The small city of Negaunee is undergoing a remarkable transformation thanks to its Downtown Enhancement Project (Streetscape Project).
Monday marked the project’s opening chord at a ground-breaking ceremony held at Chiri Park. Negaunee, with a population of approximately 4,500, is located in Marquette County. The project is slated to begin on July 10.
The Downtown Enhancement Project is budgeted at $3.4 million. City Manager Nate Heffron said the project received unanimous approval from the Negaunee Downtown Development Authority and final approval from the Negaunee Planning Commission and the City Council. Various funding sources are involved including a $885,000 grant awarded to Negaunee by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
“We are thrilled to receive the Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant. This grant will help fund a project and transform Negaunee’s downtown into an economically dynamic city core,” Heffron said.
The major goal of the project is a revitalization of the downtown area. Infrastructure improvements will account for 75 percent of the project to provide a more resilient and efficient cityscape. Improvements include water and sewer main upgrades, new sidewalk installations, street lighting, and the implementation of fiber networks.
Placemaking is another key component of the project and plays an important role when creating a community’s future. Placemaking is the process of creating quality places where people will want to live, work, play and learn.
Six distinct social hubs will be introduced throughout the downtown area.
“Each social hub will be thoughtfully designed to promote community engagement and economic development opportunities,” according to the Lake Superior Community Partnership, Marquette County’s resource for economic development.
The six hubs are:
Firefighters Square, located near the fire hall and Breitung Park, and honoring the city’s past and present firefighters. It will include landscaping, interpretive signage, seating areas and firefighter sculpture. Safety and pedestrian connectivity concerns at the Division and Pioneer Streets intersection also will be addressed.
Irontown Plaza will serve as the downtown’s main entryway. Calling to mind a market plaza, it will include seating, a cell phone charger station, ADA access, designated areas for food trucks and landscaping.
Ericson Park. The park’s makeover will include seating, ADA-compliant sidewalks, an eating area, a drinking fountain, bike racks and landscaping.
Chiri Park will be an inviting open green space and the new home of Negaunee’s Farmers’ Market. The transformation will include ADA access from the Silver Street parking lot to Iron Street, a bike shelter with a charging station, drinking fountain, food truck locations, cell phone chargers, a dual car charger, picnic tables, public art installation and landscaping.
Not to be forgotten is
Tobin Place, located along Tobin Street, from Iron to Jackson streets, and convenient for those hiking the nearby Iron Ore Heritage Trail. Plans include landscaping, comfortable seating and cell phone chargers.
According to the LSCP, the most unique of these social hubs will be
Rail Street Overlook, located near UP Brewing on the viaduct. “With landscaping and seating surrounding three outdoor natural gas fire pits, this location is sure to become a favorite destination for residents and visitors alike.” An added bonus is its breathtaking views of the downtown.
The city accepted its first-ever Capital Improvements Plan in the fall of 2018. That document helped to guide the city through the process of undertaking capital investments. Thus began the process of working through the proper boards, committees, and commissions before the overall project was finalized.
City staff then worked with the Downtown Development Authority, Negaunee Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Negaunee Planning Commission to finalize the overall plan prior to adoption by the City Council. It is hoped that the downtown work will be finalized by the end of 2024.
“I think you’ll see what I guess you could call a major facelift,” Heffron said. He added that the overall plan was in the concept stage for several years ever since the Negaunee DDA was reactivated.
Negaunee is among 22 cities in Michigan that were awarded RAP funds for various projects. The $2.1 million total project focuses on the two-block-long downtown area containing 53 buildings.
Looking at the city’s history it is clear that Negaunee has overcome many obstacles. In the 1950s about a third of the city, built over mining sites, was forced to relocate because of the threat of cave-ins. Streets and infrastructure remain in Old Towne which is now being safely repurposed for trails and recreation.
The city officials see its downtown revitalization efforts as moving in the right direction.
“The city is excited as the project sets the tone and tenor for the community for the next 100 years. The influx of public investment with a huge influx of private investment as well will pay off," Heffron said.
Residents and others may check
Negaunee Downtown Enhancement for details and project updates.
Ann Dallman has lifelong roots in Michigan’s UP. She started out as a newspaper reporter/photographer and returned to journalism after retiring from teaching. Her first Middle Grade novel, Cady and the Bear Necklace, received a State History Award (Books/Youth) from the Historical Society of Michigan as well as a Midwest Book Award, New Mexico-Arizona Book Award, was a Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist and a UP Notable Book. Her second book, Cady and the Birchbark Box, also received the Historical Society of Michigan State Award and is also a UP Notable Book.