Louis Gornick

ELY- The Louis J. Gornick Trust made a $550,000 donation to the Ely Fire Department on Tuesday at the Ely City Council meeting.
Bernie Palcher, trustee, gave a short presentation on Gornick, who passed away on August 27, 2024, and his service to the fire department.
Gornick was born and raised in Ely. He attended Ely Memorial High School and Vermilion Community College. He served in the U.S. Navy in WWII and the Korean War. After his military service, he became the business manager for the Ely Public Schools for 37 years. Gornick was a civic-minded citizen and served his community as a member of the Ely Kiwanis Club and the Ely Fire Department. He was a member of the American Legion No. 248, VFW Post No. 2717, and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
Gornick was still a minor when he served his first stint with the Ely FD during WWII, when Ely’s teenagers helped to fight fires while older members of the department were serving in the miliary. He joined the department as an adult in 1950.
David Marshall, Ely’s current fire chief, remarked, “So here we are, 75 years after he joined the fire department, and he is continuing to make a tremendous impact. This kind of gift is a game changer for any fire department, but particularly a volunteer fire department in a small town.”
Gornick wanted the money dedicated for equipment and firefighter training. To fulfill Gornick’s wishes, the city council passed a motion that the donation would be used exclusively for the fire department.
Former fire chiefs Gary Klun and Tom Urchull and Ely’s firefighters attended the meeting for the presentation of the check.
In other matters, the council:
• Voted to lift calendar parking rules on Saturday, May 17.
• Heard the report of city council member Angela Campbell that the Ely Heritage Preservation Commission has a new brochure for the Ely walking tour featuring 60 sites around town.
• Approved the conversion of Ely’s utility billing software to a package from Civic Systems. The new billing software will be compatible with the Civic Systems software already used at city hall. The cost for the new software is $24,100 plus $3,270 for annual support.
• Approved the purchase of Civic Systems software for building permits and billing with direct pay for $54,350 plus $9,230 for annual support.
• Approved a $31,100 payment to AE2S for the Facility Plan Amendment study and report phase at the Wastewater Treatment Facility.
• Approved a $19,947 payment to AE2S for an inflow and infiltration study of the city’s wastewater collection system. Council member Al Forsman explained why the study is needed: “Storm water should not be making it down into the sanitary sewer. Yet it does. It’s the intent of the city to constantly try to bring (the amount of storm water) down. So that is what this study is all about.
Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski added that the city has already eliminated several places where storm water infiltrates into the sewer lines, but based on the flows into the wastewater treatment facility, some crossover between storm water and wastewater still occurs.
“I’m hoping we can find some smoking guns of areas where we’re getting storm water into the sewer flows,” Langowski said. “When we get a big rainstorm, it somehow short circuits into a sanitary sewer line somewhere within the city.”
• Approved a $27,900 payment to ON2 Solutions for 18 additional decorative lights to complete Sheridan Street and the trailhead building.
• Approved a $1,899.10 payment to Ferguson Waterworks for the purchase of two sling harnesses for confined space entry.
• Approved a $4,740 payment to Minnesota Pump Works for the purchase of a lift station pump.
• Approved $17,012 payment to T and R Electric for the purchase of a pad mount transformer for the new hotel. The transformer will be paid for by the developer.
• Approved a $2,250 payment to the Dept. of Natural Resources for the permit fee for the Burntside Water Project.
• Approved a $500 payment to Mick Shusta for March A Operator Services at the water treatment plant and the wastewater treatment facility.
• Approved the low bid of $344,488 from Low Impact Excavators for the excavation and disposal of contaminated soils at the railroad depot redevelopment project. The city acts as the fiscal agent for the project’s clean-up grant from the Dept. of Employment and Economic Development. The developer is responsible for any costs not covered by the grant. No city moneys are used for this project.
• Approved a quit claim deed for Isaac and Sonya Olson for Lot 1, in Block 1 of the East Spaulding First Addition. This action releases the city’s right to recall the purchase of the lot if the owners do not build on the lot. The release is a requirement by the Olsons’ mortgage company, which is providing the loan so they can build a house on the property.
• Approved Ely and Ely Utility Commission claims for payment through May 6 for $645,419.
• Approved the transfer of Federal Aviation Agency entitlements from the Ely Municipal Airport to the Little Falls Airport of $150,000 for the federal fiscal year 2024 and $100,000 for 2025.
• Approved a $10,000 residential rehab loan application for Thomas Teigen at 245 E. Pattison St. to reside the house and garage.
• Approved a $5,000 residential rehab loan application for Louis Champa at 1237 E. Sheridan St. to replace shingles on a leaking roof and to repair to the water line.