30 years ago

SAWYER AIR FORCE BASE — According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it will take $50 million dollars to clean up the widespread environmental contamination present at K.I. Sawyer, a project that would last until 2025. Despite the high prices and decades of work, these are normal numbers for military bases in the country facing closure. At Sawyer, many of the problem areas are fuel and solvent spills that leached a variety of hydrocarbon-based contaminants into the ground water over many years. The earliest recorded mass gasoline leak on the area was dated back to 1970, but land surveyors are hesitant to cite that as the first spill. Underground gasoline storage tanks, landfills and fire training areas have also contributed to groundwater problems. The various land-fills at Sawyer were primitive, as those disposing of trash dug shallow trenches to keep refuse out of site, and the banks of the Silver Lead Creek were home to ash and garbage.

60 years ago

MARQUETTE — This week, thanks to the Ambassadors of the Marquette Chamber of Commerce, Marquette has held three state conventions including the Michigan Sheriffs Association, and the Michigan Press Association. The Ambassadors were officially revitalized by then president Harlan Larson in 1963, with a mission of building an “International Bridge” between the American and Canadian Soos. The list of their historic visits includes saluting industrial and cultural Midwest staples in Iron Mountain, U.P., Copper Country, Green Bay and Appleton, Wisconsin, a Cleveland, Ohio. The group has since gained press recognition by both the Michigan State and U.S. Chambers of Commerce during its Community Achievement Award for Michigan Week. The Ambassadors are looking forward to expanding their community engagement in an effort to add new industries for Marquette and jobs for her citizens