The council voted unanimously in favor of the measure with several of the council members citing input from their constituents and economic concerns as their reasoning.

“A lot of the focus has been on the $300,000 in funding, but we know that Spirit Mountain has an economic impact in the millions of dollars,” said council member Arik Forsman.

“Without the hill this winter you could guarantee more business closure; more small businesses, more restaurants, more hotels,” continued Roz Randorf of the third council district, “We'd have more people laid off.”

Spirit Mountain has been closed since this spring as a result of the pandemic, and has suffered financial hardship as a result.

Last winter, the council approved a $235,000 bailout for Spirit Mountain to help them stay open.
 

To see the original report and related storied, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website.  https://www.wdio.com/duluth-minnesota-news/duluth-city-council-spirit-mt/5877448/?cat=10335