Duluth City Council Approves Millions in Funding for Spirit Mountain

The Duluth City Council voted unanimously to approve a pair of resolutions to contribute millions to the Spirit Mountain Restoration project.

During Monday’s meeting, the city council agreed to match $13 million in state funding for the renovation project, bringing the total funding to $26 million. According to a WDIO report, the City of Duluth will only pay for about half of that $13 million. Spirit Mountain officials say the organization will cover the other half of the $13 million.

Plans for the restoration are still in the design phase, so there’s not estimated timeline on when actual construction work will begin or how long it will take to complete. Officials say the renovation will be a full overhaul in some areas, as the 50 year old infrastructure hasn’t kept up with industry trends.

“The industry has changed since 1974 when Spirit opened its doors, so we anticipate a chalet that will be a little bit more compact but with more multi-use spaces,” said Executive Director Ann Glumac. “We host a large number of events at Spirit Mountain, particularly in the summer and in the fall and we anticipate those spaces will be upgraded.”

Renovating Spirit Mountain and the surrounding area has been a long term focus of the Duluth City Council. Earlier this year, a cycling group worked with Spirit Mountain to add new features to the biking trails in the area through the Minnesota Legacy Trails Grant Program. The Duluth City Council also worked with Spirit Mountain to approve a new budget this year due to the rising cost of maintaining their slopes.