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Culture and Tourism grant funds to help, city, State Theater, resort
Three Ely area entities are among those that will share in nearly $500,000 in culture and tourism grants awarded this month by the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.
The city of Ely, Ely’s Historic State Theater and Adaptive Wilderness Within Reach were among the 27 groups to receive IRRRB Culture and Tourism Grants.
The city is getting $17,000 to add a scale model of a United States Forest Service sea plane and a mural depicting the wilderness and the float planes in action to the Chapman Street Pocket Park.
Meanwhile, a $5,000 grant will go Ely’s Historic State Theater to purchase ADA equipment including a hearing system with closed captions and headsets for the theater guests who have hearing loss.
The third grant earmarked for the Ely area goes to Adaptive Wilderness Within Reach, which gets $16,000 to purchase a handicap-accessible kayak launch, adaptive kayaks and gear for participants at North of North, a new wilderness resort on Birch Lake.
According to a news release from the IRRRB, a total of $492,500 was awarded to 27 projects. The agency invests approximately $600,000 annually into the grant program across its 13,000 square-mile service area.
Culture and Tourism grants assist projects that support arts, culture, history, tourism and recreational activities, enhance the quality of life in the region and attract visitors.
“This is a large batch of grants and represents communities from all throughout our service area. The response demonstrates the strong commitment that our local communities and local people have to improving the amenities and quality of life,” said IRRRB Commissioner Ida Rukavina. “From McKinley to Mountain Iron and all across the core Iron Range and from Ely over to Itasca County, communities are stepping up to help with everything from hockey rinks to music and the arts. I am pleased with the work and innovation occurring in our local communities, and I look forward to watching these projects develop.”
Nearby, a $15,000 grant went to the Greenwood Community Recreation Board at Tower to construct three new pickleball courts in the Greenwood Township Recreation Area.
Another $25,000 went to Tower’s Lake Vermilion Cultural Center to make improvements to the sound, lighting, heating, air conditioning and bathrooms so that the facility may be used year-round.
The Embarrass Region Fair Association got $14,951 to improve the amenities at Timber Hall by adding a public announcement system, banquet tables and carts, round pens, generator, baby changing stations, lighting, signage, bleachers, benches and ticket booths.
Other projects in Bovey, Chisholm, Hibbing, LaPrairie, McKinley, Cook, Goodland, Grand Portage, Aurora, Grand Rapids, Mt. Iron, Gilbert, Pike Township, Two Harbors, Knife River and Grand Marais were also awarded funds.
