ELY- U.S. Senator Tina Smith was in Ely last week to visit the Community Hub, a building for which she and fellow U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar worked to obtain a $1.2 million grant for its renovation.
The facility is the culmination of years of effort by the Ely Area Community Foundation to create a community support and wellness-oriented facility for the Ely area. In December 2022, the EACF was able to purchase the former Minnesota Department of Revenue Building on Miners Drive. Renovation on the facility began this past winter to create the hub which opened at the beginning of August. The facility is currently the home of the expanded Happy Days Learning Center, the Functional Fitness Gym, and provides offices for two area nonprofits.
“Senator Smith came to see what a great facility she helped to fund,” said Kurt Soderberg, the secretary of EACF. “The senator is a strong supporter of childcare, especially for rural Minnesota, so she spent time touring Happy Days. At one point, to everyone’s surprise, she joined some of the kids waiting in the hallway and started singing with them.”
Smith also spent time during the visit to hear from EACF board members on their future needs for the Community Hub, including the community space and the proposed future aquatic center.