The Covid Upsurge, a Cliffs-Dow Property Update, the NY Deli Mystery Solved, the Depressing Delta News, and Our Amazing Photographers

The Latest From Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

ONE OUT OF every six of us in Marquette County has been infected by Covid. One of every 681 has died from it…Scary figures, and with Omicron, we’re now hitting record highs nearly every day…The only slightly good news is that hospitalizations and deaths so far have stabilized, but that could change in the weeks ahead.

MASKS? DESPITE THE record Covid numbers, masking is still not the norm here at restaurants, bars, schools, and large gatherings…Contact tracing? Its value early on in the pandemic seemed vital; now, some question whether it’s all that important.

PAXLOVID TABLETS—THE ones you take to lessen the severity of Covid once you’re infected…They could eventually be the remedy for all of us, vaccinated and unvaccinated...But at last report, Michigan had received a mere 1600 courses of the medicine…The proverbial drop in the bucket.

THE AT-HOME Covid tests. They should certainly help, even if the price has soared from $14 for two tests to $20-25 in the last few weeks…Then we hear from the Ishpeming man who called Walmart to see if they were selling them. Yes, he was told. He raced down to Walmart. They were gone. He raced down to Walgreens. Got ‘em, just barely. He stood in line with several others gratefully clutching their prized tests. The rest would soon be gone…The tests are flying off the shelves throughout the County.

DON’T EXPECT ANY development soon at the Cliffs-Dow property along Lakeshore Boulevard…It’s a contaminated site that nevertheless has sparked interest because of its proximity to the Lake. The Veridea Group has been looking into it now for a couple of years… “Anybody who decides to develop that property will have about ten steps to take before they can do anything,” says a cautious Michele Thomas, director of development for Veridea….She’s reluctant to even discuss the viability of a residential development there. It’s controversial and complicated.

THAT MIXED-USE development in the downtown parking lot across from The Commons is still in the planning stages by Veridea. But nothing’s imminent…Plans still call for it to be five stories high—likely a residential-office-retail-restaurant mix.

WOULDN’T YOU KNOW it? The city finally moves a one mile stretch of Lakeshore Boulevard 100 yards away from the shoreline to prevent the crashing waves from destroying the road…and this year, it appears the Lake decided to give us a break…Few crashing waves, no serious erosion, at least so far…Still, the move was a good investment ($12 million total) because it preserves the roadway well into the future and provides valuable green space for walkers and bikers.

WE’VE ALL BEEN wondering what happened to the New York Deli which closed up shop on West Washington a few months ago with plans to relocate to the old Family Video Store…Now we know…The owner, via Facebook, explained that he’d recently been hospitalized with a serious illness and is no longer able to carry out those plans…Bottom line: NY Deli is sadly closed for good, but may do catering and parties in the future.

A FASCINATING, FACT-filled piece in Rural Insights this week by former Marquette city manager Bill Vajda…A sample: 27.5% of all city property is owned by NMU which, of course, pays no property taxes. That figure seems astonishing, but Vajda double-checked it with the city…And this: Almost 20% of the top 100 taxpayers in Marquette are property managers/developers, and almost half of them are from out of town and out of state. In other words, investors and corporations with no serious ties to the city are making many of the big decisions about Marquette development…No surprise, perhaps, but still dismaying.

ALTHOUGH HE LEFT the city manager’s job in 2015 and has since taken gigs in Alaska and Washington DC, Vajda and his wife have kept their home in Marquette, and still (kind of) live here…He plans to retire in three more years and stay here permanently. He and his family have deep roots in Marquette.

DISCOURAGEMENT AT SAWYER airport. Delta is suspending its daily flights to and from Minneapolis…Doesn’t make much sense because the word is, the flight was making money…County officials along with business leaders here are planning to meet with Delta in the near future to get the flight reinstated…You gotta wonder, though, how much pull a delegation from a tiny UP airport will have when it comes to Delta’s worldwide operations.

SO IN RECENT months we’ve learned that Marquette actually lost population in the last decade (though some question that figure)…and NMU’s enrollment has declined (thank you, pandemic)…and now we’re losing flights to our airport….Hmm, hardly seems like the dynamic, up-and-coming city we thought we were…

But then again, take a look at the ever-changing development on the lakeshore, and the gradual influx of young, smart, creative people here, and you get a different picture…

INCREASING ANXIETY AMONG fitness clubs nationwide with the resurgence of Covid cases. The pandemic has not been kind to the clubs…But Marquette’s YMCA? “There’s increased competition with some new fitness clubs,” says YMCA CEO Jenna Zdunek, “but our membership has been growing steadily for the last 18 months”…Membership was at 4200 pre-pandemic, then cratered because of the pandemic, but has now climbed back to 3400…More classes being offered, as well.

Interesting. Despite the surge in cases, you’ll find virtually no one wearing a mask at the YMCA.

MARQUETTE’S GOT SOME remarkable professional and amateur photographers who share their work on social media…Two of the best: Former state legislator Steve Lindberg who, day after day, comes up with remarkable wildlife photos…and environmental engineer Carolyn St Cyr who recently has been sharing what you might call “Christmas card” photos—gorgeous, serene, wintertime shots of Marquette… “It’s been a stressful year for everybody,” she explains, “and if my photos give someone joy for even a few moments, I’m happy.” She’s succeeded…Let others get their thrills taking political potshots at each other on Facebook; we’ll happily settle for finding joy in her and Lindberg’s enchanting photos, instead.

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