Duluth City Council approves Spirit Mountain restoration funding

The Duluth City Council unanimously approved two resolutions that would fund the Spirit Mountain Restoration project during their council meeting Monday night, October 28.

The state had already appropriated $13 million to the project on the condition that the city would match those funds, something councilors voted to do. Now around $26 million will be invested into the project between the city and the state.

“I want to support this ordinance and really our long term approach to supporting Spirit Mountain,” said Council President Roz Randorf prior to the vote. “This is a year round recreation asset that gives visitors and residents another reason to enjoy Duluth.”

According to Spirit Mountain Executive Director Ann Glumac, Spirit Mountain will be responsible for half of the city’s contribution to the project. The restoration will see Spirit Mountain updating much of its now 50 year old infrastructure.

Glumac said the restoration is still in the design phase, so an exact timeline for the project has not been set yet, but she shared that there are some ideas in mind.

“The chalet, we anticipate, will be more in line with current design and current user expectations,” said Glumac. “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. 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.”

Glumac also commented on the city’s non-traditional relationship with the resort.

“It’s not usual for a city to own a ski resort or a resort of any type, and to have the city spend the time and effort to pursue this and to continue with the process to do the reinvestment is very heartening,” said Glumac. “Spirit was created 50 years ago, not only to provide outdoor recreation opportunities but to help the economy.”