Dec. 21, 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sheryl Kochevar, Communications Director
218-735-3021, Sheryl.Kochevar@state.mn.us
At today's Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board meeting, approximately $680,000 in loans, $5.7 million in infrastructure grants, $2.6 million in trails grants, $9.4 million in mining fund rebates, $8.3 million in Giants Ridge development, $6.7 million in K-12 school collaboration funds, and $985,000 in higher education funds were approved to advance projects in northeastern Minnesota. Agency total investment for all projects combined is approximately $34.3 million. Total project investment is approximately $95.9 million. The projects are expected to increase the regional tax base, create permanent and construction jobs, provide essential services, improve education and expand outdoor recreation and mining. The loans are anticipated to impact 26 jobs. The infrastructure projects are projected to impact 148 jobs and create 348 construction jobs.
Participation Loans: $680,121
Agency Investment $680,121 | Total Investment $2,109,017 | Leverage: 1.8 : 1
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Range Tool Company, LLC, Gilbert: $200,000 to purchase four currently leased machines and consolidate other smaller notes to reduce monthly expenses and improve cashflow. Range Tool is a firearm machine shop and manufacturer.
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Advanced Machine Guarding Solutions (AMGS), Hibbing: $100,000 to purchase materials to build new machines and systems that will improve quality, increase efficiency and increase capacity. AMGS designs and produces safety steel wire mesh guarding for the automation industry.
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Smoke on the Water, Coleraine: $380,121 to renovate an existing building and purchase equipment for a new production winery, cidery and bar/restaurant venue.
Development Infrastructure Grants: $3,114,000
Agency Investment $3,114,000 | Total Investment $38,280,479 | Leverage: 11.3 : 1
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Cook County/Grand Marias EDA: $450,000 to construct infrastructure for the expansion of a transfer station to support North Shore Waste’s new 22,000-square-foot facility on 11 acres adjacent to their current operations.
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Cook County/Grand Marias EDA: $500,000 to construct infrastructure for a new 51-unit, mixed-income multi-family apartment building in Grand Marais.
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City of Grand Rapids: $264,000 to construct infrastructure for a private 10-hangar development at Grand Rapids/Itasca County Airport.
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Great Scott Township: $500,000 to construct infrastructure for the expansion of a new 11,700-square-foot meat processing facility with a 4,500-square-foot warehouse. Northern Minnesota Meat Company will provide service to farmers within a 100-mile radius of the facility.
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City of Virginia: $400,000 to upgrade and relocate infrastructure for the continued redevelopment of Uptown Virginia retail mall. The interior small shop space and commons area will be redeveloped to make way for a new anchor store, a new junior anchor store, additional new smaller retail operators, expansion of an existing retailer, and relocation of existing smaller tenants to existing stores with exterior entrances. New loading docks will be added.
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Virginia Community Foundation: $1,000,000 for property acquisition, facility upgrades and operational startup costs of the former YMCA facility in Mountain Iron which ceased operations in July 2022. Mesabi Fit Coalition will reopen the facility as a community recreation and fitness center.
Community Infrastructure Grants: $2,625,000
Agency Investment $2,625,000 | Total Investment $20,924,690 | Leverage: 7 : 1
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City of Aurora: $1,000,000 to construct infrastructure for Phase I of the new East Range water system which includes two new watermains to serve two residential areas, a new water intake facility, and a new raw water transmission line. The city’s existing water system is outdated and not suitable for continued use.
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City of Cook: $238,000 to upgrade infrastructure and reconstruct roads, which includes improving storm sewer and drainage in a residential area.
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Ellsburg Township: $79,000 to construct a new fire hall building that will house a medical response truck and equipment to serve year-round and seasonal homes.
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City of Eveleth: $350,000 to upgrade infrastructure for a sewer force main and a communication system at the water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant. The project will improve communications and reliability at five lift stations, a water booster station and a water tank. A slip ramp will also be constructed.
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Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe: $243,000 to construct infrastructure and build a new Cultural & Tourism Center in the S-Lake community. The project will also upgrade an adjacent RV park and roundhouse facility.
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City of Silver Bay: $250,000 to make facility upgrades for expansion of a public library including entry relocation, roof replacement and interior improvements.
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City of Taconite: $400,000 to construct a new water tower and pump house to replace existing infrastructure and to add city-wide metering.
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City of Winton: $65,000 to upgrade a water storage tower, construct a new underground vault structure and operations building, upgrade the water tower control system and install a backup generator connection.
Regional Trails Grants: $2,563,745
Agency Investment $2,563,745 | Total Investment $6,012,350 | Leverage: 1.3 : 1
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City of Aitkin: $105,000 to construct a new trailhead and paved trail extension which will connect to an existing trail and city park.
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City of Crosby: $18,780 to support volunteer maintenance efforts and purchase equipment to groom and maintain trails at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.
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Itasca County: $95,000 to complete phase II of the Balsam Creek Bridge replacement and ATV/snowmobile trail improvement project, and to improve Wabana Ski Trail with new boardwalk sections.
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Lake County: $100,000 to build two new intermediate trails, upgrade an existing trail to an all-weather standard and construct a bridge that crosses a river within the Split Rock Wilds Trail System.
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Northeast Regional ATV Trail Joint Powers Board: $1,960,000 to upgrade and construct connector trails among the trail systems of Ranger ATV, Northern Traxx, Prospector ATV, Quad Cities ATV and Voyageur Country ATV. Also to conduct an Economic Impact Study of the 1,500 total miles of connected ATV trails.
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Louis & Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority: $250,000 for the environmental, engineering and construction of a trail segment that connects West Two River in Kugler Township to the existing Mesabi Trail in Tower.
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Superior Hiking Trail Association: $34,965 to develop a master plan for the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail and to purchase trail counters and an ATV for ongoing maintenance.
Taconite Economic Development Fund (TEDF) Rebates: $9,365,582
TEDF Rebates $9,365,582 | Total Investment $20,300,000 | Leverage: 1.2 : 1
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Hibbing Taconite: $1,654,353 for tailings buttressing.
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Minorca: $772,801 for splitter bin structural repairs.
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Northshore Mining Company: $1,447,676 for mine course crusher air quality improvements, a mine water tower replacement, and railroad fiber optic upgrade.
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USS Keetac: $1,039,570 for design and installation of processing equipment to make DR-grade pellets.
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USS Minntac: $3,129,915 for Step 1 and 2 pellet conveyor replacement.
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United Taconite Mining Company: $1,321,267 for mill lines 1 and 2 screen replacements and for furnace line 2 roll feeder.
Giants Ridge Recreation Center: $8,254,581
Agency Investment $8,254,581
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Indoor Recreation Center: Design and construct approximately 12,000 square feet of indoor recreation space located across from the main ski entrance at Giants Ridge. The space will include a swimming pool, sports court, functional space, locker and change rooms, indoor spa and outdoor spaces. The funding request includes the site work and construction for a parking lot, landscaping and walking paths to the facility. Guest Services will manage the daily operations of the additional space.
Iron Range School Consolidation & Cooperatively Operated School Account: $6,700,000
Agency Investment $6,700,000
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Rock Ridge Independent School District No. 2909 ($4,700,000) and Ely Independent School District No. 696 ($2,000,000) for a short-term cash infusion for their construction projects (previously funded by the agency) that will help the school districts avoid incurring additional costs associated with the premature shutdown and subsequent restart of construction activities due to unanticipated construction inflation caused by economic forces driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iron Range Higher Education Account: $985,000
Agency Investment $985,000
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Early Childhood Program Redesign and Targeted Access Project: $333,000 for programming and outreach on multiple campuses of high schools and Minnesota North College for early childhood employment pathway that includes CDA and credit-bearing certification.
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Electrical Construction and Controls Program Redesign: $305,000 for offerings on the Eveleth and Hibbing campuses of Minnesota North College.
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University Center Development: $347,000 to create and deploy curriculum that strengthens Minnesota North College’s alignment with other four-year degree programs at other Minnesota State Colleges.
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Manufacturing/Machining Program Development: $0 (using funds from Iron Range Higher Education Committee merger support) to examine other manufacturing programs across Minnesota in order to determine best practices and new models for manufacturing training and certification at Minnesota North College.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation is funded through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. The projects approved at today’s board meeting support the agency’s FY23 spending plan which focuses on leveraging capital, improving the quality of life and retaining and creating well-paying jobs. The agency supports businesses, communities and workforce development projects that make northeastern Minnesota a desirable place to live, work and play.
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