IRRR supported the project with $3.3 million in legislative revenue bond proceeds to the city of Virginia. The funding was made available through the passing of the 2024 Minerals Article Legislation/Tax Omnibus Bill. Total project investment is estimated at $13 million.

“The investment that our agency is making into this facility is preparing the city of Virginia and the region to meet medical emergency and behavioral health needs of children, adults and families," said Rukavina. "All of the projects that IRRR supports, including this one, are funded through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry.”

Each year, Essentia’s expert care teams treat about 13,000 patients in the Virginia Emergency Department. The project will help better meet the community’s needs by adding five exam rooms – two of which will be specifically for behavioral health patients – new technology and enhanced security. By increasing capacity and introducing a dedicated behavioral health suite, Essentia is ensuring that every patient receives timely and specialized care.

The project will create construction jobs, and Rukavina thanked the skilled and professional trades women and men who will work on the expansion. Completion is expected by spring 2027.

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

Top two photos courtesy of Mark Sauer.

Lonely Loon d/b/a Superior Creamery utilized a bank participation loan from Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) to purchase a building it had rented for three years. The nearly 100-year-old historic building originally housed Cherry’s Bakery, which operated in the early to mid-1900s.

Superior Creamery is a craft ice cream shop and café that opened in 2022 in downtown Grand Marais. The ice cream is available in freshly baked waffle cones, cups and pre-packed pints. After three years in business, Superior Creamery has become a popular destination for Cook County residents and visitors. Future plans include wholesale distribution of their ice cream to select grocery stores in northern Minnesota.

Owners Alexander Beebe-Giudice and Christine Sayler make their small batch ice cream using premium ingredients and fresh dairy sourced from Autumnwood Farm in Forest Lake, Minn., a family-owned dairy farm that has operated since 1902. Beebe-Giudice and Sayler handcraft about 40 different flavors that are rotated weekly throughout the season. In addition to ice cream, they offer espresso, homemade fudge, canned and draft non-alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, dog treats and apparel.

The married couple relocated to Grand Marais from Juneau, Alaska in 2022. They met in Alaska while working in the tourism industry. Beebe-Giudice had ties to the North Shore. In college, he worked summers at a canoe outfitter at the end of the Gunflint Trail and upon graduating, spent the several years working with sled dogs in Alaska. Sayler was a charter boat captain in southeast Alaska, and prior to moving to Grand Marais, was an assistant chief clerk for the Alaska House of Representatives.

Beebe-Giudice said, “We’re thrilled to call Grand Marais home and have found so much joy in crafting and serving delicious ice cream to friends, neighbors and visitors over the past four years. We’re grateful for the exceptional individuals who return to work with us year after year, and for our strong partnership with Autumnwood Farm. Looking ahead, the next steps for our family business include growing our off-season operations, creating more full-time, year-round employment opportunities, and investing in a long-term improvement plan for our 94-year-old building.”

Superior Creamery has limited hours during the winter season and will open full time on May 15 for the spring, summer and fall seasons. Learn more about Superior Creamery.

Email Scott Sundvall or call him at 218-735-3015 for IRRR business loan information.

IRRR supported Lonely Loon LLC d/b/a Superior Creamery with a $205,000 bank participation loan.

Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District (CIRSSD) broke ground on an infrastructure expansion project that will support the development of the new St. Louis County public works facility on County Highway 5 across State Highway 169, near the CIRSSD wastewater treatment plant. The extension will also serve five residential properties, some with septic systems beyond their useful life.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) supported the project with a $400,000 Public Works grant. Total project investment is estimated at $45.1 million.

CIRSSD is a regional wastewater treatment entity serving Balkan, Buhl, Chisholm, Great Scott Township, Kinney and Minnesota Discovery Center. The collaboration extends wastewater service along the Highway 169 corridor in and around member communities. CRISSD provides benefits that each participating community would otherwise struggle to establish on their own, namely treatment capacity to accommodate future growth and compliance with discharge requirements of the Great Lakes Basin. 

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

Learn more about the Central Range Transportation Facility project.

Photos: St. Louis County

Rainbow trout were released into the waters of Kinney Pit on May 13 as Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) continued its fish stocking efforts in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 

WDIO’s Renee Passal visited the recreation area during the stocking effort, where trout from Stockton Trout Farm were transferred from a large aerated tank into the flooded mine pit. 

IRRR Director of Community Development Whitney Ridlon said the stocking program highlights how former mining sites can be repurposed into recreation destinations that benefit residents, anglers and visitors across the Iron Range.

Kinney Pit received about 400 pounds of rainbow trout this spring as part of a regional stocking effort that placed roughly 1,400 pounds of trout into four northeastern Minnesota flooded mine pits. Additional stockings took place at Mott Pit in Mountain Iron, St. James Pit in Aurora and Tioga Pit in Cohasset. The trout, which average about one-third of a pound each, are stocked during the spring and fall seasons.

IRRR works closely with the DNR on recommendations for which flooded mine pits to stock and the number of fish placed in each location.

Former iron ore pits like Kinney have naturally filled with deep, cold and clear water over the decades, creating ideal trout habitat. Fish stocking in northeastern Minnesota flooded mine pits has continued since 1984 as part of IRRR’s broader mineland reclamation efforts.

Kinney Pit Recreation Area, located between Mountain Iron and Buhl, includes a public boat landing, fishing pier, picnic shelter and shoreline amenities that have helped make the reclaimed mining site a popular outdoor destination.

View the WDIO fish stocking segment.

More than 100 regional leaders participated in grant writing workshops offered in May to help strengthen local capacity for pursuing competitive funding opportunities.

An in-person workshop held May 12 at the Mineland Reclamation building in Chisholm drew more than 30 participants. A second virtual session on May 19 attracted more than 80 attendees.

Led by Cameron Kruger, founder and lead consultant of That Nonprofit Guy, the workshops provided an overview of grant writing best practices, with a focus on developing clear, concise proposals aligned with funders’ priorities.

Participants learned strategies for structuring winning grant proposals, using data and storytelling to strengthen applications, and avoiding common pitfalls in the submission process. The workshops also explored how artificial intelligence can assist with research, drafting and editing while maintaining an authentic, human-centered tone.

Designed for staff and leaders from cities, townships, Tribal Nations and nonprofit organizations, the workshops focused on pursuing state, federal and philanthropic funding opportunities. 

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation sponsored the workshops.