NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The City of Negaunee has earned the 2025 Michigan Municipal League Community Excellence Award, the organization’s highest honor, for its Downtown Enhancement Project. The award was announced Friday, September 19, during the League’s annual convention in Grand Rapids.
Negaunee, located in Marquette County, is the third Upper Peninsula community to receive the award, following Ironwood in 2013 and Houghton in 2024. The winning project revitalized a long-neglected commercial district by upgrading underground utilities and adding wider sidewalks, benches, bike racks, landscaping, and the new Iron Town Plaza pedestrian area.
“This is validation,” said Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron. “A lot of our residents had already said so, but listening to all the folks here at the League—the members from communities across the state—this tells us that we’re moving in the right direction.”
Mayor Craig Ilmonen credited Heffron’s leadership for the city’s success. “For me, this validates that we got the right guy,” Ilmonen said. “We have the city manager of all city managers that came in—has the vision. We’re seeing progressive building of our community. With the ideas that Nate has in mind, it’s only going to get better from here.”
The Community Excellence Award is determined by votes from local government officials attending the convention. Negaunee was selected from 14 entries and three other finalists—Hart, Milford, and Roscommon—after live presentations earlier in the week.
League Board of Trustees President Josh Atwood praised the project’s impact. “Their project brought new life to a historic business district while celebrating the city’s rich history,” Atwood said. “The CEA has been a game changer for stirring up Michigan community engagement, civic pride, and economic growth at the local level.”
The Michigan Municipal League created the award in 2007 to recognize innovative local projects across the state. More information and a video of Negaunee’s award presentation can be found on the League’s social media platforms and at cea.mml.org.
