March 6, 2019
 A new public art space and monument paying tribute to famed Hibbing native Bob Dylan will be completed this fall on the campus of his alma mater Hibbing High School.
Dylan gained world notoriety through his music career that has spanned over 50 years. He made history in 2016 when he became the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." This placed him in the company of other Literature recipients such as Rudyard Kipling, Sinclair Lewis (also a native Minnesotan), William Faulkner, Sir Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway and “Grapes of Wrath” author John Steinbeck.
The Nobel Literature Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. The other categories include Chemistry, Physics, Physiology/Medicine and Peace.
The wall-like tribute will on one side feature a bronze chair set against a steel backdrop etched with a selection of Dylan’s song lyrics. The other side of the wall will be constructed of the same brick and stone as the historical high school and complement its architecture. The area can be utilized by students and teachers as a small open-air stage and amphitheater for education, poetry readings, speeches, and choir and band performances.
“The tribute honors education, community and art,” said Katie Fredeen, Hibbing Dylan Project volunteer. “It creates a space for students and people to reflect about the many ways Bob Dylan’s music career has influenced their lives. It is also an important reminder that students from rural regions can achieve great accomplishments that positively influence human culture.”
The tribute is being managed by the all-volunteer local nonprofit organization, Hibbing Dylan Project, whose goal is to celebrate Dylan’s career by providing educational and inspirational opportunities for aspiring young artists in northeastern Minnesota.
“In Dylan’s Nobel Lecture he connected his song lyrics back to the lessons and experiences he had as a teenager at Hibbing High School,” said Fredeen. “Dylan explained that he had principles, sensibilities and an informed view of the world, which he credits to learning in grammar school.”
A ground breaking ceremony is scheduled for May 24, and completion is set for October which marks the third anniversary of Dylan’s Nobel Prize award. The Hibbing Dylan Project organization is seeking monetary donations to help fund the project. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported this project with a Culture & Tourism grant through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. Email Danae Beaudette for details or call her at 218-735-3022.
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Minnesota Indian Affairs Council holds quarterly meeting
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT) hosted its 39th annual reception and dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 26 in St. Paul, honoring state of Minnesota officials and legislators.
The Chippewa Tribe is comprised of Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and White Earth reservations. It is a federally recognized tribal government that promotes and protects the member Bands while providing services and technical assistance to the reservation governments and tribal people.
Earlier in the day, the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council held its quarterly board meeting in St. Paul. The council serves as a liaison of the Indian tribes and the state of Minnesota and works to protect the sovereignty of the state's 11 tribes and ensure the well-being of their American Indian citizens.
Pictured at the MCT annual reception and dinner are Cathy Chavers, Bois Forte Tribal Council Woman and MCT president; Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Commissioner Mark Phillips; and (Janice) Marie Spry, Grand Portage vice-chair, acting Tribal Council Woman. Spry is serving as acting Tribal Council Woman, upon the death of Grand Portage Chairman Norman Deschampe, who passed away on Feb. 9 at the age of 65.
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Range Regional Airport Industrial Airpark in Hibbing last week became the first certified “Shovel Ready” development site in the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation service area. See map.
Certification gives the Iron Range a competitive edge in attracting business startups, expansions or relocations. It is a benefit to companies and site selectors because certification takes much of the time, expense, unpredictability and risk out of development by completing in advance the key legal, technical and regulatory tasks.
Minnesota “Shovel-Ready” certified sites have had all of the planning, zoning, surveys, title work, environmental studies, soils analysis and public infrastructure engineering completed prior to the site being offered for sale.
“Most of the “Shovel-Ready” certified sites are in the Twin Cities, so certifying the Hibbing site will significantly benefit our region’s business recruitment work,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “The certification can help put projects on a fast-track.”
The Hibbing site has 58 certified acres and provides excellent transportation options due to its adjacency to the Range Regional Airport and State Highway 37. Based on the characteristics of the site, the property was deemed best suited to the following industry uses:
- Light manufacturing.
- Small food processing.
- General commercial/industrial.
Minnesota “Shovel-Ready” certification is administered by Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation collaborated on this project with Minnesota Power and Chisholm-Hibbing Airport Authority. Email Janelle Greschner or call her at 218-735-3029 for information.
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A 15-acre municipal campground with 49 new campsites for recreational vehicles will be added adjacent to Black Beach in Silver Bay on the North Shore. Construction will begin this spring, and the campground is scheduled to open May 15, 2020.
Black Beach is 31.6 acres with 3,500 feet of shoreline. It is known for its black hue and diamond like sparkling sand that was created by the natural sediment transport of past taconite mine tailings. There is no other beach or shoreline like it on Lake Superior.
North Shore Mining Company owns the Black Beach shoreline and co-leased the beach to the city of Silver Bay and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Silver Bay owns the campground land and will operate it within its Parks and Recreation department.
“Obtaining legal access to Black Beach was a historical event and an excellent example of a public private partnership that reclaims mining land for public use,” said Silver Bay City Administrator Lana Fralich. “Our long-term lease with Northshore Mining has no monetary exchanges so it is a sizeable gift to the public from the private sector.”
Black Beach’s location in Silver Bay centrally places it between Duluth, Grand Marias and the Iron Range. Nearby amenities include the Silver Bay Marina, Silver Bay Golf Course, and the new North Shore Adventure Park, an aerial ropes course and zip line scheduled to open later this year. There is an abundance of biking, hiking, ATV and snowmobile trails, as well as four state parks including Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche and Temperance River.
“Since becoming public in 2015, tourists have flocked to the Black Beach area, and campground requests have poured in,” said Fralich. “We are anticipating a great response from this project, both from campground users and the business community who may experience more visitor traffic.”
According to Explore Minnesota, tourism in the state is a $15 billion industry. When completed the new Black Beach campground will become a part of that economic engine and operate May through October.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported this project with a Development Infrastructure grant to the city of Silver Bay through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. Other funding partners include the city of Silver Bay, State of Minnesota Capital Bonds and Minnesota DNR. Email Chris Ismil or call him at 218-735-3010 for information.
Photo credit: Michelle Pierson
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Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation received a BOLD “special recognition” award for responding to the demand for skilled workers as it relates to recruiting and retaining businesses in our region. The agency added workforce development to its business incentive toolbox by providing funding and resources for customized curriculum and training, in particular the fast-track welding program.
BOLD awards are presented by the Minnesota Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. Director of Business Recruitment Janelle Greschner (pictured) accepted the award on behalf of the agency.
View the agency's BOLD video.
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