Feb. 21, 2019
 An expansion and infrastructure upgrade to the child care center within the Cook County Community YMCA is scheduled for completion this spring. The facility is the only child care center in Grand Marais and is located adjacent to the K-12 Cook County school campus, which serves students and families from the surrounding communities of Hovland, Grand Marais, Grand Portage, the Gunflint Trail, Lutsen, Schroeder and Tofte.
New restrooms with child-size accommodations will be added, as well as an outdoor play space for children up to age five. The improvements (both ADA compliant) will increase the facility’s capacity from 42 to 75 children per day including infants, preschoolers, toddlers and school age children.
The YMCA opened ten years ago as a traditional community center adjacent to the school campus. Membership was originally projected at 400 members. It now has approximately 1,600 members and one of the highest retention rates in the nation. There is a shared services agreement between the YMCA and the school district for cross-use of amenities including playgrounds, weight room and fitness center, aquatics center, gymnasiums, food service and transportation.
“Child care was not part of the facility’s original plan,” said Emily Marshall, Cook County YMCA executive director. “However several years ago the need for quality child care in Cook County became abundantly clear. Our facility responded, adapted and began offering child care in 2014, including care for children with special needs. We have become a pioneer success story with Ys across the nation in learning how to best serve and respond to community needs.”
According to the Center for Rural Policy and Development (CRPD) the state’s child care need is by far the greatest in northeastern Minnesota where there's a huge gap between the number of families needing child care and the number of providers available.
“The child care expansion at the Cook County YMCA is very important to the region’s families, employers and workforce,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “The state’s child care shortage is a critical economic issue, and this expansion will be a tremendous asset to our region.”
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported this project with a development infrastructure grant funded through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. Other project partners include Cook County, City of Grand Marais, ISD 166, Duluth YMCA, Northland Foundation, Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation and Laura Jane Musser Foundation. Email Chris Ismil or call him at 218-735-3010 for more information.
Building photo courtesy of JLG Architects.
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A 22-acre campground complex with 49 new campsites for recreational vehicles and tent campers will be added to Birch Lake Recreation Area in Babbitt. Construction will begin this spring and is scheduled to be completed by 2021.
Birch Lake is 7,600 acres and 21 miles long with 80 miles of shoreline and several islands. It is one of the most heavily fished lakes in northeastern Minnesota. The lake is 75 percent undeveloped, has 14 backcountry campsites and is located two portages away from the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness.
The Recreation Area currently has a popular developed swimming beach, picnic area and beach house. To prepare for the campground expansion, the city of Babbitt recently reconstructed the existing public boat landing with a new parking area with handicapped parking, two new docks, concrete boat landing ramp, boat cleaning area and rain garden for storm water runoff.
“Birch Lake attracts outdoor recreation tourists and anglers from Minnesota, the United States and Canada,” said Cathy Bissonette, city of Babbitt clerk/treasurer. “The new campground is expected to increase tourist traffic even further because it will be connected to new Prospector Loop ATV trail system and eventually to the paved Mesabi Bike Trail.”
According to Explore Minnesota, tourism in the state is a 15-billion-dollar industry. When completed the new Birch Lake campground will become a part of that economic engine.
“ATV use in Minnesota is very high and continues to grow each year,” said Joe Scherer, city of Babbitt recreation director. “The new campground and its proximity to the Prospector Loop can attract week-long stays, which is great news for the community of Babbitt and its businesses.”
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported this project with a Development Infrastructure grant to the city of Babbitt through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. Other funding partners include the city of Babbitt, State of Minnesota Capital Bonds and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. Email Chris Ismil or call him at 218-735-3010 for information.
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 The new Regional Trails grant program assists with engineering and construction of various types of new trails such as snowmobile, bicycle, ski, hiking and ATV. Nine projects were recently awarded grants that will either create new trails or improve existing trails throughout the region.
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City of Crosby: Multi-use trail system tunnel connector under Highway 6 ($134,000 for tunnel construction) IMPROVEMENT!
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City of Ely: Hidden Valley mountain bike skills trail ($20,000 for trail construction) NEW!
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City of Ely: Partnership among three regional ATV clubs to develop the Prospectors Loop trail, Voyageur Country trial and Quad Cities trail ($2.3 million for trail construction, engineering bridges and culverts) NEW!
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City of Grand Rapids: Multi-use trail connector between downtown Grand Rapids and Cohasset ($250,000 for trail construction) NEW!
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City of Mountain Iron: Forested hiking and Nordic skiing trail adjacent to K-12 school ($5,000 for bridge construction) IMPROVEMENT!
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Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority: Mountain bike trail connector between Britton Peak and Lutsen Mountain ($375,000 for trail construction, trailhead enhancement and signage) NEW!
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Iron Range Tourism Bureau: ATV trail connector between Virginia and Eveleth, accessing Highway 53 bridge ($60,897 for trail construction, signage and culvert) NEW!
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Lake County: Split Rock Wilds mountain bike trail in Two Harbors ($300,000 for trail construction and bridges) NEW!
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Northern Lights Nordic Ski Club: Sugar Hills Nordic Ski Trails in Grand Rapids ($9,056 for signage and trailhead enhancement) IMPROVEMENT!
“Trails can have important economic impacts to a rural region,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “They attract tourism spending and auxiliary startup businesses such as rental and repair shops. Trails can also be a business recruiting tool for health care and other large industries.”
Projects require a one-to-one match, and grants were awarded based upon community impact and partnerships, economic impact, job creation, project leverage and readiness. The Regional Trails program is funded at $3.47 million for fiscal year 2019.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation funds the Regional Trails program through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. For more information email Jim Plummer or call him at 218-274-7006.
Strong arts, culture, heritage and recreational activities are essential to the quality of life and economy of our region. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation offers the Culture and Tourism grant program that supports those projects, and applications will be accepted March 1-29 for the 2019 funding cycle.
Learn more about the grant guidelines and application processes by clicking here. Eligible applicants (nonprofit organizations) are encouraged to apply and can access the grant application portal (FLUXX) by clicking here.
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