Ely scored $650,000 for fire and ambulance projects at Wednesday’s Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) meeting.
Funds will support upgrades to Ely’s emergency services facilities. The city aims to construct a new fire apparatus building and an ambulance garage for the Ely Area Ambulance Joint Powers Board.
The project’s description states that these facilities will “improve the safety, efficiency and functionality of fire and ambulance operations and help ensure reliable emergency response for residents, businesses and visitors.”
The project description stated the new facilities will accomplish these goals by addressing critical space needs and strengthening infrastructure for local emergency services. Ely clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski said project plans have been in the works for over a decade, particularly for the ambulance upgrades.
Langowski hopes to begin construction this fall, with work continuing throughout summer 2027 and wrapping up in approximately one year.
Fire trucks and equipment that cannot currently fit into the Ely’s century-old city hall will find a home in the new fire building, which will be approximately 360 square feet and find a home adjacent to the existing impound lot at 50 West White Street.
The impound lot will be removed during construction.
The new ambulance garage will supplement renovations within the existing facility, also included in the project, and will be placed near the current garage on Central Avenue.
The project could also open up the public works garage site at 50 West White Street for a potential housing development when fire equipment is relocated to the new fire facility, allowing the garage to be removed.
“That facility doesn’t have long for this life,” Langowski said. “Systems are shot, the roof is shot, and the building needs to be removed. In the meantime, we’ve been using it for storage.”
Langowski called the public works garage site “prime property” for a future housing development, particularly for market rate, single-family or condo housing.
“It’s a very large tract of land once you remove the garage that’s sitting right in the middle of it,” Langowski said.
Facility construction will also be supported by a $1.3 million worth of USDA Rural Development funds and $733,000 from the City of Ely, according to an overview provided in the IRRRB meeting agenda packet.
Board members met in Eveleth to review over $14.7 million in projects. Approved funding will go into effect for fiscal year 2027.
Ely’s $650,000 is the second largest award among a pool of $2.7 million allotted to public works projects across the Taconite Assistance Area, behind Hibbing’s $1.5 million allotment for Central Range Public Works Facility upgrades.
The city applied for $698,900 from the IRRRB, Langowski said, which will leave the city approximately $83,400 short in ambulance funding.
The city will schedule a Joint Powers Ambulance Board meeting to determine whether or not to seek additional funding or slightly reduce the project’s scope.
“We’re very happy to see that $650,000 come in, even though it’s a little shorter than what we asked for,” Langowski said. “It’s excellent news.”
