ELY- St. Louis County is finally coming to rebuild Harvey St., but not until next spring. The waffle iron pavement will eventually be just a memory, but the price will be closing one of the city’s busiest streets for the summer.
In correspondence read at Tuesday’s city council meeting, the county informed the city that the county-supervised project will begin in May 2025. Because Harvey St. will be closed between Central and Ninth Aves. into next summer, the county will hold a public information meeting for Ely area residents about its scope and schedule. The meeting is set for Monday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Ely City Hall.
Community center
The city council approved a development agreement between the city and Pillar Company LLC for the renovation of the former Ely Community Center. The city will be acting as the fiscal agent for Pillar for the purpose of applying for a demolition construction grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. That grant, for $200,000, would help fund the first phase of work on the former community center.
“The applications are being reviewed now,” reported Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski, “which explains the timing for why we needed to have the agreement on the agenda for this meeting.”
Langowski explained that having the development agreement in place was a condition of the grant. The agreement contains provisions that the IRRR can use to pull back the $200,000 if the developer does not finish the project on schedule by the end of October 2025. Pillar, owned by developer Matthew Stupnik, proposes to remodel the Art Deco community center into a boutique hotel.
In other matters, the council:
• Rescheduled its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to Tuesday, Nov. 12, to avoid a conflict with the general election.
• Approved the recommendation from the planning and zoning commission to hold a study session on cannabis land use regulations and ordinances. The topic will be added to the agenda of the city council study session on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6:30 p.m. The study session already has city fees and fines on the agenda. The planning and zoning commission is invited to the study session.
• Heard correspondence from the Ely Area Ambulance Service regarding the board seat vacated by Chuck Novak last month. The city council appointed Paul Kess to fill Novak’s seat on the ambulance board as a representative of Ely. Scott Kellerman wrote on behalf of the ambulance board, “Our bylaws have no provision for appointment to our board by any outside organization.” He informed the council that the ambulance board had voted in Roger Chambers of Ely to fill Novak’s vacated seat.
Kellerman went on to say that if the mayor or any city council member was interested in being on the ambulance service board, “We will take action to get that person on our board.”
• Approved a request from the park and recreation board to task the planning and zoning administrator to ask potential recreation center users about their interest in upgrading the ice rink at the center. The proposal is to pave the center’s ice rink for year-round use (e.g., pickleball in summer, volleyball in fall). The planning and zoning administrator will also ask about availability for a joint study session with interested groups on ways to upgrade the rink.
City council member Al Forsman inquired what the purpose was of seeking other groups and meeting with them. City council member and park and recreation board liaison Adam Bisbee replied that the study session would investigate ways “for multiple groups to pool funding.”
The motion passed 6-1, with Forsman casting the dissenting vote.
• Approved a proposal for the park and recreation board to approach students at Minnesota North College, to ask them to volunteer to help clean up the area around Pillow Rock while Ely is installing a park bench there.
• Heard the report from the Ely Planning and Zoning Commission that it approved the subdivision of the property at 226 E. Harvey St. into two parcels. The property belongs to the First Presbyterian Church of Ely.
• Returned the proposed revision of the city’s dumpster ordinance to the planning and zoning commission for clarification.
• Approved the recommendation of the Ely Utilities Commission to advertise the Salvation Army HeatShare Program on the city’s website.
• Approved attendance for city staff at the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association Technical and Operations Conference and Trade Show in St Cloud, on Dec. 10-12.
• Approved a $400 Residential Conservation Improvement Program rebate for a heat pump at 919 E. Chapman St.
• Approved a $5,190 Commercial Conservation Improvement Program rebate for lighting at KJ’s True Value Hardware Store.
• Heard and approved the first reading of Ordinance 378 to amend Chapter 11, Section 11.41 of the Ely City Code to drop the land stability certification requirement at the 75-foot or greater setback in the Shoreline Overlay District surrounding Miners Lake.
• Approved the appointment of Claudia McBride to the tree board with a term expiring on Jan. 31, 2026.
• Approved Resolution 2024-036 to make levy assessments against taxable properties for delinquent water, sewer, and electric accounts.
• Approved Resolution 2024-037 to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Assessment Grant Application for the Iron Range Brownfield Coalition. Ely is a member municipality of the coalition. The city of Virginia will submit the grant application as the fiscal agent for the coalition.