IRRRB grants money to two Cook County projects

The eight-member Iron Range Resources Rehabilitation Advisory Board approved more than $34 million in economic development funding at their last board meeting of the year held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, in Virginia, Minnesota.

Among the dollars spread across the region to develop housing, help with schools, cities, townships and private business upgrades was a grant to the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) for $450,000 for infrastructure and site work for a $5.8 million transfer station in Grand Marais.

The 22,000 square foot transfer station will be built by North Shore Waste (NSW) and be powered by solar panels.

The waste disposal company unveiled plans this past summer to upgrade and modernize the way they are doing business over the next five years through a multi-phase program. Goals include utilizing solar energy to power the transfer station and then electric garbage hauling trucks.

The second stage involves reducing 20 percent of the area’s solid waste by creating a commercial compost. Then, instead of hauling that solid waste to a Duluth landfill, that product will stay in the county and create black dirt, which is like gold in a county filled with rocks and thin topsoils.

A second grant of $500,000 to the EDA will be used for infrastructure and site work for a new HRA housing development in Grand Marais. Jason Hale, HRA Executive Director, has been working to secure 10 acres of Grand Marais city owned property for $1. The deal has been green-lighted by the Grand Marais City Council. Some legal paperwork needs to be finished before the city can convey the land to the HRA, but plans are to start work to develop a 51-unit, mixed income multi-family apartment building in Grand Marais.

Other North Shore projects funded by the IRRRB

• Lake County received $100,000 for a $200,000 project that will be used to construct two intermediate mountain bike trails and upgrade an existing trail to an all-weather standard.

• The IRRRB awarded a $34,965 grant to the Superior Hiking Association toward development of the Superior Hiking Trail. The work is estimated to cost $69,930.