with strategic planning and funding decisions for coming years, it’s very important that we hear from community leaders,” said Radinovich.  "We’re looking forward to meeting with community leaders at a number of listening sessions across our service area to learn about their development priorities.”

Mayors, city councilors, economic and community development, education, chamber of commerce, and other community leaders are invited to the sessions.

Over the next few months, listening sessions will be scheduled in communities across the IRRRB service area. The second listening session is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Wacootah Grill at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. 

RSVP by contacting Sara Ferkul at sara.ferkul@state.mn.us or 218-735-3043.

Six months after opening the 2015 Minnesota fishing season on the Iron Range, Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith return Thursday for the 13th Annual Minnesota Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener.

A record number of Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener events that are open to the public begin Thursday at Mountain Iron Community Center.

“The Governor understands the outdoors and the habitat,” said Mike Kurre, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources liaison who has helped organize the event. “And we’re lucky that we will have the Lieutenant Governor coming up as well.”

Never in the history of the Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener has there been as many activities for the public, said Kurre.

The expo, which will run from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the community center, includes a variety of outdoor and hunting related booths, a blaze orange group photo, air rifle shooting competition, an archery competition between student Mountain Iron archers and their teachers, scat, track, and hide identification competition, a butchering clinic, and sausage cooking performed by several prominent Iron Range meat businesses. All are free and open to the public. 

For Mountain Iron, which turned 125 years old in August, it’s a huge event, said Mayor Gary Skalko. 

“It’s really an honor and a privilege to be hosting the event,” said Skalko. “It’s an asset for our community and for the entire Iron Range to be able to showcase the whole Range.”   

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A major facelift is underway on the storefront of the historic Lyric Building in downtown Virginia.

By the end of 2016, members of the Laurentian Arts and Culture Alliance (LACA) plan to have completed a $200,000 renovation to the storefront of the former vaudeville theater on Chestnut Street. 

The renovation is part of a plan to restore the building back to the era of the early 1900s when it was a bustling venue for arts and entertainment in the Queen City.

“We hope to become a destination place in the future where we have the theater in the building up and running and be able to hold programs there,” said Mary McReynolds, chair of the LACA renovation committee. “There’s a wealth of musicians and artists in the region. Having a hub like this will do a lot to promote artistic and educational opportunities.”

Since acquiring the 21,370 square-foot building in 1998, LACA has replaced the roof, built an art gallery in the structure, finished a reuse study, and completed interior and exterior renovation assessments and designs.

The next step in the renovation is to restore the storefront, including the construction of seven accessible doorways. The doorways will be constructed to replicate the building’s seven original doors. 

IRRRB provided a Culture and Tourism grant to LACA to assist the storefront renovation.

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Recreational trails abound across the Iron Range.

There’s trails for all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, recreational bicycles, mountain bikes, off-highway motorcycles, and cross country skiing. There’s even trails for horses.

With the formation of a Regional Trails Task Force, the Iron Range Tourism Bureau is serving as a catalyst to promote, develop, and sustain all types of recreational trails across the Iron Range.

“We have a great product here with all the trails we have,” said Beth Pierce, Iron Range Tourism Bureau director. “We want to better promote our trails. We’re looking at identifying the things we need to talk about and then work on whatever the group has the desire to work on.” 

The task force held its first meeting in October. About 25 representatives from various trails and recreational groups attended, including public and private organizations.

“It went really well,” Pierce said of the initial meeting. “They really want to work together.”

The task force plans to examine a number of topics including legislation regarding permanent right-of-ways, GPS mapping, grant funding, purpose-built trails, advertising, engineering services, and the need for new trail volunteers.

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