ELY – The economic renaissance taking place in Ely started about four years ago. The hiring of economic development advisor John Fedo at about the same time may be a coincidence but the city’s economic development authority is not taking that chance. They renewed Fedo’s contract for another two years and gave him a raise to boot.

In recommending the contract extension, Mayor Chuck Novak, said, “We’ve been served well by Mr. Fedo and have gotten every penny’s worth of our contract with him.”

Fedo’s new contract, that takes effect next month, calls for him to be paid $3,500 per month for approximately 35 hours of work to promote economic development for the city.

The previous contract paid him $3,000 per month, and included a contingency to pay him an additional fee, depending on activities. “We never exercised that and just basically threw it all into the hopper,” Fedo said. “We felt we could add five more hours per month as activities have continued to grow.”

Fedo provided a general scope he performs for the EEDA:

‰Plan, implement and assist the city on economic development goals and activities under the general direction of the city/EEDA;

‰Continue to develop and facilitate development programs for the community including the formation and execution of ongoing marketing programs to attract new business and industries and expansion of existing business and industries;

‰Where appropriate, call on existing business and industries to ascertain their plans and needs and identify those businesses and industries that may want to utilize economic development;

‰Assist on the ongoing development of city industrial/business parks and facilitate public/private partnership on other commercial and industrial properties, as well as city properties identified as available to development;

‰Represent economic development activities to other city departments, elected officials and outside agencies;

‰Coordinate with regional partners on economic development activities and initiatives;

‰Advise, along with the city’s legal/bond counsel on the development of Tax Incremental Financing, Tax Abatement programs and other potential incentives to financially promote economic development, revitalization and infrastructure projects.

The Ely City Council, which acts as the city’s economic development authority, did not hesitate in renewing Fedo’s contract. They voted 5-1 for the raise. Outgoing council member Kara Polyner voted against the motion and after the meeting she said she was not in favor of the fee increase. Jerome Debeltz was absent from the meeting.

Economic update

Fedo provided the EEDA with an update of the previous month’s activities. “It has been another busy month, specifically with the ability to bring the commissioner from IRRRB (Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board) in for a walking tour of downtown Ely,” he said.

“Talking about what is happening downtown, versus literally walking through and seeing the results of new investment with new excitement and new enthusiasm, that was extremely impressive and led to a follow up meeting with a financing group to continue that activity,” Fedo said.

He noted that the IRRRB quarterly report features photos of improvements being made in the downtown district. “We’re highlighted as the primer for what is happening and what could happen in downtowns across the IRRRB region,” he said.

Fedo said he was appointed on Ely’s behalf to the Laurentian Vision Partnership Coordinating Committee. Part of his responsibilities will be to review grant applications for various infrastructure projects. Ely is looking to the LVP for help in Brownfield projects, specifically the cleanup of the city dump site.

The Blandin Foundation Broadband grant program continues to progress, Fedo said.

Initial grants of up to $70,000 for broadband planning and engineering could be followed by matching aid, he said.

A local broadband advisory committee is in the formation stage and representatives are being sought from the following groups, city of Ely, EEDA, Incredible Ely, town of Morse, ISD 696, Vermilion Community College, Chamber of Commerce, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, city of Winton, and the Ely business community. The first meeting will be held in mid-January, with follow up meetings scheduled for February and March.

Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski said the follow up meetings could include the community as a whole in a discussion on visioning for the broadband program in Ely.

Fedo also noted that a non-profit group, called PCs for People, will provide up to 50 computers to Ely residents as part of the Blandin Broadband program. The other five communities in the grant program will also be offered computers.

Fedo and the EEDA will reconvene in January to brainstorm a list of priorities for economic development projects in the new year. “There is this ongoing need to continue pushing on this. That has been a hallmark of this group. Hopefully we can use the same technique to set what can truly get done in the next 12 or 14 months.”