IRON MOUNTAIN — Water and restrooms will be added to the Springer Haus building atop the Pine Mountain Ski Jump, improving the facility for both competitions and community events, ski club members say Kiwanis.
Dickinson County Council agreed on Monday to use $75,000 of US bailout funds to cover the costs.
The men’s ski jumping World Cup is scheduled for Feb. 10-12 at Pine Mountain, according to the International Ski Federation. The Kiwanis last hosted a World Cup in 2000.
The 2022 Marshfield Clinic-Dickinson Continental Cup tournament drew 36 jumpers from seven nations, marking the start of a $3 million renovation at Pine Mountain. The 2021 tournament has been canceled due to pandemic restrictions.
The nonprofit ski club has hosted world-class ski jumping tournaments at Pine Mountain since 1939.
Susie Fox, Kiwanis correspondent secretary, said the latest project will allow the club to rent the Springer Haus for meetings and celebrations. Revenue will help support maintenance and upgrades and potentially boost tourism, she said.
Ski club representative Jim Petroff said estimates were obtained from Kleiman Pump and Well Drilling of Iron Mountain and Dyer Inc. of Niagara, Wisconsin, breaking down $25,000 for well drilling and a pump system and $35,000 for a septic tank. Toilets, sinks, faucets and other fixtures will cost around $15,000.
ARP is a federal pandemic assistance program authorized in March 2021. The county is receiving $4.9 million and has so far committed approximately $2 million. It has until the end of 2024 to commit all its funds.
In another action on Monday, the council:
– Heard from representatives of several volunteer fire departments and rescue squads asking for a share of the ARP funding. “You have to be able to answer” said Dan Simondsen, fire chief for the township of Sagola. “Anything we could get would be a big help.”
While noting that each of the county’s seven townships was promised $100,000 from the county’s ARP share, the board agreed to consider other specific requests.
— Authorized Dickinson Trail Network to begin developing a network of non-motorized trails on county lands adjacent to the Pine Mountain Ski Jump. Approximately 2.25 miles of trails are provided for biking and hiking.
The board held committee discussions Thursday with DTN representatives but has not yet committed funding.
— Approved an appropriation of $10,000 from the County General Fund to subsidize seniors transportation services provided by the Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency.
— Authorized a loan of $123,014 to the Dickinson County Fair Board to pay for the labor and materials needed to improve the lights at Norway Speedway. A grant from WPPI Energy is expected to pay for most of the project, said commissioner John Degenaer Jr. Meanwhile, contractor G. Brooks Electric of Kingsford has completed the work and it may be some time before the grant is granted.