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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Ely economic development aided by more funding

Keith Vandervort
Posted 9/20/18

ELY – A popular economic development program recently received a shot in the arm with additional funding.

The 2018-2019 Business Energy Retrofit (BER) program funded by the Minnesota Department …

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Ely economic development aided by more funding

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ELY – A popular economic development program recently received a shot in the arm with additional funding.

The 2018-2019 Business Energy Retrofit (BER) program funded by the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation and administered through the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency was recently expanded from $750,000 to $1,250,000.

According to the city of Ely’s economic development advisor, John Fedo, the Business Energy Retrofit (BER) program assists business owners with energy efficient improvements to their buildings up to $20,000 in eligible retrofit expenses, or one-third of the total project up to $60,000.

“We had a series of successful BER projects over the years in Ely,” Fedo told the Ely Economic Development Authority last week. “In fact, Ely has been used as an example of how to do it the right way in terms of improvements that have had both economic development consequences as well as energy retrofit issues.”

The original funding amount was going to be a challenge in helping to fund all of the potential projects being considered by many Ely businesses, Fedo said. Compounding that was the emphasis by (AEOA) staff that other communities throughout the service area needed to be more participatory in the project and would get top priority. “It was a double hit for Ely,” he said.

“We went back and continued to emphasize the fact that this was probably one of the better programs ever on IRRRB’s agenda that really established a connection between local small business and the agency,” Fedo said. “This is clearly a project and program that is measurable. You could clearly see in each of the communities what was working.”

Fedo said he thought because of the increased lobbying, the agency added another $500,000 to the program for next year. “We can now go back to our local business people and tell them to update and resubmit their projects for review,” he said.

An additional program involving redevelopment and renovation of the downtown business core is in the works for funding by IRRRB. More information should be available by Nov. 1, according to Fedo. “We will be there working to get some of those dollars to help with our downtown,” he said.

Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski heralded the success of the downtown beautification program. “We received $34,000 a couple of years ago to do the street lighting, sidewalks and planter boxes on Sheridan Street,” he said. “We continued with Incredible Ely to add the banners and hanging flower baskets.”

A second phase in funding was applied for to expand the program to the Chapman Street area. “This program is meant for this types of projects,” he said. “We can get up to $50,000 in a one-time match, with the other half coming from the city or other project partners.”

Langowski said he wants to apply as early as possible for the funding. He said he recently had a conversation with Tanner Ott on ideas for the vacant lot next to the James Drug store. “They have some nice ideas to develop a pocket park there,” he said, “and there might be some possible match money there.”

Fedo added that the emphasis for the downtown redevelopment funding program continues to be for “shovel ready” projects.