Three local projects were approved for grants at the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board’s (IRRRB) December 18, 2014 meeting held in Eveleth.
It was the IRRRB’s last meeting of the year and was the last time IRRRB Commissioner Tony Sertich will head up the meetings. Sertich announced recently he is leaving the IRRRB to take another job, at the Northland Foundation.
The township of Lutsen was awarded $300,000 to upgrade the infrastructure and irrigation system at the Superior National at Lutsen golf course while the Tofte township was granted $120,000 for phase II infrastructure upgrades for its $2,224,983 senior housing project.
Cook County received $100,000 to be used towards its $5 million Devil Track airport runway upgrade.
Cook County’s runway extension and widening project consists of expanding the runway from 4,200 to 5,000 feet. The extension and widening will enable large wildfire fighting aircraft, all-weather medical evacuation aircraft and larger multi-function commercial and private aircraft to safely land. The Federal Aviation Administration will pay $4,500,000, the IRRRB $100,000, and Cook County will kick in $400,000 to complete the work.
Phase II of the Superior National at Lutsen golf course is comprised of erosion control and clearing, mass grading, drainage, reconstruction of greens, grassing and installing landscaping and irrigation systems.
Tofte’s senior housing phase II will consist of installing the sewer, building a road, and site work for the construction of 12 new market rate housing units.
With this latest grant the IRRRB has now given $350,000 to Tofte to use for sewer and site work. Most of the money to complete the project will come from sales of a township bond at $1,654,000.
All told the IRRRB gave out $7.7 million in public work grants to 40 projects totaling almost $92 million in overall spending. Sertich announced that 444 jobs would be created by the public works investments.
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