MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Lake Superior Community Partnership held their first ever combined ‘state of the county and state of the city,’ address on Friday morning at the Holiday Inn. This was an opportunity for the Mayor of Marquette Jessica Hanley and County Board Chairman Joe Derocha to answer questions from community members about current topics and future plans for the area. This included updates on city projects, downtown development, public transportation and levels of available housing throughout the county.
“Housing tended to be one of the main things that we touched on, because it’s one of the things that affects everything,” said Mayor Hanley. “Without housing, we don’t have people that can work the jobs in our area. It’s a whole spiral from there; if you cant find a place to live, we can’t have a good economy that’s working.”
Sawyer International Airport was another key point as well, as it doesn’t receive the same essential air service funding as other airports in the Upper Peninsula.
“We have to figure out a way to be self sustaining and competitive with our rates, and we’re going to do that,” said Chairman Derocha. “We’ve created a new board based on economic development and we’re going to look forward to tackling that and making Sawyer best in class.”
Lake Superior Community Partnership CEO Christopher Germain says that though it may not seem like it, Marquette County is an ever growing and changing community.
“I think a lot of that has to do with the vibrancy of our county, not only the city, but Negaunee, Ishpeming, the city of Marquette, the townships, everyone,” said Germain. “That’s why we hold events like this, so we can talk about these issues and identify those opportunities to further push that vibrancy.”
The LSCP will be hosting more similar events throughout the year, including their annual dinner on April 3 at NMU’s Northern Center. More information on future events can be found on their website.
