Mona Lang, consulting director, Negaune DDA

NEGAUNEE — The Downtown Enhancement Project is more than a facelift, it is instrumental in reshaping Negaunee’s long term economic future. Funded in part by USDA Rural Development Funding, MDOT Small Urban Development Funds, and a Michigan Economic Development Corporation Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant, the project is a combination of public infrastructure, streetscape improvements, placemaking components, and pedestrian amenities designed to create a downtown that offers walkability, pedestrian amenities, diverse businesses, and a unique environment that is an essential component in the city’s economic future.

The goal of the project is to promote business growth and sustainability, create outdoor social gathering opportunities, increase walkability and connectivity, and improve the overall image of the community.

The first component of the project took place this summer with upgrades to public infrastructure on Iron Street by replacing aged water mains, electrical systems, sidewalks, and roadways – all of which are critical components to help sustain businesses and residents in or adjacent to downtown.

Secure and reliable infrastructure is vital to supporting business and attracting new private investment. Interconnecting the water improvement project with other public improvements makes sense. This summer the project also included new sidewalks, street lighting, street trees, and the realignment of the Iron-Pioneer street intersection.

A second component of the project will take place in Summer of 2024 and will include street furnishings, a welcome sign, landscaping, and improvements to several strategically identified city owned sites adjacent to Iron Street. Specifically, those projects are the redesign of Ericson Parkway and Chiri Park, creation of Iron Street Plaza, Tobin Street Seating, Rail Street Platform and Firefighter’s Square. Design elements in the project provide a link to our industrial past with the use of iron and weathered steel in many of the features.

A refresh of Ericson Parkway which serves as a pedestrian connector between Jackson and Iron Streets will include new landscaping, lighting, and public seating.

It will also integrate restoration and reuse of old cemetery gates as a design feature. Chiri Park is a central site downtown and has historically been simply an open space lawn that is underutilized. This project will reinvent it to become a true central gathering area with new landscaping, public seating, bike amenities, and infrastructure to support the Negaunee Farmers Market.

The creation of Iron Street Plaza repurposes Marquette Street into a pedestrian plaza that will also serve as a connector between parking areas and Iron Street. The plaza will serve as a public gathering area with furnishings, plantings, and features custom light poles created by local firm UP Fabricating.

The area will be a venue for street events and festivals. The Rail Street Platform will create an overlook and plaza on the unused land above the Silver Street underpass and steps from the Iron Ore Heritage Trail.

It will provide a unique outdoor gathering space that will feature a deck, lightscaping, gas fire pits, seating for socializing and dining, and bike parking. Improvements to Tobin Street include landscaping and public seating to enhance the connection between Iron Street with the adjacent Jackson Mine Park and the Iron Heritage Trail. Finally, the creation of Firefighter’s Square will highlight our historic fire station (which is the oldest in-use fire station in the Upper Peninsula and second oldest in the state) by featuring a sculpture, interpretive signage and narratives that pay homage to the history of firefighting in our community.

This project is more than a reimaging of downtown, it will help to spawn a new era of economic development in the city by transforming the city’s downtown into an active city core.

The downtown reflects the well-being of the entire city and is critical to attracting new investment, business, and residents. An active downtown that offers walkability, pedestrian amenities, and a unique environment is an essential component in the city’s economic strategy.

It communicates to our residents, businesses, and greater regional community that we are a community worth investing their time, resources, and talent in. We are more than a community lost to time because of the economic loss of mining — we are survivors. Our future is bright.

We are ready for our next chapter. This transformation project will bring about a new era for this generation and into the next, changing the face of Negaunee for this and the next century.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mona Lang serves as consulting director of the Negaunee Downtown Development Authority.