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EDA approves Taconite Harbor strategic‑planning outline but commissioners urge longer timeline and project‑manager clarity
Summary
The EDA approved a strategic‑planning outline to solicit consulting proposals for the former Taconite Harbor Energy Center site, but commissioners said the timeline should be lengthened and asked staff to clarify whether $200,000 of grant funds can be used to hire a project manager.
The Cook County Economic Development Authority approved a strategic planning outline to guide an RFP process for the former Taconite Harbor Energy Center site in Schroeder Township, but the board’s discussion focused heavily on timeline realism, stakeholder engagement and whether grant funds could be used to hire a project manager.
The outline will be used to solicit proposals from consulting firms to facilitate a phased planning process for the site. Staff said the larger grant award totals $1,000,000, with materials referencing $200,000 for planning (identified by staff as needed for a project manager/consultant) and $800,000 for a transfer station; commissioners discussed both figures during the meeting. Commissioners and township representatives said the list of stakeholders must include Cleveland‑Cliffs/Minnesota Power and Lake County, and they urged outreach to additional partners such as the University of Minnesota and other technical advisors.
Several commissioners, and Schroeder Township Chair Bruce Martinson, said the timeline in the outline is aggressive and unrealistic for a project of this scale. Participants recommended that the RFP require the consultant to propose a realistic timeline and to identify a project manager role that would coordinate stakeholders, grant administration and subsequent implementation tasks. Some commissioners said earlier meetings with state Energy Transition Office staff had led them to expect consultant support to be an allowable use of the planning funds; others said they would verify allowable uses with the state grant manager (Carla Vita) before committing to hiring a project manager.
The board voted to approve the outline as a guiding document and directed staff to assemble the EDA’s Taconite Harbor Committee to draft a formal RFP. Staff also was asked to confirm with state grant contacts what the funds can legally reimburse before the RFP is issued. Commissioners noted the broader regional and county interests in the project and the need for the consultant to craft stakeholder engagement and expectations around potential economic outcomes, not merely energy‑sector reuse.
