Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood — The 20-below weather of this week is taking a toll on some Ironwood residents’ homes.
City utilities director Bob Tervonen told the city commission Thursday that city residents should make sure their crawlspace areas and basements remain heated. There have been about a half-dozen cases in the city of frozen water lines into the basements, he said.
“Using a fan to blow air into the cooler areas of the basement and crawlspaces can help a lot,” Tervonen said.
One week into winter, Ironwood has already experienced much colder temperatures than were recorded all of last winter, when freezing pipes weren’t much of a problem.
Tervonen planned to issue a news release today advising residents how to cope with the bitter cold temperatures.
The frigid cold has been good for at least one aspect of life on the Gogebic Range — making ice for this weekend’s vintage snowmobile races at the fairgrounds track off Cloverland Drive.
City manager Scott Erickson and city commissioner Kim Corcoran noted volunteers have been out through the nights making ice and the track is in smooth shape for the races.
Snowmobile tracks contain metal cleats that cut into the glare ice and the Ironwood oval has been formed as smooth as a baby’s backside.
In line with this weekend’s vintage races and next week’s pro modern competition, Ironwood’s next First Friday event will carry a winter theme.
Community Development Director Tom Bergman said the Jan. 5 downtown promotion will carry a retro ski and snowmobile suit theme in line with the snowmobile and cross country SISU ski races here.
Bergman said downtown stores will offer discounts to people dressed up in their finest retro suits.
The best suits will be judged at a 7 p.m. Friday ceremony at the downtown Cold Iron Brewing pub.
On another matter affecting city residents, while garbage collection was pushed back a day this week because of Christmas, Tervonen said the collection schedule will be back to normal for next week.
