A New, Affordable Apartment Complex, a Snag for MATI’s Plans, a $1 Billion Investment, a Challenge for Medicaid Patients, and Hopes for a YMCA Fieldhouse
The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell
IT’S GOTTEN LITTLE play in the media so far, but within a few months, Ironshore Development, a group of mostly local investors, is hoping to break ground on a 160-unit apartment complex on McClellan Street, out toward the ski hill…All two-bedroom apartments, in 11 buildings, on 17 acres…Financing for the project still needs to be finalized, but a spokesman for the group is confident that’s coming soon.
“It’ll be workforce housing,” says architect Barry Polzin. Rents are uncertain at this point because of fluctuating construction costs, but the target market will be regular folks working regular jobs, not affluent retirees…Move-in date for the first phase of the project, according to Polzin, will likely be in 2024…as long as financing is approved.
THE CAMPAIGN BY the Masonic Arts, Theatre, and Innovation Company (MATI) to buy the Masonic Square Mall downtown has hit a snag…MATI has been trying to get financing to acquire the building for the last couple of years—so far without success—but now the building has been put on the open market… “Nothing’s definitive,” says MATI general manager Ryan Engle…Engle has managed to fill the building mostly with businesses involved in the arts and technology, and the hope has been that the Masonic would become an arts and technology hub in the center of downtown…But now, some doubt.
THAT PARCEL OF city-owned property across from the Fairfield Inn in south Marquette is drawing interest from developers…So far, two hotels and a credit union have indicated they might want to buy the land…The City Commission will decide whether to sell the property or keep it… “The Commission hasn’t had an opportunity to discuss this yet,” says Mayor Cody Mayer, “so I’m hesitant to comment until they have discussed it…”
A HUGE WIN for the Upper Peninsula and Invest UP…Billerud, a Swedish paper and pulp manufacturer, has decided to invest more than a $1 billion in a Delta County paper mill—it’s the largest private sector investment ever made in the UP…It’ll be supplemented by $200 million from the state…Invest UP and more than a dozen other agencies, institutions, and groups have been working on the deal for months.
MICHIGAN MEDICAID PATIENTS will be facing an unwelcome chore in the next few months…Starting April 1st, they’ll have to prove they’re still eligible for their benefits, according to Bridge Michigan…During the height of the Covid pandemic, the federal government prohibited the states from removing anyone from the Medicaid rolls…Now, that’s no longer the case, and it’s estimated that, nationwide, under these new rules, as many as 15 million enrollees could lose their benefits.
IT'S NOT A public campaign yet, but slowly, behind the scenes, the Marquette County YMCA is gearing up for a fundraising drive to build a fieldhouse adjacent to the Y in Marquette… “We won’t build it until we have all the money we need to build it,” says a cautious Jenna Zdunek, the YMCA CEO…She’s cautious because she’s painfully aware that the Y got into serious financial trouble years ago when, under a different CEO, it tried to expand too quickly, and then discovered it couldn’t pay its bills. It had to file for bankruptcy. It managed to recover, though, and now, thankfully, it’s more than solvent…The fieldhouse, if and when it is built, would allow children to play a variety of sports inside…even during the dead of winter.
ALWAYS A TREAT for music lovers in Marquette…The NMU Choirs are preparing for what’s expected to be a sensational concert at Reynolds Recital Hall—the UP premiere of “Considering Matthew Shepard” by Craig Hella Johnson…February 21st…Dr. Erin Colwitz, the Director of Choirs, has a difficult time restraining her enthusiasm for the piece: “It’s truly heart-breaking, powerful, and joyful all at once,” she says.
A COMMUNITY COMING together after tragedy…We all read about it a week ago—an Escanaba husband and wife killed in a horrendous traffic accident, leaving behind three children…Now the heartening part: A gofundme campaign was started to defray the costs of the funeral, allow the kids to stay in their home, and help pay for food, gas, college and other future expenses…A recent check on the gofundme page tells us that more than $200,000 has been raised for the children…UP Strong.
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