ELY – The Ely City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday night to fully support a $1,268,250 Minnesota legislative bonding request from the International Wolf Center to make critical repairs to this community’s interpretive center.
The Wolf Center’s visitor center was opened in 1993 after state bonding funds and donors supported the renovation of the former U.S. Forest Service building. According to IWC Executive Director Grant Spickelmier, the building is now owned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and lease fees have been paying for repairs and upkeep of the building for the past three decades.
“Because the building is 30 years old, it is starting to feel like it is 30 years old,” Spickelmier told city council members. “We are seeking money from the state to pay for our infrastructure needs and our asset preservation to allow our educational work to continue.”
Topping the to-do list of projects is the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, that needs a complete replacement at an estimated cost of $475,000.
“We’ve been told we have one of the most crowded HVAC rooms that most engineers have seen,” he said.
“You haven’t seen our Community Center,” noted Ely Mayor Roger Skraba.
The HVAC portion of the project includes the replacement of the chiller/air conditioning system and HVAC controls, boilers and air handlers serving the large exhibit and commons area, and the grade-mounted heating units in the auditorium.
A complete roof and insulation replacement will cost more than $400,000.
“We have a roof that is soft in spots and leaks,” Spickelmier said. “We get all sorts of ice jams every year, and it actually becomes risky for our wolves from the ice that hangs over the exhibit area.”
He noted that in 2019, a snow-melt event caused major flooding in the IWC building as they were developing a new exhibit.
“We caulked it up as best as we could, but we really need some water management of the landscaping,” Spickelmier said.
Drainage improvements, including piping, grading and catch basins, are estimated to cost $44,000.
A new front entry door and upgraded lobby area with improved ADA access and security will cost about $250,000. Window replacement, sidewalk repairs and re-staining of the wooden building exterior will cost another $95,000.
“You may ask, ‘This is a DNR building and why are they not doing this work?’” Spickelmier said. “They just don’t have the capacity to do the work for such a large project. They have been putting a lot of time and energy into keeping our building going and help us in limping along, but they can’t do all this major work. And they have 900 other buildings on their list of things to do.”
The Wolf Center is doing their own advocacy for the infrastructure work and working with State Rep. Rob Ecklund for the bonding request. Spickelmier asked Ely city council members to support the request.
“Back in the day, we would be competing for the same state money that the city was seeking and had no idea what the Wolf Center was doing,” Skraba said. “I appreciate you coming here and giving us this information.”
A motion was unanimously approved to send a letter of support to the bonding committee. “This is what we want to do for you. Our support will mean a lot to the people who make these decisions,” he said.
The IWC’s Interpretive Center Director, Krista Harrington, highlighted the events at the facility in 2021.
“After the COVID closures, our number of visitors really picked up this year and we averaged about 40,000 visits each year,” she said.
“The IWC’s new wolf pup, Rieka, is now six months old and weighs about 70 pounds. From June to August this summer alone, we had almost 26,000 visits, up from about 11,800 last year in the same time frame,” she said.
The International Wolf Center has a significant impact on tourism in the Ely area. According to a recent study by the University of Minnesota, 11,000 people per year say the IWC “had a significant influence on their decision to vacation in Ely, and those 11,000 visitors spend $1.3 million in Ely per year.”
The IWC is looking to expand its internship program next year, making it a full-year opportunity with an increase in the stipend paid to students.
“We also hope to develop and approve three more full-time employee positions at our Ely Center next year,” Harrington said.
Spickelmier added that by next year, an existing musk ox and wolf exhibit will be refurbished, and two electric vehicle charging stations will be installed in the parking area.