ELY – As the discussion continues on whether or not a commercial recreation facility should be built on the Ely Schools campus, at least one Ely School Board member feels they are far from a point to make a decision.

“There is a large part of me that feels like some of this is so much cart before the horse,” said Rochelle Sjoberg this week at an ISD 696 study session. “I feel like there are so many unanswered questions as to the (Ely Regional Community Complex) facility itself,” she said.

A sub-committee, consisting of three members of the school board, Tom Omerza, James Pointer and Scott Kellerman, is working with the ERCC board to drill down into specific concerns about building the recreational facility on the southwest corner of the school campus.

The sub-committee has met three times in the last couple of weeks. ISD 696 School Board Chair Ray Marsnik had hoped the board could make a decision on the school land location issue in September. Omerza was the only school sub-committee member to attend a board study session Monday night.

Sjoberg said she was referring to costs of the building in general, finances, and a business plan, in particular. “I feel like that is yet to be a tangible part of this discussion, and that concerns me because I think that is important,” she said. “This (facility) being on campus, from a long-term standpoint, has implications for the school, potentially.”

She acknowledged that many questions, some from the school board, and many from the community, are being answered. She asked about any financial assurances from St. Louis County or the city of Ely. “The Grand Marais facility is a great example and they have a beautiful facility,” Sjoberg said. “I also know they have a huge backing by the county and a huge backing by the city. I’m not implying anything for our city. I’m just asking.”

Jeff Sundell, the principal organizer behind the ERCC effort for the past several years, asked Sjoberg if she wanted him to answer her concerns.

“I don’t want to put you on the spot. If you don’t have the answers, I can wait,” she said.

“I’ve been on the spot for years,” Sundell replied. “You won’t get all those answers until we get a site and (architectural) renderings, and we know specifically what will be in the facility.”

He did reveal that the plan of the ERCC organization is to open the facility without having a debt service. The cost to build the ERCC facility is estimated to cost as much as $12 million. The organization this summer received a $5 million donation toward their effort.

Sundell said the Grand Marais recreational facility is servicing about $10 million of debt. “There is a reason why they need help from the county and the city, because they are also servicing debt,” he said.

“I can’t quantify anything yet, but I can tell you that we have more (financial gifts) than we have already announced,” Sundell said. “When people see renderings and see what’s going to go where, that’s when you get donations from people. Up until that, it is just a concept. I understand why you need these questions answered before you can vote on something. We are not asking to build (the facility) here yet. We are asking for a nod to continue to go down the road and answer these questions. Our goal is to put it there. If between now and then something happens and it’s not going to work, we have other options.”

He said the ERCC board of directors is looking to take the next step, “that perhaps for you, Rochelle, to make a motion that as long as we keep getting answers to questions, we will proceed to investigate whether or not this will work here.”

Sundell asked for information as well, including how much the ERCC will have to pay for the school land, or whether it will be a long-term lease or even donated. “I can tell you that if our plan works, we will be in a better financial position than Grand Marais, and so far, we are succeeding,” he said.

Sjoberg admitted that she has more concerns. She noted that the Grand Marais facility has as many as 1,800 members. “I have a hard time believing that we would get even the equivalent of that or close,” she said. “Even at that level of membership, they are unable to sustain.”

She pressed her insistence to see more financial details or a business plan for the planned facility. “I feel we should be having some sort of financial discussion,” she said.

School board member Heidi Mann said she was interested in seeing more details of the possibility of using one of the other two sites identified by the ERCC board. They identified the former city garage of Central Avenue, and a vacant Town of Morse parcel behind the hospital as optional locations for a rec center.

“If I were on such a board, I think I would be wanting to explore all three options at the same pace,” Mann said, “rather than one at a time.”

Sundell dismissed the number of meetings required for such a process as unworkable. “That’s not practical. We all have other things we have to do during the day,” he said.

School board members also discussed the importance of forming a partnership between the school and the ERCC. The school’s athletic director prepared a list of potential uses by the sports programs. (See separate side bar.)

The ERCC and Ely School Board sub-committees had planned to have a teleconference with Grand Marais recreational facilities officials to gain more specific information on building security, liability insurance, school partnership details and other topics.

Mann suggested the school board take a hiatus from discussing the issue further until the sub-committee presents more answers to the concerns brought forth by Sjoberg.

“As much as discussion might be good, I think things are getting a little convoluted right now,” said Superintendent Kevin Abrahamson. “I’m thinking that in the near future, there needs to be a resolution that there be some indication that the board does or does not want to continue exploring this.”

Sjoberg responded, “I’m baffled by that. “I don’t know why we have to show in writing that we are willing to continue. That’s why we formed the sub-committee.”

Abrahamson asked, how long the discussion needs to continue, “in fairness to both groups.”

“For myself, until I tangibly see something that I can go off of, it is very difficult to keep having this spinning-wheel type conversation,” Sjoberg said. “I want to be open, and repeatedly ask for this type of data in order for me to make an informed decision.”