Nobody asked, but…
The Ore Dock
• I was treated to a tour of the expansion going on at the Ore Dock Brewing Company the other day, and I must say, it’s quite impressive. Co-Founders Andi and Wes Pernsteiner are taking advantage of the prevailing interest in all things downtown, the popularity of locally crafted brews, and some generous state grant dollars, and turning their already fashionable destination into an attraction of its own.
Known for welcoming community events, the Ore Dock will be even better positioned to host gatherings of all types, with new spaces of various shapes and sizes.
In addition to more room inside, the brewers are also increasing their outdoor space with a large deck on the north side of the complex (seen above) serving as a complement to their well-established al fresco patio on Spring Street.
And if that’s not enough, the empty store on Front Street which came down with the renovation is being replaced by a stand-alone bar called, with a nod to the area’s history… the Trestle.
There’s still finishing work to be done, but they’re looking at being ready sometime next spring. If you’re thinking of using the place for an event, I wouldn’t wait too long to give ‘em a call.
The Time Change
• While I’m stocking up on candy for Halloween, I’m also preparing myself for the upcoming angst over the impact of Daylight Saving Time. Next weekend is when we’ll go through our annual ritual of “falling back,” or turning our clocks back one hour.
At the same time, we’ll also go through our commensurate annual ritual of complaints aplenty about how adjusting our clocks is the first step towards seasonal affective disorder and why is it already dark before I’m home from work!
Apparently the regimented lives of kids and pets, neither of which seldom care or rarely know what time it is, will be thrown into chaos when they gain one hour of sleep on a singular Saturday night.
I don’t know what the recovery time is for such an unsettling experience, but I’m guessing… two days, maybe three? To the best of my knowledge, no deaths or similarly tragic events have ever been directly attributed to the time change. As far as I can tell, the worst that happens is a few people will be an hour early for church.
Gone But Not Forgotten
• To the chagrin of many, it won’t be long now before the last vestiges of the old Marquette General Hospital are knocked down, piled up, and trucked away, with recollections assigned to the bin of local history, along with our recently retired Redmen nickname. The Nelberg Building, still standing today, will be the last to go.
If you try hard enough, you can find similarities between the dismantling of the former hospital and the termination of the former MSHS Native American mascot. Both bring back memories of life experiences… good and bad, and both represent controversial developments born of a changing world.
Healthcare is all about what’s next. Yesterday’s tests and treatments, though well-intentioned, no longer pass muster. Same with the nickname. In both cases, we’re moving forward. And though change is messy at times, it’s also inevitable.
Mining Their Own Business
• Back in September of 2014, the Eagle Mine in Powell Township began operations. If you were here, you probably recall opposition to the idea of digging up a large chunk of land on the Yellow Dog Plains, and the threat of long-term pollution to both the land and the lake.
Well, by all appearances, the mine, owned by Lundin Mining, has lived up to the promise of environmental stewardship while providing good-paying jobs to hundreds of locals.
I recall one of the arguments in opposition to the mine was that they were only able to guarantee jobs for 10 years. The fact that no other business I can think of would be so bold to guarantee jobs for 10 days, much less 10 years, made that argument the definition of a red herring.
Now, here we are 10 years later and the mine is still operating, as promised, and looking at another expansion that will extend the life of the mine… and the jobs, for at least another five years.
According to Matt Johnson, Eagle Mine External Affairs Manager, new processes in the recycling and remining of waste, developed through research at Michigan Tech, have opened the door to continued operation. “The result of this process is Eagle has less waste to store, reduces our operating costs, making us more competitive in the global market, which may increase the life of our operations. If successful, we can then mine the tailings facility where we have been depositing our tails for the past 10 years. We now may be able to mine that storage facility, increasing the life of the mill – modernizing it for future use by Eagle or another mining company down the road.”
If you’d like to learn more about the future of the mine, you can attend one of their Community Forums. There will be three separate assemblies held next week, in Michigamme, Humboldt, and Big Bay. For more info, visit their website at Eagle Mine.
Oops, I almost forgot. Here’s my Unsolicited Observation about the Eagle Mine… it’s been a good thing.
Big Games
• The big Superior Dome Showdown basketball game between NMU and the Michigan State Spartans did not disappoint. The on-site experience was electric while the television presentation on the Big Ten Network featured all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a national-level production. Both Wildcat coach Matt Majkrzak and Spartan coach Tom Izzo have written thank you letters to everyone involved, claiming the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event.
Though most of the seats in the dome designed for football were a hail Mary pass away from the action, I didn’t hear any complaints. The dome outperformed itself to the point where even the tall guys with NIL money were impressed.
Juxtapose that with what I believe fans will experience when they attend their next Wildcat home game, in the team’s new digs.
The excitement generated by the more than 11,000 fans at the showdown will be hard to recreate at the new 1,400 seat Vandament Arena. For those who haven’t heard, the basketball ‘Cats are moving from the Berry Events Center to the gym in the PEIF (Physical Education Instructional Facility) previously used for volleyball.
Though the volleyball team will still use the gym, it’s basically been remodeled to house both volleyball and basketball. The move from the Berry for basketball made sense in that sharing space with the hockey program was inconvenient to both programs. However, the new “arena,” though shiny and well-appointed, is a little underwhelming in the college basketball sense.
The Berry Events Center, and before that, Hedgcock Fieldhouse, both had a “big game” look. The new place? Not so much. Granted, none of us have even been to a game there yet, but I think it’s unfortunate that a basketball program on the rise is being relegated to a venue not much different than what you’d find at a well-funded high school.
Don’t get me wrong. I get it. A Division II basketball program doesn’t bring in a ton of revenue, and Northern already has more square footage designated to sports than most of their contemporaries. In other words, they probably did about all they could do. So my Unsolicited Observation is… I hope I’m wrong about the Vandament. I hope 1,400 fans pack the place for every game and create a home court advantage the envy of every visiting team. I hope.
• Nobody asked, but that’s never stopped me before.