Downtown Housing Proposal, a Tessman Goodbye?, Social Security Anxiety, Bergman "Town Hall," Ski Season Slipping Away, and a 2600 Mile Bike Ride
The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell
MORE HOUSING DOWNTOWN? Could be…“I can confirm that the owners of the property are exploring the possibility of redeveloping the former hydroponics store into a mixed-use space with retail and residential units,” DDA Executive Director Tara Laase-McKinney tells us. “However, the project is still in the early stages…” So, nothing certain…But it makes sense because housing downtown is sorely needed, and watching that vacated store just sit there on a valuable piece of property near the center of downtown is kinda sad.
BROCK, WE HARDLY KNEW YE…It was certainly predictable, but we were still hoping that NMU President Brock Tessman might stay in Marquette for more than two years. Last week, we got word that he’s one of the two finalists in the search for a new president of Montana State University…No surprise. Tessman is a smart, young, dynamic academic leader who’s made significant improvements at NMU—including increased enrollment—during his two years here…What is Montana State offering? A much bigger university—17,000 students, a robust doctoral and masters program—and likely a substantial bump in pay…Tessman was previously the Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education in Montana…
Honestly, if Montana State passes on him, they’re making a mistake.
SINCE WE’VE BEEN hearing that the Social Security Administration is planning to eliminate 12% of its work force nationwide, cut its phone service, and close some field offices, we were wondering…What about the Marquette office?…A phone call to the office early in the week put us on lengthy hold—“Your wait times will be up to 15 minutes…We are still assisting other people…We will help you as soon as we can…” And after 15 minutes of the same messages, a final message: “Our agents are tied up…Please call back later today.” And then click! The line went dead…
The following day, after listening to the messages again for 10 minutes, we got a live voice! We asked the gentleman if any cutbacks in service were planned. Will the office stay open? Personnel laid off? “Oh, we can’t comment on that,” he responded. So, we asked, Is there anybody else we could talk to? A manager, perhaps? No, he responded, but I’ll pass your questions along…To whom exactly? No answer. End of conversation…We followed up with a phone call to the regional office in Grand Rapids—specifically, the media specialist…We received a callback several hours later, only to be told we needed to call yet another office…We’re not holding out much hope…Oh, and the Washington Post reported that the Social Security website crashed four times this month…These are anxious times for federal workers and Social Security recipients.
DON’T EXPECT ANY Town Halls with Congressman Jack Bergman anytime soon. He was invited to a Town Hall hosted by the decidedly partisan group “Traverse Indivisible” in Traverse City over the weekend but didn’t show…He’s reportedly said he doesn’t do “drama.”…The Traverse event drew 400 people and another 700 viewers on a livestream for 90 minutes of comments and questions directed at a life-sized cutout of our Congressman…Our attempts by phone and email to contact Bergman so that we could ask about possible Town Halls in the U.P. elicited this email from his office: “Please know that I have received your correspondence. Should you require immediate assistance or have a meeting inquiry follow-up, please call my Washington DC office…Again, thank you for reaching out. It is an honor to represent you…”
It’s understandable that Bergman doesn’t want to face a pack of wolves when he appears before his constituents during these tumultuous times, but it sure seems that his contact with us should be more than recorded phone messages, unhelpful emails, and carefully staged photo ops.
FEWER BORDER CROSSINGS, EH? The number of Canadians crossing the border into Michigan has dropped more than 10% from this time last year, according to Axios…Tourism officials here are reportedly bracing for a substantial decline in business this summer, as Canadians—in the midst of a baffling Canada-U.S. trade war— have been urged by some of their leaders to look elsewhere for their vacations.
“ALL OF OUR runs are open, and the skiing is great…It’s kind of crazy.” That’s Marquette Mountain GM Kaet Johnson expressing her surprise that the last two weeks on the ski hill have been relatively empty. But it happens every year—March arrives, the sun comes out every other day, the snow begins melting, and skiers and snowboarders start packing up their gear for the season…Still, weather permitting, the Mountain will remain open—on a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule—until April 13th…And on the 13th, a big party at the T-Bar with music, oysters, and drinks— celebrating that we had at least a few heavy snowfalls this Winter.
ALGAE BLOOMS AIN’T pretty…The Journal of Great Lakes Research collected samples from ten locations along the Canadian shoreline in Spring, Summer, and Fall, and identified 23 cyanobacterial blooms. Those are the blue-green algae found in fresh water…That’s not a good sign. If they continue to grow, they can produce toxins that harm wildlife and humans, and impede recreation…The reason for the algae bloom? Climate change.
AGE IS JUST a number. That certainly describes the phenomenon that is Bruce Closser, Marquette’s retired real estate appraiser who, two years ago at age 78 with Parkinson’s disease, biked across the United States. 4200 miles. Got himself a spot in the Guinness World Records…Now at 80, he’s at it again, planning a north-to-south 2600 mile bike trip from Mobile, Alabama to Marquette. Crazy…“I’m doing very well,” he assures us. “If I didn’t have Parkinson’s, I’d be in almost perfect health.”
He plans to leave Mobile on April 30th, and would like some help—namely, volunteers who would drive his gear from place to place on a daily basis, so that he wouldn’t have to carry it…He’s offering to provide the car, and pay airfare and expenses for the volunteers. Interested in a little adventure? Call or text him at 906 458 1537.
POEM OF THE WEEK
On Aging
When you see me sitting quietly,
Like a sack left on the shelf,
Don’t think I need your chattering.
I’m listening to myself.
Hold! Stop! Don’t pity me!
Hold! Stop your sympathy!
Understanding if you got it,
Otherwise I’ll do without it!
When my bones are stiff and aching,
And my feet won’t climb the stair,
I will only ask one favor:
Don’t bring me no rocking chair.
When you see me walking, stumbling,
Don’t study and get it wrong.
‘Cause tired don’t mean lazy
And every goodbye ain’t gone.
I’m the same person I was back then,
A little less hair, a little less chin,
A lot less lungs and much less wind.
But ain’t I lucky I can still breathe in.
—Maya Angelou