Trending
It's another great stop for Negaunee. On Monday, Negaunee's Downtown Development Authority approved the Negaunee Downtown Enhancement Project.
The DDA unanimously approved the overall project, which will now go to the Negaunee Planning Commission and then to the city council on May 1 for final approval. If the council OKs the plan, the project will focus on enhancing the downtown Negaunee area with parks, social hubs and making the area more walkable for residents and visitors to gather while preserving the buildings and beautifying downtown according to a story this week by Journal Staff Writer Dreyma Beronja.
That's good news for anyone who loves Irontown.
Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron said several themes will be displayed throughout the downtown, including iron, weathering steel and natural beauty.
"We tried to take as much, I believe in my opinion, a minimalist approach that is tactful, not too crazy," Heffron said. "We aren't putting up a Ferris wheel on Iron Street or a big giant slide into Teal Lake. There's some areas that folks are really going to enjoy in the community."
Heffron said that the funding behind the project came from an $885,000 grant applied for by Negaunee to the state of Michigan.
"The state of Michigan felt, from what we understand, we were one of the best projects they have on the list that met the criteria," Heffron said.
Heffron said the grant put in was based on plans that the Negaunee community said it wanted the city to do. The grant will create social areas for outdoor use and be tied into the streetscape while continuing a water project.
The project in total will cost an estimated $2.1 million after installation of fiber networks for businesses, new street lights, water and sewer.
"It's a very comprehensive project," Heffron said. "We're doing it all at the same time and we've got all these different sources of funds coming in."
Heffron said that Negaunee has over $1 million in grant funds coming in to make the project happen.
"It's a very exciting time to be in downtown Negaunee," Heffron said. "This is the biggest investment that Negaunee has seen in quite a long time and we're very excited about it."
The Downtown Enhancement Project areas will include Firefighter Square, Erickson Park, Chiri Park, Tobin Street Place, Irontown Plaza and Rail Street Lookout.
All in all, Negaunee residents should be excited for the improvements that are headed their way.
Congratulations to all involved.