The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its popular Let’s Do Lunch series on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the historic Greysolon Ballroom. The program offers chamber members an opportunity to connect with local business professionals while hearing from influential community leaders on timely and relevant issues.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) Commissioner Ida Rukavina delivered the keynote address, offering an overview of the agency and the connection between the Taconite Assistance Area and Duluth.

She discussed the region’s transportation network which is essential to the supply chain. Area mines, industries and businesses depend on reliable shipping routes, highways, airports and rail lines to move their products.

Manufacturers across the Iron Range produce goods sold nationwide and around the world—radiators, metal parts, sauna stoves, solar panels, taconite pellets, wood shims and more. Their competitiveness depends on the transportation links between the Iron Range and Duluth, which connect them to customers and major markets and help them grow. The Port of Duluth-Superior is especially important with iron ore being one of the port’s principal cargos.

Her presentation also highlighted the economic benefits from tourism and outdoor recreation and the revenue generated for the Permanent School Fund through mineral extraction and timber harvesting on the Iron Range.

Rukavina said, “It was a privilege to join the Duluth Chamber and connect with their members and leadership. The Iron Range and Duluth have grown side by side for more than a century, with histories intertwined by mining, timber harvesting and industrial manufacturing. Beginning in 1892, lake freighters started carrying iron ore from the Mesabi Range across the Great Lakes—a shipment route that continues today. This ongoing flow of ore has long fueled the nation’s growth and continues to connect our communities in lasting ways.”

The city of Hibbing constructed a three-quarter mile pedestrian and bike trail at Carey Lake Park, linking visitors to the beach and an existing bike trail that routes four miles west back to Hibbing. This new route is ADA accessible. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) supported the project with a $95,361 Regional Trails grant.

The city plans to develop a new 29-site campground at the park with RV and tent sites, a shower facility and an RV dump station. Initial work—including excavation, utilities, a new trailhead and entrance, and installation of a septic system and well—has been completed. IRRR supported the preliminary phase with a $250,000 Public Works grant to upgrade water and electrical services.

Nick Arola, Hibbing’s city services director, said the new infrastructure establishes the foundation for a year-round campground, with the new trail enhancing future development. Once complete, the campground is expected to boost tourism and support local lodging, dining, fuel, retail and recreation businesses. Total project investment for the trail and initial infrastructure is approximately $700,000. 

Carey Lake Park, established in the 1960s, is Hibbing’s largest park at 1,139 mostly wooded acres. It features a 139-acre lake, swimming beach, fishing piers, picnic areas, and hiking and biking trails. In winter, it offers more than 13 miles of cross-country ski trails and a 1.9-mile snowshoe trail. The park draws over 2,000 visitors annually.

Learn more about Carey Lake Park.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Regional Trails grant information.

Email Chris Ismil or call him at 218-735-3010 for Public Works grant information.

Note: IRRR also supported the development of Carey Lake Park with $1,500 in Grant Writing Assistance to the city of Hibbing in Fiscal Year 2023. The funds supported the city’s hiring of a professional grant writer to apply for other state, federal or philanthropic grants.

The Giants Ridge winter sports season began Saturday, Nov. 29 with the opening of the alpine mountain and a portion of the alpine runs. Additional runs and terrain will open as weather and snowmaking conditions permit. Once the facility is fully open later this month, guests may enjoy 35 downhill runs, seven lifts, 63 kilometers of world class Nordic trails, snowtubing, fat tire biking and snowshoeing.

Giants Ridge General Manager Fred Seymour explained there are several programs being offered this season to make it affordable and accessible to get kids and new skiers on the slopes. Kids six and under ski free every day, and any guest age seven or older who books a private lesson receives a free lift ticket valid for the same day. For a special holiday experience, on Wednesday, Dec. 24, kids can hop on the lift and ride along with Santa, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Lift tickets are required.

New this winter is the recently opened Pool & Sauna Haus, a 9,700-square-foot, all-season retreat with a heated indoor pool, hot tub and modern sauna. The new amenity offers guests a relaxing way to warm up and unwind after a day on the mountain. Day passes are available for regular pool use and lap swimming. There is a private party room available with advance reservations, and it is ideal for birthday celebrations and group gatherings.

The recreation area was recently voted Minnesota’s Best Weekend Destination in the state by Star Tribune readers. The facility draws both local guests and those from around Minnesota and the Midwest.

In addition to winter sports, the summer months at Giants Ridge offer two championship golf courses, lift-served mountain bike trails, hiking, a climbing wall and lake access.

Learn more about Giants Ridge hours of operation, snow conditions and winter offerings.

Giants Ridge is owned by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) and managed by Guest Services, a hospitality management company in the United States since 1917. Investments by IRRR into the Giants Ridge amenities and infrastructure support the facility’s significant annual economic impact of roughly $55 million.

Photos of Pool & Sauna Haus courtesy of ©VONDELINDE.

A new pickleball court was created on an existing parking lot at the Silica Township Community Center, complimenting a popular gathering space often used for meetings, family gatherings, reunions, weddings and funerals. The building is also home to the Silica Volunteer Fire Department. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) supported the project with a $23,435 Culture & Tourism grant. Total project investment is estimated at $48,718.

Community members first played pickleball on the rough, tarred parking lot by painting lines and using a portable net to create a makeshift court. As the sport grew and regular groups formed, they decided to build a proper court with smooth, color-coated asphalt and regulation striping, then added a surrounding chain-link fence and benches.

“This was truly a community effort,” said Jean Hanson, Silica Township volunteer. “Dedicated residents came together and raised money by selling pasties prepared in the community center’s industrial kitchen. The grant from IRRR helped turn the new pickleball court into a reality.”

Silica Township is located just south of Hibbing and within the unorganized territory of Janette Lake in St. Louis County.

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

The city of Cook Economic Development Authority (CEDA) held an open house on Dec. 8 to celebrate its formation, a milestone that grew out of the community’s recovery efforts following the June 2024 flood. The disaster, St. Louis County’s second-largest in 30 years, brought seven inches of rain in 24 hours and caused significant damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure.

Since then, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) has supported Cook with financial and technical assistance for recovery and mitigation. A key outcome of these efforts was the Cook City Council’s decision to establish an EDA to better serve local businesses and entrepreneurs. The open house welcomed community members to learn more about the new organization and its role in supporting local economic growth.

IRRR Commissioner Ida Rukavina and IRRR Community Development Director Whitney Ridlon attended the event and connected with community members and the five-member leadership commission who worked to form CEDA and position their city for economic growth.

The commission will help the continued recovery efforts and guide future economic and community development strategies related to public works and infrastructure, retention of existing businesses and recruitment of new businesses.

Learn more about CEDA.

If your community is interested in forming an EDA, email Whitney Ridlon or call her at 218-735-3004 for information.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation recently awarded a $12,264 Residential Redevelopment grant to the Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council Business Committee to demolish two houses that were blighted and uninhabitable. The building demolition opened the area for future home construction.

Grand Portage Tribal Planner Jared Swader said, “The Residential Redevelopment grant is helping the Grand Portage Band create new, livable spaces for members of our community. Our five-member construction division completed all of the demolition work, which created strong potential for new homes to be built.”

In Fiscal Year 2025, the IRRR grant program supported the demolition of 25 structures in the communities of Aurora, Biwabik, Chisholm and Hibbing resulting in the potential for new houses, garages, yards, green spaces and available lots for construction.

Eligible grant applicants include cities, townships, counties, Tribal governments and nonprofits to demolish single-unit residential homes, residential duplexes, residential multi-unit structures, garages, sheds and barns located within a residential zone. Learn more about Residential Redevelopment grants.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for information.

The Cook County Community YMCA in Grand Marais developed a new playground to serve its 1,400 members, local families and area visitors. The YMCA was established in 2014 and two years later opened a licensed childcare facility which supports Cook County Independent School District (ISD) 166. The prior playground was outdated and no longer suited the facility or surrounding community. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $30,000 Culture & Tourism grant. Total project investment was $151,086.

Alex Gugala is the executive director of the Cook County Community YMCA. He explained that the new playground strengthens the YMCA’s role as a dependable childcare resource for families, which in turn supports workforce stability and job retention for local businesses.

According to Gugala, the playground project had significant support from Cook County, Duluth Area Family YMCA, the city of Grand Marais, ISD 166 and the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation.

In addition to child care, the YMCA offers weight and cardio rooms, a gymnasium and an aquatics center with a lap pool, hot tub, sauna and waterslide.

Learn more about Cook County Community YMCA.

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