NO, THE TREE-clearing atop Shiras Hills off of US 41 is not intended to just provide us motorists with a more scenic view of Lake Superior.
It’s for a residential project, either condos or condos combined with single homes. Plans haven’t been finalized yet.
The owners of the six acres on the lake side of US 41, the Koepp family, have wanted to develop the site for several years but installing utilities there appeared to be cost-prohibitive. However, with MDOT undertaking a major improvement project on the highway at that very location, the Koepps decided this was an ideal time to jumpstart their development.
They’ve had only limited talks with the city about the project so far but plan to present a site plan to officials within the next couple of weeks. Construction, according to an optimistic timetable, could begin later this summer.
The timber’s already been harvested. Next comes stump removal and some ground leveling in the next few weeks.
Developers of the project are UP Engineers and Architects.
So what can we expect to see there? Residences of some sort, with a condo building extending maybe as high as three stories. But keep in mind, its ground floor on the hill will be well below the level of the highway so it won’t seem that big.
It’s safe to say plenty of folks will oppose development of any sort at the site, but it is private property. And it will provide tax revenue for the city.
And for those who find homes in this new development overlooking Lake Superior, well, you’re going to have a helluva view.
————————————————————
THE NESTLEDOWN BED and Breakfast on Lakeshore Boulevard is getting closer to completion.
Anticipated opening date is now July.
Ken Schauland, who with his wife Sue owns the new B and B, is the contractor on the project. No major problems so far. The winter was milder than some had feared.
Nestledown’s exterior is nearly finished. The floors and trim inside still need to be done. Paving the driveway and parking lot are up next, then some landscaping, and then finally the furnishings.
Can it all be done in two months? We’ll see. The Schaulands would certainly like to take advantage of summer bookings, if possible.
But no, they’re not taking reservations at their Scandinavian-style B and B, complete with sauna, just yet.
————————————————————-
JUST UP THE block from Nestledown, the portion of Lakeshore Boulevard between Wright and Hawley Streets that gets battered nearly every winter by an angry Lake Superior remains closed down.
It’ll stay that way until at least May 11th. That’s when city staff will make its recommendations to the City Commission about what to do.
The cheap, short term option would be to just repair the road and then wait for the next storm to hit and wash over the asphalt, so that we can repair it yet again.
The preferred, long term option is to get some federal or state funds to move the road inland 100 feet or so. Applications are in to several agencies. It’d be expensive, like $10 million. The city is waiting and hoping.
But in the meantime, the road is blocked, access to Presque Isle is circuitous, and the art galleries out there aren’t happy. Business is down because customers can’t find them.
——————————————————————
ONE OF THESE days, we’re gonna have some positive news out of Cliffs Natural Resources.
Not today.
Cliffs’ recent announcement that it was laying off about 350 miners at the Empire mine for the summer and beyond is anything but reassuring. Seems to be a matter of supply and demand. Not enough demand.
The Lake Superior Community Partnership claims the problem, as much as anything, is the result of low-cost “steel-dumping” by foreign countries into the U.S. The Partnership says tariffs on imported steel aren’t being enforced, and that’s hurting steel that’s made here in the U.S.
And that’s cutting demand for Empire’s product which is resulting in the layoffs of 350 workers in the U.P. Not good.
So what to do? The Partnership, in cooperation with the Alliance for American Manufacturing, is now circulating petitions urging Congress to end the steel-dumping by foreign companies. They hope to present the petitions within the next ten days or so.
And after that? Who knows, we might have miners and their supporters out in the streets here.
This just in! Cliffs’ stock climbed all the way to $5.83 a share Monday. That’s a gain of almost 3%.
So what does TheStreet Ratings Team say about Cliffs now?
“We rate Cliffs a SELL…..several weaknesses…deteriorating net income, poor profit margins, weak operating cash flow…disappointing historical performance…blah, blah, blah…”
Oh, just shut up.
—————————————————
DON RYAN, THE former manager of public affairs for Cliffs and the former Marquette City Commissioner, is back on the air at TV6.
Ryan has revived the public affairs program The Ryan Report after a seven year hiatus while he was serving as a commissioner. Good for TV6, good for the community which needs more local programming.
The Ryan Report will never grab big ratings but it provides important content for conscientious, engaged viewers. Ryan’s first three guests have been State Senator Tom Casperson, MSU economist Charles Ballard, and local attorney Karl Numinen.
Serious people with something to say.
The Ryan Report airs Sundays at 7:30 am.
Speaking of TV6, local sportscaster Lily Zhao has moved on. She’s the newest employee at WFRV in Green Bay. Zhao did her two years here in the U.P. at dirt-cheap wages, and will now take her talents to a larger market offering a livable wage.
That’s the way it works in TV news. You don’t get rich working in the nation’s 180th market. You get experience.
Zhao is good, by the way. We’ll likely see her in markets much larger than Green Bay in the years ahead.
You got news? Click Here to email Brian.