Fail to plan… plan to fail.
Have you heard that old saw? It’s pretty simple and probably needs no explanation. I’m sure we could all come up with examples of what happens when you fail to plan.
Another good one is, “Ready, fire, aim!” It’s just another way to characterize the lack of planning.
Well, you can’t accuse the Marquette County Planning Commission of failing to plan. Heck…it’s in their name! Right now they’re in the process of updating the current master plan to better reflect current conditions. The last edition was put in place in 2021, so yeah… things have changed.
As they go about determining what to update, they’re gathering information from the public by way of Community Input Events. There are four such sessions on the schedule, representing four unique geographic areas as defined by the planners… Moose Hills, Borealis Beach, Blueberry Farms, and Iron Core.
Community Input
The project is called Marquette County 2040. I know… 2040 seems like a long way off, but in the planning world it’s just around the corner. And the input sessions provide just another pipeline of info and data intended to help the planners map out the next couple of decades.
The first session was held Monday at Jerzi’s 41 Sports Bar and Grill, just down the road from the Greenwood location. Attendance was modest, as is the population of the area designated as Moose Hills, which is comprised of the five townships west of Ishpeming as well as Powell Township to the north.
Participants brought up housing as a concern… no surprise there, as well as transportation. One Michigamme resident pointed out that MarqTran doesn’t service her community. I checked their route information and it appears MarqTran goes only as far west as Koski Corners in Humboldt.
MarqTran
A brief aside… this isn’t the first meeting where I’ve heard concerns about the limitations of the county’s mass transit system. Marquette’s Deputy City Manager, Sean Hobbins, who also serves as the Chairman of the MarqTran Board explains, “With limited resources, including busses and drivers, not all areas of this county are within regular reach of this agency. MarqTran has to focus on serving the greatest number of residents in concentrated areas.”
In other words, if you want more MarqTran, whether it’s additional city routes or extended coverage of Michigan’s biggest county, be prepared to pony up more tax dollars. Hey, we can vote on it! That’ll be fun.
Exchange of Ideas
Anyway, last night was the second of the planning commission’s Community Input Events, this one held at Barrel + Beam in Marquette, seen above. The City of Marquette along with Marquette and Chocolay Township make up the Borealis Beach district.
The session includes a brief presentation of county facts and figures, as well as time before and after to add comments and ideas to poster boards featuring a variety of community topics.
There was also a time for public comment. A handful of people spoke up with a number of different concerns, including: the need for a couple of roundabouts in Chocolay Township, the idea of a tourism tax, and a moratorium on the approval of any data centers. All legitimate sentiments.
Unfortunately, it seems a lot of the stuff people would like to see done, has to be done by somebody else. Roundabouts? Somebody else. Tourism Tax? Somebody else. Data Centers? Maybe.
Other than that, if they’re able to gather enough data through the input sessions and from a survey you can take, they’ll have a better idea of what the people want… and where to put their focus.
There are two more sessions representing the rest of the county. Your chance to share your ideas.
If the planners don’t know what we want, we’re probably not going to get it. Or something like that.
Other Words
• There’s a new bar in town focused on promoting physical fitness and spiritual clarity! Say what??
Calm down. It’s a pop-up smoothie bar called Island Haven Smoothie. Owners Stephanie Perrier and Abrielle Hanson introduced the new business with a soft opening this week and early reviews are positive.
You can check ‘em out for real Saturday from 9 to 1 at Mattson Lower Harbor Park. They’ll be there helping Queen City Running celebrate their 10th Anniversary. And look for them to “pop-up” at various happenings around Marquette all summer long.
• It’s official. The Westwood Mall is done. Store owners were notified a couple weeks ago that it wouldn’t be re-opening. I don’t think that surprises anybody. The place had been limping along for years until the roof finally caved in on them.
The businesses that were there are all scrambling to find new accommodations or make other arrangements. Getting shut down is a pretty big blow. Here’s another old saw… what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We can only hope.
• All the way to Big Bay. They’re calling it the Dash for Trash & 550 Corridor Cleanup, although I don’t think you’ll have to run. It’s this Saturday from 8 to noon, followed immediately by a Community Potluck at the Powell Township Hall. And you don’t have to be a Powell Township resident to participate. If you want to pitch in and pick up, report to the township hall for instructions and all the training you’ll need to pick up trash.
• Finally, once a year, USPS letter carriers help organize the largest single-day food drive in the U.S. This Saturday you can participate in the Stamp Out Hunger ™ food drive hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Just leave a bag of non-perishable food next to your mailbox, and your mail carrier will handle the rest.
The end.