Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Commissioner Ida Rukavina and agency staff visited the communities of Crosby and Ironton on Wednesday, April 10. 

“It is exciting to see firsthand how the agency’s programs help regional businesses and impact our local communities,” said Rukavina. “We are proud to have invested over $4 million in Crosby, Ironton and the surrounding region since 2018.”

The day began with meetings with city leaders in both communities to discuss current and future partnerships. Staff also visited the following sites, all of which were supported by agency funding.  

Cuyuna Range Elementary School Trail: A beginner mountain bike trail and learning space was completed last fall on the Cuyuna Range Elementary School grounds, providing Crosby area youth the opportunity to develop mountain biking skills. The trail is used for preschool through 6th grade students to hike, snowshoe and cross-country run. Teachers and students utilize the trail as an outdoor classroom for studying nature, bird and animal watching. The trail is also open to community members. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a Regional Trails grant to the city of Crosby. 

North Country Café: North Country Café, a family restaurant in downtown Crosby, expanded its operations into an adjacent blighted building and doubled the size of its space. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a Commercial Redevelopment grant to the city of Crosby which helped with interior demolition. North Country Café also received Business Energy Retrofit (BER) grants. 

Crosby Lofts: The sixteen ensuite private guest rooms at Crosby Lofts are forged on Main Street on the top floors of two restored 120-year-old brick buildings and are surrounded by wood-fired pizza, Thai food, a farm-to-fork kitchen, artisan ice cream, a brewery and a cocktail lounge. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a Commercial Redevelopment grant to the city of Crosby which helped repurpose the building in the central business district. Crosby Lofts also received a BER grant. 

Victual: Victual is a specialty store with unique gourmet food and first-of-its-kind super premium ice cream that is lactose-free while still being full dairy. The agency supported the project with two Commercial Redevelopment grants to the city of Crosby for building demolition. Victual also received BER and Downtown Business Rehabilitation (DBR) grants.

BER and DBR grants are fully funded by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and administered through a partnership with Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA).