Meeeeeeeantime, added to the IRRRB business last night was a land deal for a potential racino on the Iron Range. This particular racino ties in to an decade-old motorplex project that I covered at the Hibbing Daily Tribune. You take your casino, you wrap it up with car racing and then you add HORSE RACING. Some of the revenue goes to the state so that the people who own the racino don’t have to pay as much income tax on the other half of the money. Something like that.
Oh, it’s gonna need some legislation to go into effect, of course. I wonder if any Range lobbyists will be hired? Is that something that happens? I heard that somewhere. Anyway, if it’s good for farriers it’s good for the Range. That’s what I always say.
By the by, this is the cleaner and more plausible of the two projects given IRRRB land last night. At least life isn’t boring.
I do not want to argue the economic feasability of a “racino” on the iron range, but I would like to point out that all the past versions of this project were to be located on top of the iron formation.
You can build race tracks anywhere, but you can only mine iron where the iron is.
C.O.
Valid point, C.O., I had forgotten that little detail. You’d think with the backdrop of them actually moving Highway 53 over on the east end this would have come up. What I heard was that this was now being discussed as being across the highway from Kitzville. I don’t have the geological map handy, so I don’t know if their site is over the formation or just very, very close. It is one of the two.
The land across the highway from Kitzville is on the formation. We should protect that land and ajoining land for mining use.
That entire area is in Hibbing Tac’s long range mine plan. You can’t see it because of the overburden piles and trees, but they are mining very close to the west side of Kitzville right now.
I think that not protecting the iron formation and nearby lands for mining purposes is a huge failure of the IRRRB and area leaders. There is plenty of space in northern MN to build chopstick factories, powerplants, and race tracks. Don’t do it where we are mining.
C.O.
Actually Folks,
That item did come up on the previously located site at the Duluth Ready-Mix Cement site. Having worked in cooperation with Hibbing Tac and other mineral owners this site is OFF the iron formation.
No need to get excited about having to choose between mining and “other” interests.
If this moves forward,it will be solely driven by local private investors.
John Fedo
RLK Engineering Inc.