Keith Vandervort
ELY - The city of Ely was one of 12 northeastern Minnesota communities that received grants from the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation to address economic hardships created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Taconite Area Community Relief Grant was established in July by the IRRR, and all 12 applicants were funded.
Ely matched a $125,000 grant with $30,000 of its own, and six businesses that have been hurt by the COVID-19 business shutdowns have received $77,000 in forgivable loans thus far.
Additional forgivable loans could be provided to other Ely businesses in the coming weeks, according to Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski.