News

by Nick Wognum
A better defined look at options for a major school construction project was presented to a the Ely school facilities committee on Tuesday.
Katie Hildenbrand of Architectural Resources brought drawings and estimated costs for ways to solve identified building issues.
A long list of improvements including expanding the current small gym ($2 million), remodeling the pool area for a new cafeteria ($2 million), adding connecting links ($1 million) as well as creating an arena plaza/parking area ($210,000) were discussed.
Some of the different costs could be dropped from a project proposal.
No matter what, the former heating plant building will be dismantled since it is no longer used.
The district requires students to walk outside between classes which led to an accident last year when a wheelchair-bound student was injured on a patch of ice.

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe
The Ely Chamber of Commerce is filling its top position from within.
Eva Sebesta, who has served as interim director for more than three months, has been named the new executive director of the area business and tourism organization.
Chamber officials announced the hire via a news release earlier this week and indicated that Sebesta, a longtime Chamber employee, was picked from a field of 19 applicants, including seven who interviewed for the full-time post.
“Eva has an understanding of the inner workings of the Chamber, plus she is familiar with the Ely community which the board felt was extremely important,” said Brian Forsberg, current Chamber board president.
The Chamber board tapped Sebesta to fill the position previously held by Cherie Sonsalla, who resigned in February and took a similar position in Wisconsin.

We’re proud more readers and subscribers turn to the Ely Echo for their local news source. Follow the Echo and Tom Coombe on Twitter for news as it evolves.

You'll find that the Echo is your source for photos from school events, entertaining columnists and the news you need to know living here.

And you can get a jump on the news by subscribing by email and the pdfs will arrive in your mailbox every Friday. Call 218-365-3141.

by Tom Coombe -

VOLUNTEER Seraphine Rolando talks about Ely’s mining history Ely’s Pioneer Mine, now part of the Ely Arts & History Center.. The top question from kids? Do you have dynamite here? The answer is no.

TUESDAY NIGHT’S storm as it rolled over Snowbank Lake was captured in this photo by Ely Echo columnist David Krikorian. The storm carried winds of over 60 miles per hour. Other than trees blown down, power lines snapped and the buildings at Voyageur Lumber damaged, there were no injuries reported.

ROOF REMOVAL - Buildings at Voyageur Lumber were damaged by a strong wind storm that hit Ely Tuesday night. One of the roofs took out the main feeder line to Ely. Power was knocked out in parts of Ely for four hours and up the Fernberg there were people without power through Thursday according to Lake Country Power.

Serious situation in Ely a MPCA in town to investigate leak of 4,854 gallons of gas at Holiday Station.

Ely Mayor Novak said that. MPCA, through gas statistics at Holiday store, learned that 4,844 gallons of gas "disappeared through the evening" in a leak that was reported Monday morning. "This has permeated into the ground somewhere - we don't know where," Novak said tonight.

Ely city officials will meet at 5 pm to address Holiday gas leak. MPCA looking at sanitary sewer on Washington Street.

State has asked Ely Holiday to close temporarily as a safety precaution.

Some of the gas from Holiday station leak wound up in Ely storm sewer and flowed into Miners Lake.

Mayor Chuck Novak: At this point, “there is no explosion concern," over gas leak of more than 4,800 gallons at Holiday station. Officials yet tonight are stopping at homes and businesses east and south of store to check for smell of gas.

The final phase of the project to replace the bridge on County State Aid Highway 88 (Grant McMahon Boulevard) west of Ely began Wednesday, May 30, and that means the road will be closed and a detour in place for the next three weeks. Detour signage will be placed on both CSAH 88 and Highway 169.

Crews will be completing final road paving, bridge painting, installation of the bridge concrete wearing course, pavement markings and road shouldering. Work is expected to be complete and the road reopened by June 18.

Most of the work was completed last fall to install the new 105-foot concrete slab span bridge that crosses the Burntside River. It replaces a nearly 80-year-old bridge that had been subject to weight limitations, and had reached the end of its serviceable life.

The total project cost is $1.26 million, with funding coming from State Aid dollars. Redstone Construction, LLC, is the project contractor.