The Web page http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/mine_pit/canisteo.html offers information on the history, laws and implementation of ... read more »]]> The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is providing updates on the Canisteo Mine Pit Outflow Project on a newly-created DNR Web page.  

The Web page http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/mine_pit/canisteo.html offers information on the history, laws and implementation of plans to stabilize the water level in the Canisteo Pit and alleviate the high water table in the City of Bovey. 

Following the end of iron ore mining in the pit in 1985, water levels within the pit began to rise. As the pit filled with natural ground water and precipitation, people became concerned about possible water outflow and pitwall erosion. In May, 2010, the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources moved to complete engineering design plans and construct two systems to alleviate the high water table in Bovey and stabilize the Canisteo Pit water level. 

Iron Range Resources has provided $300,000 to help assist completion of the project.

Disability Specialist, Incorporated is constructing a new $2.5 million, 11,500 square-foot facility in Cook that will create 20 new jobs, increasing the company’s total workforce to 50. The facility is expected to open in January 2011.

Disability Specialist, Inc., founded in 1989, contracts with ... read more »]]>  

Disability Specialist, Incorporated is constructing a new $2.5 million, 11,500 square-foot facility in Cook that will create 20 new jobs, increasing the company’s total workforce to 50. The facility is expected to open in January 2011.

Disability Specialist, Inc., founded in 1989, contracts with the Minnesota Department of Human Services  to assist clients in accessing Social Security benefits. The company began as a two-person operation and grew to 12 employees and then 30 employees. Today, the company has representatives in Cook, Brainerd, Rochester, Minneapolis, Detroit Lakes and serves clients in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northern Iowa, eastern North and South Dakota and the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Iron Range Resources provided funding for construction costs of the new, expandable building and a grant to the city of Cook to extend infrastructure to the new facility.

In 2010, Tom Ehrbright, president of Disability Specialist, Inc., received the University of Minnesota Center for Economic Development Duluth Joel Labovitz Mature Entrepreneur Award. The award is given to an entrepreneur who had principal responsibility for operating a business for 15 years and has demonstrated initiative, success and creativity in developing, growing and sustaining a business that continues to have a significant impact on the community or region.

The project includes construction of a new sustainable and renewable energy park for the development and promotion of businesses that specialize in sustainable and renewable energy within the city of Mountain Iron. The park is located at the site of a former M.A. Hanna mining company overburden stockpile on the north side of site ... read more »]]>

Earthwork being done at the Mt. Iron Renewable Energy Park

Site preparation is underway at the Mountain Iron Renewable Energy Park, a 28-acre development along Highway 169.

The project includes construction of a new sustainable and renewable energy park for the development and promotion of businesses that specialize in sustainable and renewable energy within the city of Mountain Iron. The park is located at the site of a former M.A. Hanna mining company overburden stockpile on the north side of site Highway 169 and west of the Rock Ridge commercial-retail development.

Iron Range Resources provided a $300,000 grant to the city of Mountain Iron to extend infrastructure to the park. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, State of Minnesota and city, also helped fund site development.

Silicon Energy MN, LCC will be the park’s first tenant. Silicon Energy plans to begin manufacturing solar modules at a 25,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in the park beginning in March 2011. Initially, 15 jobs will be created at Silicon Energy. The company plans to hire an additional five to seven workers per shift as shifts are added.

Other renewable energy industries such as wood pellet and wind energy are being targeted to grow the renewable energy park and create new jobs.

Over a recent month-long period, the plant produced a record of approximately 10,000 tons of iron nuggets. The goal is to reach 500,000 metric tons per year.

Mesabi Nugget ... read more »]]> Mesabi Nugget’s $300 million iron nugget facility near Aurora and Hoyt Lakes is fine-tuning its processing equipment and ramping up production rates.

Over a recent month-long period, the plant produced a record of approximately 10,000 tons of iron nuggets. The goal is to reach 500,000 metric tons per year.

Mesabi Nugget is the world’s first commercial-demonstration iron nugget plant. Steel Dynamics, Incorporated is majority owner. Kobe Steel Ltd. of Japan is minority owner. The facility is located on a portion of the former LTV Steel Mining Company site.

The plant produced its first nuggets in January 2010. Iron nuggets produced at the plant are shipped to Steel Dynamics to manufacture high-quality steel.

Iron Range Resources and the state, through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic development, helped fund the project. The facility employs 80 full-time workers.

The $1.6 billion taconite, direct-reduced iron and steel slab facility is being built by Essar Steel Minnesota near Nashwauk. The project is permitted to produce 4.1 million tons of iron ore pellets per year. However, Essar Steel Minnesota ... read more »]]> Essar Steel Minnesota this summer is blasting rock formations in preparation for the pouring of concrete for building foundations.

The $1.6 billion taconite, direct-reduced iron and steel slab facility is being built by Essar Steel Minnesota near Nashwauk. The project is permitted to produce 4.1 million tons of iron ore pellets per year. However, Essar Steel Minnesota is seeking permit modifications that would allow iron ore pellet production of 6.5 million tons per year. A production increase would require larger production trucks and additional processing equipment.

Rock formations at the facility’s crusher and pellet plant site are being blasted first. About 30,000 yards of concrete for foundations will be poured beginning in August. Building fabrication will begin this fall. Construction work on a 9-mile long railway leading into the site is nearly complete. Bids for water and sewer connections are being finalized.

The project is expected to employ 2,000 construction workers and 500 permanent employees.

Iron Range Resources, Cliffs Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lands & Minerals Division and the University of Minnesota Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Design, ... read more »]]> A United Taconite stockpile visible from Highway 53 near Virginia has been reshaped and vegetated with a variety of trees and plant life under a Laurentian Vision Partnership initiative.

Iron Range Resources, Cliffs Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lands & Minerals Division and the University of Minnesota Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Design, are partners in the project.

Reshaping the stockpile lessens environmental impacts, improves ecological function and enhances the stockpile’s appearance to the public. The reshaping is one of several Laurentian Vision Partnership stockpile projects providing mine engineers with templates for future land shaping and vegetation composition.

Learn more at  www.lvpmn.org.

Krisara Engineering, a concept for a better cardiac pacemaker, entered in the competition by Dan Ewert, Iron Range Engineering Program director, is one of ten semifinalists in the BioSciences Division.

Within the Student Division, two northeastern Minnesota ideas are semifinalists. Power Trowel Solution Applicator, a solution on-demand design, is entered by Austin Mekash. Pedal Powered Canoe, ... read more »]]> Six innovative business ideas developed by northeastern Minnesotans are semifinalists in the statewide Minnesota Cup competition.

Krisara Engineering, a concept for a better cardiac pacemaker, entered in the competition by Dan Ewert, Iron Range Engineering Program director, is one of ten semifinalists in the BioSciences Division.

Within the Student Division, two northeastern Minnesota ideas are semifinalists. Power Trowel Solution Applicator, a solution on-demand design, is entered by Austin Mekash. Pedal Powered Canoe, a hands-free canoe operation device, is entered by Cory Moran. Both are students in the Iron Range Engineering Program.

Butrolix, a fuel extender, entered by Don Mattsson of Duluth, is a semifinalist in the Clean Technology & Renewable Energy Division. Marvel Concepts, a women’s health product, entered by Ann Harrington of Duluth, is a semifinalist in the BioSciences Division. GeaCom, a company that manufactures a multilingual medical communication system, entered by Amanda Little of Duluth, is a semifinalist in the High Tech Division.

The Minnesota Cup competition is a statewide search for breakthrough business ideas. More than 1,000 entries were received this year in the sixth annual competition. More than $130,000 in seed capital, along with professional services, will be awarded to winners.

Review boards will after July 23 narrow the field in each of five divisions to three finalists. The top breakthrough ideas will be announced September 13.

Iron Range Resources, an Arrowhead Growth Alliance member, is a sponsor of the competition. Other Arrowhead Growth Alliance members sponsoring the competition are Area Partnership for Economic Expansion, Blandin Foundation, Greenstone Group and Minnesota Power.

Silicon Energy MN, LCC will build a 25,000 square-foot facility in Mountain Iron that will employ 15 full-time workers initially. Five to seven new production line ... read more »]]> A $6.8 million photovoltaic solar manufacturing plant will be constructed in Mountain Iron with financial support from Iron Range Resources approved at the June 17, 2010, Iron Range Resources Board meeting.

Silicon Energy MN, LCC will build a 25,000 square-foot facility in Mountain Iron that will employ 15 full-time workers initially. Five to seven new production line jobs will be added as production increases.  Silicon Energy will in October or November begin hiring employees for the facility. Production is projected to begin in March 2011. It will become the second solar panel manufacturing facility in Minnesota. Silicon Energy already operates a solar manufacturing facility near Seattle, Washington.

Iron Range Resources is supporting the project with a $1.5 million loan to the company and a $3.6 million building loan to the Mountain Iron Economic Development Authority. Funding for the $1.5 million loan comes from the Minnesota 21^st Century Minerals Fund and the $3.6 million from production tax distributions legislatively directed for cooperative renewable energy agreements between Iron Range Resources and local governmental units.

Also approved at the meeting was:

A $800,000 Iron Range Higher Education Account expenditure to provide a grant to the Northeast Higher Education District to fund second-year costs of the Iron Range Engineering Program. The program allows students enrolled in the Northeast Higher Education District Iron Range Engineering Program to earn a Bachelor’s of Science degree in engineering from Minnesota State University Mankato.

A $400,000 Iron Range Higher Education Account expenditure to provide a grant to the Northeast Higher Education District to fund second-year costs of the Masters of Engineering degree program from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

A $486,250 loan to Disability Specialist, Inc. to support construction of an expandable 11,500 square-foot facility in Cook. The $2.5 million project creates 20 new full-time jobs and retains 30 existing full-time employees.

A request by Magnetation, Inc., for Iron Range Resources and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to subordinate their collateral position on the company’s assets. Magnetation has a proposed $5 million line of credit financing arrangement with JP Morgan Chase Bank, which would hold a first position of collateral on the company assets.

An expansion of the Fiscal Year 2010 Iron Range Resources Wage Subsidy Program to $1.5 million from $1 million and a $1.5 million allocation for a Fiscal Year 2011 Wage Subsidy program. Also authorized was an expansion of wage subsidy benefits to individual eligible workers for up to 52 weeks from 26 weeks. Employees currently under the current 26 week program will also become eligible for 52 weeks.   210 employees have been hired under the program at businesses within the Taconite Assistance Area thus far in 2010.   

A $175,000 grant to the City of Two Harbors for water, sewer and site preparation for a new commercial building. The project will create two to three new jobs and retain five jobs.

A $100,000 grant to the Hibbing Economic Development Authority to help fund infrastructure supporting a potential expansion of Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing. A minimum of 10 new jobs could be created.

A Fiscal Year 2011 Iron Range Resources budget of $33.4 million was approved, including a $4 million allocation for public works projects.

The restaurant will employ a total of 118 workers, including full and part time positions.  Located at Rock Ridge Development, across Highway 169 from Mountain Iron city offices and Merritt Elementary School, the facility features seating for 161 people and parking ... read more »]]>

Perkins Restaurant-Highway 169 in Mountain Iron

A Perkins restaurant opened Monday, May 24, 2010, along Highway 169 in Mountain Iron.

The restaurant will employ a total of 118 workers, including full and part time positions.  Located at Rock Ridge Development, across Highway 169 from Mountain Iron city offices and Merritt Elementary School, the facility features seating for 161 people and parking for 71 vehicles.

Iron Range Resources provided $700,000 in Public Works Infrastructure Grants over a seven-year period to the City of Mountain Iron to help with site preparation, water, sewer and road development at Rock Ridge.

A new $9 million Holiday Inn Express and Suites, supported by the infrastructure development, opened at Rock Ridge in 2009. Developers of the hotel plan to construct a conference center, strip-type retail center and office complex at Rock Ridge.