30 years ago

MARQUETTE – The largest hardware store in Marquette County is looking to expand and is considering a move from its current location in the Marquette Mall, according to a top corporate official. Menards, which moved into its present location in August 1992, has advertised locally for land proposals along U.S. 41, said Marv Prochaska, company vice president for real estate at the corporate headquarters in Eau Claire, Wis. “If we find the right piece of property, we’ll probably build one of our super stores,” Prochaska said. “We’re not on any particular time line, though.” But Prochaska noted that the lease Menards signed with the owners of the Marquette Mall expires on Jan. 31, 1998. Expansion plans, if any such plans are made, would be finalized well before that date, he said. A handful of Menards super stores currently dot the chain’s Midwest service area, including large-scale operations in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Appleton, Wis. and Chicago. At about 161,000 square feet, Menards super stores are substantially larger than the current Marquette store, which is about 73,000 square feet, and is in the site once occupied by Woolworths. In addition, Menards super stores usually have a large lumber yard, he said. The company is looking for 12 acres of relatively flat land with access to city water and sewer service. “There aren’t too many opportunities for expansion of that scope at the Marquette Mall,” Prochaska said. Robert Dagenais of Escanaba, president of Dagenais Real Estate which owns the Marquette Mall, agreed with Prochaska’s assessment. “If they’re talking about building on that scale, I think they would have to find a new location,” he said. “Besides, I don’t foresee a problem leasing the space anyway. We have had a lot of inquiries for rental space up there.”

90 years ago

MUNISING – National youth administration projects in Alger county now employ 113 young men and women, according to Charles Wrona, supervisor. Diversified projects are being carried on in different parts of the county. Many of the employees are engaged on jobs in connection with schools. In Trenary a group is repairing and cleaning desks and building shelves and bookcases. Last Saturday 19 NYA employees were transported from Chatham to Trenary to aid in the desk project and tomorrow 15 will assist in completing that job by varnishing. The Upper Peninsula experiment station, at Chatham, has a project which employs six workers. Another group cleaned and repaired the Chatham Hippodrome so that it could be used for indoor recreation. Eight persons are working on the Munising ski hill, lengthening the scaffold and building up the landing. Some groups are working in schools repairing books and doing general cleaning and minor repair work. In Shingleton one NYA employee prepares hot lunches for pupils and serves them at noon. Grand Marais has begun a school forest which employs several persons. Preparations are being made there for the planting this spring of Norway pine trees. Twelve persons are conducting a safety drive throughout the county. These NYA employees draw $784 in pay checks for a two-week period.