Major news will be breaking today and Friday about serious financial problems at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm (formerly Ironworld). Several inside sources have relayed information to me independently, enough that this cannot be a secret.
In addition to the name change, the Discovery Center has been going through an extended transition from state management to that of a private nonprofit corporation. The facility was never intended to be a financial boon to the region; rather it was intended to be an historical and cultural interpretive site for the people of the Iron Range. Nevertheless, the anticipated announcement is particularly rough. Layoffs and a temporary closure are expected unless emergency funding is secured. The development is not being presented as the end of the facility, but those involved expect serious restructuring.
Fundamentally, the thing to remember is that this facility was built for the people of the Iron Range so that they, too, could remember their history and celebrate their unique culture. That mission should not be abandoned regardless of what happens next.
UPDATE: WDIO has the story. No different than what I’ve heard.
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