WITH EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN Marquette these days, it’s hard to keep track of the progress of different projects. Especially when they seem to change more than the weather. The first look often ends up being something entirely different than what the community was expecting.
With that in mind, I reached out to our mayor, Paul Schloegel to see if we could get some definitive explanations of those city issues which seem to be top-of-mind to residents and taxpayers.
Before we hear from the mayor, it should be pointed out that city officials can only do so much to influence the future of Marquette. Many of the complaints and suggestions we see in social media look something like, “Why doesn’t Marquette do such and such…”
Unfortunately, Marquette… its elected officials and city staff, have governmental authority, only. A number of ideas for community improvement actually fall on the private sector. More affordable housing? Private sector. Something for kids? Private sector. Fewer hotels? Private sector.
The city can however, using their designated powers and budget priorities, influence many of the issues that affect our day-to-day lives.
Seeing Mayor Schloegel try to explain city practices, and accompanying limitations, to a Facebook audience more interested in conflict than consideration was the motivation for the following Q & A.
As a public servant, in a number of different capacities, I’ve always found Schloegel to be transparent and forthcoming with his thoughts on the challenges, and possibilities facing the city. So… here we go.
Word on the Street- You’ve served as a commissioner, and now mayor. How much power does the mayor actually have to influence the actions taken by the commission? Did your fellow commissioners elect you to run meetings, or to push the community in a certain direction? If the latter, what direction?
Paul Schloegel- The Mayor has the same power as the other 6 Commissioners. They are all equal. The role of mayor is elected by fellow Commissioners annually and it is fairly common that the elected Commissioner would hold that position for 1 or 2 years. There are numerous events throughout the year for which I represent the City both locally and at the State level… an honor! Any time I’ve voted for a Commissioner to represent as Mayor, I take many issues into consideration. Does that person represent the best interest of our community? Will they be available to attend meetings, community events and other functions upon request? Will they be respectful of the people when addressing any issues brought to them regardless of personal opinion.
WOTS- Let’s get right to the current kerfuffle, the Vault project downtown. The misinformation is rampant. Though that’s the nature of social media stories, I think the developers are a little to blame too, for a lack of transparency. Of course, it’s hard to share info about the project when the project keeps changing. Here are what appear to be, according to the word on the street, the most pressing concerns…
What’s going to happen with the Savings Bank Building?
Are the Vierling and Elizabeth’s both going to lose their view?
And how did the project go from offering public parking to not offering public parking?
PS- The developers have stated they have 5 years to make that determination with the bank building. It’s privately owned property and they have every right to renovate to suit their needs for return on investments. I suspect it will be very much what the owners have spec’d since day one, either be another hotel or private residences. They have always intended to renovate and invest a large amount of money to bring it up to modern standards. As we all know, it’s a big beautiful old building. It needs a lot of attention, and the developers take great pride in preserving historic buildings including our Bank Building as well as others in nearby communities. Since the original plan was proposed, much has been learned about the property’s topographical engineering needs. The Lower Harbor was a bustling port and eventually a heavy industrial site long before the beautiful park it is today. It was found that the soils and under structure of the site would not support the proposed grand scale of the initial project leading to the downsizing of both the hotel and parking structure. It’s actually very similar to some of the developments by Founder’s Landing, another former heavy industrial site successfully brought back to life thanks to Brownfield Redevelopment allowing further shoreline access for locals and visitors alike.
The businesses being affected by the new hotel had been consulted very early on in the process and they were excited about the potential positive impacts on their business, the improvements that will be made to their utilities and additional infrastructure upgrades that will be required. Is it perfect? No, but the positive impact this development/redevelopment will have on the downtown’s long-term future will benefit the community for years to come. The Vierling will still have a slightly obstructed view of the harbor and other businesses are good with the understanding that the developers are going to do their best to offer an aesthetic view that will still allow the public to appreciate the neighborhood. The parking ramp will be owned and maintained by the Vault.
WOTS- How concerned are you about the clean energy bills taking effect in Michigan? Like… our own BLP, which only recently upgraded from coal to gas, will now be expected to shift to renewables, long before we’ve paid off our new generators? Is there anything the city can do about that? Or are you all-in on the green energy initiatives?
PS- I’m very concerned. I totally understand the need to work towards the zero emissions target the bills represent, but I feel it’s an unachievable goal that was jammed through at the last minute. I question if legislators really knew what was included in the bills with all the last second amendments leading up to the vote. Since that vote there has been very little direction since their introduction as to how we will be able to reach these goals. The City of Marquette had recently decommissioned 2 coal powered powerplants after several years of planning. The new RICE natural gas-powered units our MBLP installed a few years prior to this legislation was a pioneering move towards lowering our carbon footprint and moving away from fossil fuels. The legislators below the bridge are not giving us any credit for leading the way towards carbon neutrality. We need to look at where we live, what will our landscape look like if we are going to be required to provide our own power through wind, solar, or the grid, and we need to do what is right for all of us. The minute we start taking down trees for solar fields or implementing a wind farm in a region that will never reach its true potential, is the day I hope never happens. We need to agree that “CLEAN ENERGY” should include responsible technological advancements and natural gas.
WOTS- As I noted in a previous Word on the Street, it looks like this pothole season is going to be an all-timer. And I’m sure it must be incredibly expensive to do actual fixes, rather than the usual temporary fills. But other than the guys who sell tires and do front-end alignments, is there any good news for the rest of us?
PS- Good question, and the answer is…..YES? Or at least better than the last couple years. This winter was a whopper. I say that with a question mark because we will be taking a very hard look at the roads and figure out what the best approach will be for the next couple years. The budget season is right around the corner and thanks to the hard work from city staff the last couple years and the patience of our residents I’m confident we are going in the right direction.
WOTS- It continues to be suggested that Marquette isn’t the town it used to be and is turning into the next Traverse City. I once pooh-poohed that idea, but with the surge in tourism, maybe it’s closer to a reality than I thought. I don’t know if following in TC’s footsteps would be a good thing or bad, but what are your thoughts on what Marquette is becoming, whatever that is?
PS- With social media and the Boomer Generation retiring, Marquette seems to be getting way more attention than us locals might feel comfortable with. Yes, we’ve turned heavy industrial waste properties along portions of our lakeshore that grew nonnative trees and weeds into tax generating entities at the expense of some elevated views from our traffic corridor. I’m not crazy about that either but my response will always be that we have 7 miles of lakeshore access for our residents and visitors to enjoy, public beaches, beautiful parks and recreational access for all. That is not Traverse City where you catch a glimpse of water between hotels and multi-million-dollar homes as you go through town. Why? Because years ago, the leaders of Marquette made it known in our Master Plan that there will be no construction on the lake side of our bike path. I’ve always said change is inevitable and you won’t be able to put a smile on everyone’s face, but so long as we respect our past as we plan for the future, we are doing the best we can.