Gogebic Community College contributes to American Nordic Skiiing

Ironwood Township & GRWA public meeting-water main

Public Meeting:

Wednesday, September 23rd at 6pm.
Ironwood Township Hall (Lake Rd and Sunset)
Discussion and Q & A about the Water Main project

If you live in the area where construction is happening or have questions regarding the project, plan to attend this public meeting. Representatives from the Gogebic Range Water Authority (GRWA), and the Township will be there to answer questions and concerns and hopefully tell you when the end is in sight for the project!

The water main project has been in the news quite a bit lately because of the scope of the project and the potential problem with the lines connecting at the border of Ironwood Township and the City of Ironwood. I believe there are a lot of people in the community who don't know what the GRWA is or does and there are many of my real estate clients who live out of the area, but own property up here who don't have any idea how water is supplied to their vacation homes! There was a good article written by Jim Albert of the Superior Chronicle on Saturday, Sept 19th. He interviewed Jean Verbos of GRWA and got a lot of background and details about how the Authority functions. I highly recommend reading it here. It's a long article, but you should leave it with a good idea how our communities are trying to work cooperatively to create a good system to provide water to everyone.

While You're at it:

Check out the revamped website Ironwood Township has done! I hadn't been on the site for a while, but needed to check out a zoning map and was pleasantly surprised by the professional new look - - - www.IronwoodTownship.org

Water Line work in Ironwood Township

The following information is from the  Snow Country Contracting website.

(GRWA) Gogebic Range Water Authority update

Friday, September 18^th

Water main installation continues along Lake Road. The intersection of Lake Road & Sunset Road may be closed for a short time on Saturday, September 19^th. Detours will be posted.  

Travel is not advised along Lake Road from Slade Road to Sunset Road except for Local Residents only.

Beginning Monday, September 21st work will begin at the intersection of Lake Road and Jackson road and then head south toward Margaret Street.  This area will remain closed to through traffic.

City of Ironwood and Ironwood Township water customers may experience discoloration of water beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Monday September 21st.

No utility interruption is anticipated. 

Lake Road will remain closed between Margaret Street and Jackson Road except for local traffic.. 

Indianhead Mountain Plans to Buy Powderhorn & Blackjack Ski Resorts!

Indianhead Mountain Resort has just issued a major press release regarding their intention to purchase Powderhorn and Blackjack Ski Resorts!!!!

Letters of intent have been executed for the merger of Indianhead, Big Powderhorn and Blackjack Ski Resorts.

The letters of intent are for the owner of Indianhead to acquire the assets of nearby Big Powderhorn and Blackjack ski resorts, a combination that would combine three of the best and most well known ski resorts in the upper Midwest into a single resort. "We are extrememly excited about the opportunity to operate these resorts to the best advantage as a single business, and tailoring our offerings to produce the best possible ski experience to Midwest skiers," said Barry Bolich, General Manager of Indianhead.

The proposed transactions are subject to completion of due diligence and definitive agreements and are targeted to close prior to year end. The purchase price and terms are not being disclosed at this time.

What does this mean for the area? Well, there are no guarantees that this deal is a done deal; there are many obstacles to get past before we can all jump up and down in excitement. But as I see it, if it becomes a reality, there will be one set of management controlling all 3 hills so we should see consistency in services offered at each hill, improvements in customer service, and upgrades to facilities. Costs can be cut by sharing of equipment; there will be less expense of management level salaries and advertising/marketing dollars will be channeled more effectively to bring tourists to the area. Seems like a win-win for everyone involved!

I'll keep you posted as more news becomes available. 
 

Who Wants Grant Money to Improve your Business?

City of Ironwood community development director, Dan Peterson, says the city is trying to determine how many business owners are interested in participating in Phase III of the facade improvement program before applying for the grant. Phase I and II are still in progress, although Phase I projects must be complete by the end of 2008. Four businesses out of twenty-one original applicants have been finished so far; however, a number of businesses dropped out of the program. There has been some trouble with bids in Phase I and II because of the requirement of business owners to receive two bids.

The city held an informational meeting last week, attended by five business owners. The MHSDA grant covers half the improvement costs with the owners matching their grant. In Phase III, Peterson says the plan is to award only one area contractor all projects on a single bid and therefore, streamline the bidding and construction process.

In this phase Ironwood is eligible to apply for up to $200,000 with the required owner's match of 50%. Grant money may be used for such things as painting, awnings, windows, and lighting.

Walking Trail Coming to Ironwood

A recent survey of Ironwood citizens found that more walking trails were a top recreational concern. The City of Ironwood Recreation Committee has presented a proposal for a walking trail system to the City Planning Commission which will hopefully be approved as soon as possible.

The trail will run from Riverside Cemetery, hugging the Montreal River as much as possible, out to Norrie Park on the south end of town. Deer trails can be followed in some areas, just brushed and expanded to about 30". The trail won't be blacktopped and motor vehicles will not be allowed to use the trail.

The plan is to start the project in the cemetery which will contain a loop that is 1.5 miles long. The second phase would extend the trail from the cemetery to Norrie Park and be 4.5 miles long. Much of that trail will follow along the old railroad beds with a short stretch of sidewalk along Hemlock St. It will go through the Scott St. neighborhood and the Caves area.

Expenses borne by the city will only be liability insurance, as signs have been donated and manpower to clear and brush trails will be on a volunteer basis. The visitors center on U.S. 2 will provide parking for people using the trail.

Downtown Ironwood Rehabilitation Continues

Historic Ironwood Theatre Hits the News

On February 14^th, Ironwood city officials received a check for $130,718 for Phase II of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's façade improvement initiative to help fix up downtown areas. To briefly recap from a blog a week or so ago: Nine building will be refurbished. The city expects to award bids on all the projects in Phase I and II later in February and two projects have been completed to date.

To continue with positive downtown Ironwood news, make a note to check out an article in the Ironwood Daily Globe Progress Edition scheduled for publication on February 28^th. Deb Gotham, one of the many hard working and dedicated individuals involved with the Historic Ironwood Theatre has written the article.

The Theatre operates as an independent, non-profit organization, which leases the building from the City of Ironwood. It receives no local tax for its support, so assumes all operating and maintenance costs. This is funded by ticket sales, user fees, a number of fundraising events, local business support and a grant given by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affiairs.

The theater was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1985, and in 1986 the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority (DIDA) was awarded a grant by the State of Michigan to begin an extensive renovation process to the Theatre. Completed renovations include the seats in the main auditorium and balcony, carpeting, restoration of the ceiling mural, wall and beam decorations. There is also a new stage floor, heating and state of the art lighting and sound systems.

Two other important "restorations" within the Theatre is of the Barton Organ and the Proscenium Mural, both pictured here. Read more about both these beautiful features of the Ironwood Theatre and see more and larger photos of the organ, mural and all the renovation process at www.IronwoodTheatre.net/theatre_history.html.
….and in the spirit of full disclosure: the author of this Blog also maintains the theatre's web site!

Facade Grants-Downtown Revitalization Continues

Our local Ironwood Daily Globe reports that the city will receive a $130,718 grant for phase two of the facade improvement project on Feb. 14th. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development through MHSDA issues this grant.

The grant money was applied for by the city commission for downtown storefront improvements for nine businesses. Phase one of the project has seen two projects completed from five that were approved. The grant money must be matched by the participating business. All projects require two bids, so it’s been slowing the approval process down.

Once the projects are all completed, the appearance and marketability of downtown Ironwood should be greatly improved. While the real estate business is all about location, location, location we need to couple that with desirable appearance. Not only are there many businesses downtown, but many of those businesses include 2^nd story apartments. Improving outside appearances might make downtown a more attractive place to live.

Revitalizing the downtown neighborhood is important to our community. We have new businesses moving into town and hope to attract more in the future. Ironwood’s downtown is full of many unique and historical old buildings; a little facelift is all some of them need to perhaps bring a new business into the downtown streets.

Alfred Wright Blvd Scheduled for Major Makeover

According to the local newspaper, residents along Alfred Wright Blvd in Ironwood, MI can expect torn up streets during the summer of 2008….and given that residents selected the stretch of Al Wright from McLeod Ave to Norrie School as being one of the worst in the city during town hall meetings, I would expect most of them will be relatively happy to deal with detours and the inconvenience for a few months.

City manager, Scott Erickson said the project will include sidewalk replacement and water main and sewer rehabilitation work. It was planned for 2009, but the street is falling apart so quickly that it was decided that it needed to be taken care of a year early. Local company, Coleman Engineering got the engineering bid on "an hourly, not to exceed" basis. The project will be funded through Michigan's Department of Transportation with the state being responsible for obtaining construction bids.

Ironwood has suffered through its fair share of bad roads, but a number of them have been repaired in the past couple years and it's good to see plans for future rehab. With new people moving into our area for new jobs at the Grandview Hospital, Walmart and Walgreens, it's great to be able to tell them our community does take pride in its appearance and accessibility; that we are a progressive town worth moving into. From a personal perspective, I appreciate that any improvements in Ironwood's infrastructure make my job as a real estate agent a little easier. My sellers want to sell their home at the best possible price and living on or close to a stretch of road that's been recently upgraded helps them and my buyers (particularly the out-of-town buyers) expect to move into neighborhoods that look well maintained. I believe a disintegrating street can pull down the value of an entire neighborhood and as well, I firmly believe that a well maintained street should motivate home owners to keep their homes and yards looking nicely kept.