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It wasn’t quite a grand opening, but a Wednesday morning event at “The Hub” may have been the next best thing.
As customers of Functional Fitness worked out and with parents dropping off their children at Happy Days Learning Center, a delegation that included a member of the Walz Administration toured the renovated building in Ely’s business park and learned more about a project that has come to fruition.
Matt Varilek, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, joined Ely city officials, representatives of the Ely Area Community Foundation and other leaders in touring a building that reopened two weeks ago.
Now owned by the Ely Area Community Foundation, the former Minnesota Deaprtment of Revenue building has now been repurposed to serve several tenants.
Child care was the primary topic of Wednesday’s visit, with Happy Days moving in and serving up to 45 children and meeting a community demand for child care in the region.
“What we are going to see today is an amazing example of how a lot of partners came together to make this happen,” said Ida Rukavina, commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.
Rukavina led Varilek on a visit to several Iron Range communities Wednesday, and The Hub was the first stop.
A $1.2 million federal grant helped spur the renovations at the facility, which was purchased earlier by the EACF, and EACF chairman Jeff Sundell detailed the history of the project and how it evolved from initial attempts to establish a community recreational facility, first at the Ely school campus and later at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital.
The stars aligned of sorts when the state put the Revenue Building for sale as its employees moved to working from home in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the EACF - via the city of Ely - bought the building for just over $1 million.
A child care shortage in Ely made Happy Days a natural partner for the new effort, and renovations were made to accommodate an organization that serves children starting with infants.
Varilek said he learned quickly about the importance of the facility, in a roundabout way after he purchased a belt downtown prior to Wednesday’s event.
“I told the guy who was helping me that I was here for a work event and here to see a child care facility the state has had a hand in helping with and he said ‘that’s such a big deal for the community,’” said Varilek. “I think right off the bat it speaks about the importance of what we’re about to see.”
Sundell said the project “has been something that’s years in the making.”
He touted the partnership with Happy Days, adding “they had about 10 children and now by next week we’re going to be at about 45. The largest employers here have been hindered by not being able to house new employees because there was no place to put their children. This has really been impactful for our community and we really appreciate the support we’ve received from all of you... I know of several stories where couples have had to change jobs and be able to trade off hours so they could watch their children.”
Mandy Petersen, president of the Happy Days board, said “to be able to make this transition from a preschool of 10 children to up to 45 from infants up to six years of age is wonderful and I can’t believe it’s happening.”
“I’ve lived this issue with not being able to find child care for an infant,” said Petersen. “I’ve studied this issue in the region and noticed and studied and collaborated with others and found we have such a shortage for child care, especially in the infant realm.”
Varilek got a first-hand look at the Happy Days operation, visiting the infant room and stepping outside to the outdoor play area and visiting with several children and staff. He was accompanied by Rukavina, other IRRRB staff, Northland Foundation President Tony Sertich, county commissioner Paul McDonald and mayor Heidi Omerza.
The group also got a look at the Functional Fitness gymnasium space, offices for Northwoods Partners and the Ely Behavioral Health Network, and a large meeting room that will eventually be opened for use by community groups.
