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10/15/2014 10:14:43 AM
Governor Dayton, IRRRB Commissioner Sertich participate in ribbon cutting and open house
CHISHOLM, Minn.- The Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District (CIRSSD) Board today hosted a ribbon cutting and open house to commemorate the commissioning of its new $28 million regional wastewater treatment facility serving the cities of Chisholm, Buhl, Kinney and the town of Great Scott. The event was held at the CIRSSD Wastewater Treatment Facility located approximately four miles east of Chisholm.
"This new facility will allow these communities to treat 5 times more wastewater than the previous infrastructure allowed," said Governor Mark Dayton. "The quality of life in our communities depends in part on the reliability and functionality of our clean water infrastructure. I congratulate all the local leaders who made this project possible."
The vision for the facility was to develop and implement a centralized system to convey and treat wastewater from the member communities. Alone, none of these communities could afford the high capital cost of constructing a new treatment facility that met standards. Thanks to the collaboration, the communities were able to build the regional treatment facility, which is capable of processing 5 times as much wastewater a day - increasing daily water treatment capacity from 500,000 to 2.5 million gallons. In addition to increasing capacity, the new facility also is expected to have lower operating costs and allow new economic development to occur.
"This project is a prime example of a successful community partnership," said Commissioner Tony Sertich. "By working together, these communities were able to increase capacity, lower operational costs, and provide economic development opportunities along and beyond the Highway 169 corridor."
Originally championed by the late U.S. Congressman Jim Oberstar, the project initially got off the ground through the 2005 Minnesota bonding bill that released $1.7 million for the design and pre-design of the project. Over the course of the construction cycle, the project employed 137 workers, using local workers whenever feasible. In addition, the project has created 3 permanent jobs for the on-going operation, maintenance and management of the facilities.
The regional wastewater treatment facility received funding from a number of sources. These funding sources included:
IRRRB is a state economic development agency headquartered in northeastern Minnesota whose mission is to promote and invest in business, community and workforce development for the betterment of northeastern Minnesota. To learn more about the agency and its services, visit www.irrrb.org. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/IRRRB.
