Paul Bunyan Communications (PBC) is currently extending one of the fastest rural all-fiber optic networks in the United States, the GigaZone™ to approximately 66 unserved households in an area around Ash Lake in rural northwestern St. Louis County (SLC). The locations will soon have access to fiber optic fast broadband with speeds up to 10 Gbps, along with voice telephone services. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $101,000 Broadband Infrastructure grant to PBC. SLC also provided funding. Total project investment is estimated at $270,000.

The project area is about 15 miles north of Orr and 25 miles south of Ray near US Highway 53. Because the entire project area was considered unserved, it likely would have never received basic broadband service without external assistance. The Ash Lake project has approximately four miles of mainline fiber optic cable and is scheduled to be completed in December.

The 66 locations that will receive new service only had access to internet speeds below 10 Mbps, if any. SLC is Minnesota’s largest county at over 6,200 square miles in size and has the highest number of unserved households in the state.

“This project will give the people and homes access to the fastest internet speeds available, both upload and download speeds up to 10 Gig,” said Steve Howard, Paul Bunyan Communications’ IT & Development Manager. “It will be a huge service improvement for everyone in the project area. In addition to the 66 locations passed, Paul Bunyan Communications was able to leverage the fiber installed to provide services to mobile phone towers. The expanded mobile phone coverage will greatly improve communications throughout the area.”

The GigaZone^™ not only provides the capacity to handle current communication technologies quickly and efficiently, but it will also meet the increasing demands of the next generation of broadband innovations. For example, initially the network provided a maximum speed of 1 Gigabit per second, but the technology advanced by 2021 so that the cooperative can now offer speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second.

Paul Bunyan Communications started as a telephone cooperative in 1952 and has grown into the largest broadband cooperative in Minnesota serving over 6,000 square miles throughout most of Beltrami County and portions of Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties. In addition to fiber optic fast Internet speeds up to 10 Gig powered by the GigaZone^™, the cooperative offers television services, digital voice services, Residential and Business IT services, and is also the home of northern Minnesota’s certified Apple Service Centers in Bemidji and Grand Rapids.

Email Whitney Ridlon or call her at 218-735-3004 for Broadband Infrastructure grant information.

The existing Seven Beavers Trail bridge spanning over the St. Louis River was replaced with a new bridge and foundation. The repairs created safe passage for snowmobilers and ATV riders recreating in the East Iron Range area. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $10,000 Culture & Tourism grant to Ranger Snowmobile & ATV Club. Total project investment was nearly $220,000.

The Seven Beavers Trail bridge is located near the headwaters of the St. Louis River downstream of Seven Beaver Lake near Hoyt Lakes. The bridge links the Yukon Trail System to the East Range Trail System, which together create a loop that brings riders through the areas of Virginia, Giants Ridge, Lake Vermilion, Isabella, the North Shore and back again. The new bridge gives riders access to businesses throughout the communities for lodging, gas, food, beverage and entertainment.

Since the 1970s, the Ranger Snowmobile and ATV Club has maintained the safety and integrity of trails throughout the East Range communities of Hoyt Lakes, Aurora and Biwabik.

“The safety of the trail users is the primary mission of our club, and the replacement of the bridge was vital to ensure trail safety,” said Roy Beauregard, Ranger Snowmobile and ATV Club president. “The club has many volunteers with diverse skill sets such as millwrights, machinists, mechanics and other talented individuals. They donated their time and expertise for the bridge to better the trails for tourists and local residents.”

Beauregard explained that the network of snowmobile and ATV trails in northeastern Minnesota are important to the local economy. The trails attract snowmobile and ATV enthusiasts to the region who spend money at local hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other establishments. The trails are also important to local residents who enjoy riding throughout the seasons.

Other project partners included the city of Hoyt Lakes, Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, Low Impact Excavators, Rock, Snow & Fire and Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc.

Learn more about Ranger Snowmobile and ATV Club.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Culture & Tourism grant information.

At a time when most rural communities are having a difficult time attracting young dental professionals to their towns, the Iron Range has been successful in getting graduate dentists to set up their practices in small communities within the Taconite Assistance Area in conjunction with the Martha Mordini Rukavina Loan Forgiveness Program. 

The two key tenets of this program are to bring dentists to rural communities that have few or no general dentists and to facilitate the placement of dental professionals who demonstrate, both personally and professionally, a genuine desire to establish a long-term commitment to a specific rural community.

The program, which is funded by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and administered by the Minnesota Dental Foundation, provides up to $120,000 of loan forgiveness funds to help mitigate the $300,000 to $400,000 of debt student dentists incur during their dental education. Each dental office generates an annual economic impact of approximately $5 million for the community it serves.

To date the program has successfully placed 10 dentists in Iron Range communities, making dental care accessible to thousands of its residents. Local dental practitioners Dr. Jennifer Enich of Chisholm, Dr. Hannah Hudelson of Hibbing and Dr. Spencer Wihlm of Ely recently received their installment payments from the Martha Mordini Rukavina Loan Forgiveness Program.

Photos from top to bottom: Dr. Jennifer Enich of Chisholm Dental Service in Chisholm receives an installment payment from the Mordini-Rukavina Loan Forgiveness Program. Pictured are Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Commissioner Ida Rukavina, Dr. Enich and Dr. Michael Zakula, Minnesota Dental Foundation Board chair and  Mordini-Rukavina Loan Forgiveness Program chair.

Dr. Hannah Hudelson of Mike Enich Dental in Hibbing receives her second installment payment from the Mordini-Rukavina Loan Forgiveness Program. Pictured are Commissioner Ida Rukavina, Dr. Hudelson and Dr. Michael Zakula.

Dr. Spencer Wihlm receives his first installment payment from the Mordini-Rukavina Loan Forgiveness Program. Originally from Mason City, Iowa, Dr. Wihlm now works at Ely Family Dental in Ely. Pictured are Dr. Crystal Chopp of Ely Family Dental, Dr. Wihlm, Dr. Michael Zakula and Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza. 

Roy Smith of Hibbing received the Friend of the Chamber award at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 5 in Grand Rapids. Smith is the director of education and talent development for Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and Minnesota North College. 

Each year, the chamber staff members honor a person who has consistently supported the chamber organization. Smith was recognized for representing his employer at chamber functions, serving on the board of directors and committees and volunteering hundreds of hours at various chamber initiatives.

"Roy is a natural connector and trusted partner," said Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Malissa Bahr. "He has shown his dedication to our mission of advocacy for business, connecting us across the region and engaging in opportunities to educate our workforce. Roy is a wonderful member who always goes the extra step to provide leadership for our organization and membership." (Pictured are Malissa Bahr and Roy Smith.)