Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood — A special hearing prior to the Ironwood City Commission meeting tonight will be to consider a grant application to build a Downtown City Square next year.
The $1.67 million grant application to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the project, said Tom Bergman, the community development director for the city of Ironwood. The city’s share is $191,000, which is an agreement to complete the downtown lighting project on West McCloud Avenue to the Hurley border, and the Douglas Boulevard business route from downtown to U.S. 2, he said.
The centerpiece is the vacant lot at the intersection of West McCloud Avenue and South Lowell Street.
“It’s perfectly located in the center of downtown,” Bergman said.
The state has written a letter of intent to allocate funding for this project, he said. The plan is for the city to pursue acquisition of the property from a willing owner, start the engineering and design process over winter, and to develop the space in summer 2020.
Ironwood was uniquely qualified as an economic development area with moderate average income, but with a population of more than 5,000, Bergman said. The community assistance team of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation encouraged a focus on the downtown to include community public spaces and amenities that draw traffic to downtown businesses, he said.
“The city met with the team a number of times and the concept of the Downtown City Square emerged as an economic impact project,” he said.
The work will include landscaping and adding benches, tables, splash pads and hook-up space for food venders, he said. The concrete will have tie-down loops for arts and crafts vendors and farmers markets tents.
“It will be very much kid and family friendly,” Bergman said.
The space will continue to serve as the finish line of the annual SISU Ski Fest, he said. There will be an outdoor skating rink and a gas fireplace to enhance the event and serve as a winter recreation spot.
By making a space for food trucks, Bergman said the city will also ensure that the mobile food vendors pay their share as they compete for business with existing restaurants that pay property taxes, he said.
Space will also be made for additional parking, he said.
“We have three downtown parking areas already and this final piece will be a separate section for additional public parking,” Bergman said.
The city square will provide an amphitheater that can host larger First Friday events and concerts, he said. This will bring more people from other communities to participate in commerce downtown, he said.
The project philosophy is consistent with both the city’s Comprehensive Plan and the Downtown Blueprint Plan, Bergman said. The project is about 10 years in the making and follows similar efforts to add sidewalks, street banners, parking lots, pocket parks, a sand volleyball court and the Ironwood portion of the Iron-Belle Trail.
The project reflects a shift toward asset based community economic development, he said. More than building tourism the effort is about attracting and retaining talent and new businesses, he said.
Rural America is making a slow resurgence and communities like Ironwood stand to gain, Bergman said. Larger metropolitan areas present a higher cost of living and longer commuting times, he said.
The younger generation is prioritizing quality of life more than job opportunities alone, he said. Having outdoor recreational opportunities and positive life experience are as important to attracting people to an area.
“Ironwood has an incredible opportunity with unique natural resource assets, such as Lake Superior, waterfalls, downhill and cross country skiing, kayaking white water, mountain biking and trails,” he said. “You find some of this in every rural community but we have it in spades.”
To make the downtown more vibrant the city has invested in building a strong arts community along with creating recreational events with entertainment and vendors. To attract high-tech business the city has already invested in fiberoptics and the regional airport has commercial flight connections to Chicago and the Twin Cities.
The commission will consider the request during the regular meeting immediately following the 5:20 p.m. special meeting. The hearing will also be to request applying for U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Disaster Relief grants.
