by Dennis Dalman
Sartell will receive a $2 million state grant for street and utility construction partly to accommodate the Niron Magnetics company when it’s ready to open in the city.
The grant was announced last week by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Niron Magnetics plans to break ground for its facility – a $38 million project for a 190,000 square-foot building. Niron’s presence in Sartell is expected to create 157 full-time manufacturing jobs. The company has announced it intends to invest an additional $62 million in future expansion on the site, creating an additional 425 full-time jobs. The total cost of the public infrastructure project is estimated at $4,394,000.
Based in Minneapolis, Niron Magnetics signed a land agreement last year with the City of Sartell, which will transfer the 79 acres of land free to the company as an incentive to construct a Niron Magnetics manufacturing plant in the city. The land, along Fourth Street S., was owned years ago by the Sartell paper mill and later acquired by the city.
Niron Magnetics is a maker of earth-free permanent magnets, a sustainable and environmentally friendly option compared to other types of magnets.
Besides Sartell, DEED also announced infrastructure grants for two other Minnesota cities: $1,050,860 for North Branch and $2 million for Willmar.
