Movers & Shakers April 20, 2010
Ore processing begins in Kellogg
New Jersey Mining Co. has completed improvements to its concentrate leach plant and started to process ore through its mill near Kellogg. Preparations are also under way to begin mobilizing a crew of miners to the Silver Strand mine.
Work completed at the mill in March and April has focused on improvements to the concentrate leach plant such as modifications to the electro-winning cell to improve recovery, a new drive system to reduce leaks in the re-pulper, and the installation of stainless steel piping to increase safety. Initially, a batch of custom ore is being processed at the mill and then material from an exploration raise at the New Jersey mine will be processed.
Mobilization to the Silver Strand mine will begin in late April and work on the mine will start the first week of May. It is expected that about one month of work is required to prepare for mining operations with ore shipments to the New Jersey mill starting in June. The grade of the block of ore to be mined at the Silver Strand is 361 grams per metric ton silver and 5.43 gpt gold. Initially, the planned production rate is 400 metric tons per month which is expected to accelerate in the autumn.
An exploration raise is being mined at the New Jersey mine on a newly found vein. The new vein is steeply dipping and strikes more east-west than the main Coleman vein, which strikes more north and south. The vein width ranges from 0.2 meters to 0.6 meters, and chip samples ranged from 1.27 to 19.75 gpt gold averaging 6.98 gpt gold. Future drilling and extension of the raise will be necessary to determine if an economic ore shoot can be found. The east-west orientation of this new vein system has not been tested by past drilling efforts.
Resort visits increased
Visits to Schweitzer Mountain Resort climbed last season despite fears of El Nino winter and a struggling economy.
The resort announced on Friday that visitor numbers increased over last season with more than 217,000 skier visits.
With only 177 inches of snowfall throughout the season - almost half of last season's snowfall - visits increased by 7.5 percent.
"Our challenge this year was battling the perception of our snowpack level," said resort President and CEO Tom Chasse. "But we came out on top in terms of skier visits, proving that we have the terrain and staff that inspire a dedicated following of Schweitzer fans and we truly appreciate their support."
Schweitzer also extended its season past the initial closing date through April 11, which turned out to be the snowiest week of the season.
The resort's summer operations are slated to kick off on June 25.
Agents sign with Keller Williams
Several new agents recently joined Keller Williams Realty in Coeur d'Alene.
Leon Bucko is a seasoned real estate professional with 27 years of experience, including commercial, residential and management in four states plus owning his own brokerage in Oregon.
"Keller Williams is the perfect fit for me due to the family spirit and flexibility it allows me to grow my own business within the Keller Williams Realty company," he said in a press release. "It is truly a unique approach to marketing and service to our clients."
Susan Thomas joined Keller Williams because of their culture and philosophies and said she looks forward to a promising future with the company.
"I have always wanted to be involved in real estate, and now I have a great opportunity to do the job I've always wanted," she said.
Her focus will be in the semi-rural, residential areas.
Michael Jacobs has been a licensed associate broker in Idaho for more than 25 years and recently made the move to Keller Williams Realty.
"I came here to KW to make the best use of a diversified background," he said. "I have been a corporate pilot, construction engineer and manager, along with serving on various civic and professional organizations. I believe my clients deserve the best service possible and I welcome the opportunity to provide that same stellar service to anyone with Real Estate needs."
If you have a new, relocated or expanded business, or announcement of events, promotions or awards, The Press wants to let our readers know. The service is free and items run Tuesday through Saturday. To get the word on the street on your movers and shakers, call city editor Bill Buley at 664-8176 Ext. 2016 or e-mail bbuley@cdapress.com.