ARDC Planning

ARDC Planning is joining Discover The Range in Grand Rapids on June 15, 2026 for a public Trail Town Community Meeting!

We’re hoping to gather a strong group of residents, stakeholders, and trail enthusiasts to help shape the future of our region’s growing trail network.

Meet at the Itasca County Fairgrounds Trailhead Building
• Monday, June 15, 2026 (5:00–7:00 PM)
• Itasca County Fairgrounds, 1336 Fairgrounds Rd., Grand Rapids

This free event, presented by Discover the Range and the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, is a chance for the community to:

• Learn about the benefits of our expanding trail-based economy
• Explore strategies to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities
• Discuss priorities for future investment and collaboration

Please share this post with folks who may be interested in attending! Thank you for helping us bring more voices to the table on Monday—every participant truly makes a difference. You can register for the event here: https://bit.ly/49RFL1q

Visit Grand Rapids Rapids Riders ATV Club Inc Mesabi Trail Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce - Grand Rapids Minnesota

Our region’s trail network is growing—fast. With millions of dollars invested in new and expanded trail systems in recent years, now is the perfect time to come together and shape what the future looks like for our communities.

ARDC Planning and Discover The Range are hosting a series of community meetings across Northeastern Minnesota to explore how we can strengthen our trail based economy, enhance outdoor recreation opportunities, and set shared priorities for the years ahead. Whether you’re a trail user, business owner, local leader, or simply passionate about the outdoors, your voice matters in this conversation.

Scan the QR code or click the link below to find an upcoming meeting near you—and help us build a stronger, more connected trail system for everyone.

Link here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2C965VD

Mesabi Trail Visit Grand Rapids Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce East Range Communities

Do you live in the Duluth area and want to gain skills to help youth learn to walk, bike, and roll safely?

Our friends at Zeitgeist Duluth in cooperation with Duluth Public Schools' Safe Routes To Schools Team is holding an in-person trianing tomorrow that still has some room for participants!

The training is Wednesday, June 10th, from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. At Our Saviors Lutheran Church in West Duluth.

Learn helpful tools for implementing the Walk!Bike!Fun!, K-8 curriculum in your class, school, or community. This hands-on training will help you gain the confidence and knowledge you need to support youth walking, biking, and rolling to school and in their neighborhoods.

Training is free of charge and lunch is provided. Educators can receive 8 CEUs upon completion of the online and in-person training modules. Substitute pay is also available to educators.

Register here: www.bikemn.org/events/walkbikefun-educator-training-duluth/

Learn more about about the Walk!Bike!Fun! program here: www.walkbikefun.org/

Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota Vibrant Streets Duluth Minnesota Department of Transportation MnDOT | Northeast Minnesota

ARDC Planning is joining Discover The Range in Biwabik tonight for a public Trail Town Community Meeting!

We’re hoping to gather a strong group of residents, stakeholders, and trail enthusiasts to help shape the future of our region’s growing trail network.

Biwabik Trail Town Community Meeting
• Tonight, June 9 (5:00–7:00 PM)
• Biwabik City Hall Chambers (321 Main St, Biwabik, MN 55708)

This free event, presented by Discover the Range and the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, is a chance for the community to:
• Learn about the benefits of our expanding trail-based economy

• Explore strategies to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities

• Discuss priorities for future investment and collaboration

Please share this post with folks who may be interested in attending! Thank you for helping us bring more voices to the table tonight—every participant truly makes a difference. You can register for the event here: https://bit.ly/4fFKG9r

Mesabi Trail East Range Communities

Minnesota Department of Transportation is advising folks who live or visit City of Bigfork and Marcel in Itasca county about the Highway 6 Bigfork River bridge replacement which sstarts June 8, 2026.

MnDOT will be starting construction on the Highway 6 Bigfork River Bridge just north of the southern junction of Itasca County Road 14 on Monday, June 8. This project will replace the currently weight-restricted bridge.

Traffic will not be able to cross the bridge starting on June 8 and will be detoured on Itasca County Road 14 to Highway 38 to Itasca County Road 286. The detour is expected to be in place through November.

Please visit the project website for additional information and a detour map: mndot.gov/d1/projects/hwy6-bigfork.

Work zone safety tips:

• Obey posted speed limits. The fine for speeding in a work zone is $300.
• Drive undistracted. Avoid using phones, mobile devices, adjusting the radio – even eating – while in work zones.
• Move over. Give workers room to safely complete their work.
• Be patient. Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
• Avoid making unnecessary lane changes.
• Never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.
• Expect work zones to constantly change. Day to day you could experience lane shifts, closures, narrower lanes, moving workers and vehicles.

For more information on projects in northeast Minnesota, follow us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/groups/MnDOTnortheast. For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org.

ARDC Planning is a Division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.

MnDOT | Northeast Minnesota Itasca County

When plans become reality!

Thanks to Northeast SHIP for this great newsletter article celebrating the community of Silver Bay rallying around their recently completed Safe Routes to Schools Plan. The William-Kelley school is the heart of this small North Shore community, and we are so excited to see that several recommendations from the plan have been implemented, and more to come!

Active bodies make for active minds, so seeing improvements so more kids can walk, bike, and roll to school is amazing. Big thanks to all the partners who helped make community improvements and encouragement events happen!

Read the article here: https://www.northeastship.org/post/lake-county-is-taking-strides-in-active-living

Minnesota Department of Transportation Lake Superior School District # 381 - Two Harbors, MN Spokengear Lake County - Minnesota Silver Bay PTO

ARDC Planning is a Division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.

ARDC Planning staff members were able to join the ribbon cutting event in Silver Bay for the new multi-modal trail center. This new building features a large meeting room space, a kitchen with a pass-through window into the meeting room for serving food during meetings and events, and an accessible bathroom on the upper floor. The upper floor also features a window that can be used for walk-up concessions for events when most people will be outside and there is food served from indoors.

On the lower level, there is a bank of lockers, several individual accessible bathrooms, and several individual shower rooms with coin-operated showers. The lower floor will be open 24 hours!

Access between the two levels necessitates using a concrete path that is built to ADA standards. The grassy knoll inside the new path connecting the levels is hoped to one-day house a playground!

This building is being powered by onsite solar panels! There are three EV charging stations onsite maintained by Minnesota Power.

During the speeches we heard a lot of why a facility like this is good for the community of Silver Bay and to all it's visitors. The site will connect trail users of the Minnesota State Parks and Trails' Gitchi-Gami State Trail for walking biking and rolling; the ATV/Snowmobile trails; cross country ski trails; and provide an area for folks using the nearby Superior Hiking Trail as well. The area also includes parking for trail users of all modes.

Thanks were given to those who had the idea, contributed comments, helped supply support for grant applications, helped secure grants and state and local funding, and to those who helped design, engineer, and construct this facility that will serve the community and serve as an economic driver. Shoutouts were given to Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, to the past and present legislators, to Northshore Mining, and to Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and so many more!

Here are a few pictures we took at the event-- hope you'll check out this great resource the next time you are spending time on the North Shore!

ARDC Planning is a division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.

Lovin' Lake County, MN

As part of the Arrowhead Regional Transportation Coordinating Council, ARDC staff are working with the Center for Transportation Studies - University of Minnesota to better understand how transportation gaps affect access to health care. The attached article by University of Minnesota Duluth Professor David Beard highlights progress so far, which includes holding roundtables, provider input, and interviews and focus groups across the region.

Read the article here:
https://www.mnphy.com/0426-cover-one--non-emergency-medical-transportation-a-hidden-variable-in-patient-care-david-beard?fbclid=IwY2xjawRs5CZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeQ9Y-5tQTwJ4AVcu4C-H0yIz-I2sYMkMXINFRXSNNBIuw732ZFV6dhD6y-wg_aem_SXzvNr8ZyKX9JU34MV5dbA

To learn more about the work of the Arrowhead Regional Transportation Coordinating Council, visit our website at: https://www.arrowheadrtcc.org/

ARDC Planning is a Division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Advice for identifying and responding to a growing crisis in medical care, – getting to and from health care appointments – especially for those without cars.

Do you live in northeast Minnesota? We'd love to hear from you!

The Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) is developing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to guide regional priorities and investments.
Building on recent community engagement across the region, we’re seeking broader input to validate what we’ve heard and ensure we haven’t missed important perspectives.

We invite you to take a brief survey (5–7 minutes) to share your insights:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ARDC_CEDS
Your input will help:
• Confirm the most pressing challenges facing communities
• Prioritize key areas of focus for the region
• Identify additional ideas and opportunities

Please feel free to share this survey with others in our region!

The survey will remain open through May 8, 2026.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your perspective—your input will directly inform the region’s economic development strategy.

ARDC Planning is a Division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.

Check out some 🌎 friendly policies here at ARDC as we celebrate Earth Day!!

ARDC Planning is a Division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.