Forsberg Future, Boathouse Battle, Lovelace Criticism and Upfront For Sale

Rumors have been circulating that Forsberg Flowers, a longtime Marquette institution on Third Street, is going out of business.

Not true, says co-owner Lou Ann Balding (a Forsberg), but the property is for sale. In fact, it has been for a year now.

Why the sale? Balding simply says it's to "keep our options open." She's not comfortable getting more specific than that.

Meantime, though, Balding says business continues normally. A rumor (false) that Forsberg's was no longer selling corsages and boutonnieres certainly didn't help during the prom season.

Forsberg has been making things pretty for us since 1971.
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The boathouse controversy is heating up.

Background: the Upper Peninsula Community Rowing Club wants to build a boathouse near Founders Landing that would house its boats, along with those from the NMU rowing teams...and any other human-powered boats that other citizens might want to store.

They'd do it with all private money and they'd maintain it. No taxpayer money, no public obligations.

The rowers insist the beach would still be open to everybody, as would a viewing area on top of the structure.

Sounds fine, except that back in the 90s, the City Commission declared that the still undeveloped shores along Lake Superior should remain undeveloped.

That declaration, according to an increasing number of petitioners and a heavily promoted campaign on Facebook, should remain sacrosanct.

The intent, of course, was to prevent selling the city's coastline (and soul) to private developers. God knows, a lot of towns have been ruined by unrestrained greed.

But would a boathouse for citizen and student rowers truly violate the spirit of the declaration? Marquette's justifiably proud of its marinas. Sure seems like a facility for rowers and kayakers would be less expansive, intrusive and exclusive than the marinas...and less noisy.

A tough call.

The City Commission, which has initially endorsed the idea of a boathouse, will likely decide the issue within the next couple of months.
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Marquette County Sheriff Mike Lovelace is back in town and he's hearing a little criticism.

Some are calling him an absentee sheriff. He's calling it politics.

Lovelace, who's held the job for 18 years, concedes he's spent most of 2014 at his home in Arizona but he's had to do it, he says, only because his wife has been dealing with serious heart problems. She's been in and out of hospitals.

But even when he's been out of town, he's handled the department's conference calls, emails and faxes. There have been no problems with the operations of the department, Lovelace insists. No hiccups.

His undersheriff, Jack Schneider, has been filling in admirably, he says.

And that's where the "politics" comes in.

Late last year, Lovelace announced he was retiring but he was doing so with the expectation that Schneider would inherit the job until the next election. However, the county had other ideas and opened the job up to other applicants.

That's when Lovelace suddenly stepped in and said, "Never mind, I'll unretire and keep the job until 2016."

So he's still got the job, he's now back in town and he's tending to the health of his wife of 40 years. He owes it to her, he says. Can't blame him.

But don't expect the politics and the criticism to just fade away.
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You got a spare 3.9 million dollars?

If so, you can go out and buy the Rosewood Building which houses Upfront, along with some retail and office space.

The Upfront, more than a year and a half after closing, is now officially up for sale.

Owner Rhys Mussman had been coy about his plans for the building until now.

Any buyers for a gorgeous building in an unsurpassed location? Maybe we should pass a hat.
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As for the Carmike Theater next to Econo, you've got to wonder about its future now that the fancy new theater complex in the Township is set to open later this month.

The Carmike corporate folks in Columbus, Georgia aren't saying much about their plans for the theater.

Well, actually their legal department said, "We got nothing to tell you, and we'll tell you when we're good and ready."

Hard to imagine that Marquette could support two theater complexes, but who knows? We've done it before.

Stay tuned.
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Get prepared for a cool summer.

That's what WLUC weather guru Karl Bohnak says. A frosty winter like the one we've just experienced (It's over, right?) generally leads to a late- starting summer with temperatures that usually stay below average.

Doesn't mean we won't have hot spells, just not as many or as hot.

Just what we want to hear as we're staring out at the dreary skies, the ugly, little patches of snow, and the miles upon miles of stubborn ice still clogging Lake Superior.

How cold was the winter? How about 5 degrees below average in April? Nine degrees below average in March. Ten degrees below in February, 8 degrees below average in January and December.

Historically frigid, Bohnak says.

Bring on the cool summer and those balmy 60 degree days.


You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

North Wind Scoops, Baldini Files, Sisters Invest, and Golfers Don Snowshoes

Unless you're part of the NMU community, you may not have noticed it, but the student newspaper, the North Wind, has broken three major stories in the last couple of weeks.

First, the arrest of the former student body president, Amber Lopota, for embezzlement.

Next, the disciplining of an NMU football coach and adjunct professor, Karl Maslowski, for repeatedly missing classes and soliciting students to buy an energy supplement.

And most recently, the suspension of ten NMU football players for failing a drug test.

Those are big stories, some of which were eventually picked up by the mainstream media in town, others of which were simply ignored.

 The North Wind, with a staff of 14 students and a circulation of 5000, is showing remarkable aggressiveness and enterprise...and independence. If the stories don't reflect well on the university, tough luck. That's what good journalism is all about.

Seems like the mainstream media, utterly devoted to protecting the bottom line, placating their advertisers and maintaining good relations with the institutions in town, could learn a thing or two from the students.
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Tuesday is the deadline for local candidates running this fall.

A few big names have already filed. Tom Baldini, a former aide to Congressman Bart Stupak and a longtime political leader in town, has filed for City Commission, along with retired physician Mike Conley, Craig Miller and Russell Kangas.

The Bureau of Light and Power, which has generated some controversy and dismay over its vision for the future, has drawn former mayor Tom Tourville as a candidate, as well as Chuck Wanberg and John Braamse.

The County Commission so far features a race between attorney Steve Pence and former mayor Johnny DePetro in District One, and NMU professor Dwight Brady and Randall Yelle in District Six.  All are Democrats.

The lone Republican to file so far has been Justin Carlson in District Two. He'll oppose Democrat Joseph Derocha.

Democratic incumbents Bruce Heikkila and Gerry Corkin, and attorney Bill Nordeen are so far running unopposed. Expect more candidates to file by the Tuesday deadline.

What happened to the supposed block of candidates advocating decriminalization of marijuana in the city? Good question. Maybe it was all talk, no follow-through.
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Remember the Grove, the little restaurant on US-41 south of Marquette? Well, it's coming back to life.

It's new name is Root 41 Food and Spirits, a word play on its location and its ties to the community.

The entrepreneurs are sisters Sarah and Barbara Tullila, both of Negaunee. Together they share 25 years in the food service industry and a dream to provide what they call classy comfort food to the community.

They're re-doing the inside and outside. Lots of sweat equity, tons of enthusiasm. Of course, they're bucking the odds. Most restaurants, unless they're well capitalized, don't make it past the first couple of years.

Here's hoping the Tullila sisters make it.

They hope to open in late May.
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More sister news, and this time it concerns the former Backroom on Front Street. You know, the place that was raided and closed down two years ago because of bath salts sales?

Three sisters, former residents of Marquette, returned to town for the sled dog races a couple of months ago, took a look at the shuttered, sad-looking building and decided this was something they had to do: buy it, renovate it, and open it up for both residential and retail use.

The sisters (who would have been known as the White girls back in the Eighties) have since scattered to other parts of the country but have retained their roots here in Marquette. Sara now lives in the DC/Annapolis area, Anne's in Houston, and Katy's in New York.

They hope to begin the renovations this summer and they'd welcome ideas for possible retail tenants.

Welcome back, ladies.
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As for the Bayou in Harvey, its microbrewery (Chocolay River Brewery) should be serving up its first glass of craft beer by mid-June.

Its equipment is mostly installed with minor adjustments being made.

Once everything's set, it'll take three weeks for the first drinkable suds to be produced.

So plan on sampling the fare from Marquette's fourth microbrewery on about June 15th.

That'll be just about the time the last of the snow has melted.
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Speaking of which.

Marc Gilmore, the pro at Marquette Golf Club, said last Friday that they're hoping to open up the driving range this coming Friday.

At that point, you might have wondered what he was smoking. You might also have suggested that the golfers wear snowshoes.

However.

After this weekend's melt, Gilmore looks like he's on to something. We got a heat wave coming this week--40s! Even 50s!!--so the range could very well be clear by Friday.

The opening of the Heritage and Greywalls courses is still up in the air. Along with a reluctant sun which still needs to burn through a couple feet of snow on some shaded parts of both golf courses.


You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

SmartZone Fast-Track, Hospital Silence, L'Attitude Makeover, and Margaritaville at Coco's

Marquette's plan for its SmartZone is on the fast-track.

City manager Bill Vajda expects to have the SmartZone application submitted to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation by May.

The decision on exactly what to do and where and how would be made in June.

And then work begins in July.Yeah, that would be fast-track.

The project will bring in and nurture new technology-based companies, something all cities dream about. The focus here in Marquette would likely be health sciences (NMU's strength) and agricultural sciences (Michigan State).

The original SmartZone in the UP, of course, is the one started by Michigan Tech. Tech, along with Houghton and Hancock, as well as NMU and Michigan State, are all playing a part in planning for Marquette's SmartZone.

We want good, forward-looking jobs in Marquette? We may have found them.
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Silence on the hospital relocation front.

Vajda says he's heard nothing recently from the site-selection folks, and Randy Girard, the Marquette Township manager, says it's been almost two weeks since he's had conversations with them.

The site-selection officials did their local groundwork a few weeks back, then retired to their offices back in Nashville. Best guess is they'll come up with their recommendation for the future site of MGH and forward it to Duke LifePoint within 30-45 days, and then Duke LifePoint will make its momentous decision.

A tidy little $290 million dollars is on the line for the two contenders for the site--the city of Marquette and the Township--along with the prestige of being home of the biggest and most important hospital in the UP.

Girard says, regardless of the decision, the Township will continue to grow at 7-10% a year. There's plenty of land, and people and businesses want to locate there. The big box stores are clear evidence of that.
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Downtown, there have been rumors that things were a little shaky at L'Attitude and Elizabeth's Chop House.

Couldn't be further from the truth, according to co-owner Tommy Wahlstrom.

Take a look at the newly refurnished L'Attitude. New booths, new chairs, new bar stools, new artwork. Impressive and much, much more comfortable.

Up next, a new 30 foot long heater to be suspended from the ceiling on the outside patio. Nice. It'll make those 52 degree days outside bearable. The heater arrives this week. Also coming up, new tube lighting and a new menu.

What's been  the impact of the new restaurant, Sol Azteca, upstairs? Not surprisingly, it's increased the liquor revenue at L'Attitude because the Mexican restaurant doesn't have a liquor license yet.

As for the Wahlstroms' other restaurant, Elizabeth's Chop House, 2013 was the best year yet. Marquette's most expensive and arguably classiest restaurant has struggled through the recession years, like just about every other restaurant in town, but last year was a breakthrough. This year should be even better.

That's good news for fine diners in Marquette.
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More restaurant news.

Coco's, just across the street from McCarty's Cove and Picnic Rocks, is taking a turn toward Margaritaville, UP style. It's busting out a wall on the north side of the building, installing a 900 square foot deck that'll be shaded from the direct sun, and then lining up bands on the deck this summer. They'll play Thursday through Sunday.

They're also considering bringing in a few truckloads of sand and setting up a volleyball court on site.

And they're starting a remodeling of their bar this month.

Finally, it seems, Coco's is taking advantage of its unique and attractive location just across the street from the beach.
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You may have noticed that Fox UP, TV6's junior partner in the WLUC duopoly, has a new anchor, just in from the University of Maryland.

He's Ben Oldach. He's young but he has a pleasant look with a nice voice and carries more authority than you might expect from a rookie. His hairdo, featuring a big wave on top along with sideburns, seems a little retro, but hairdos come and go every half century or so.

The Fox UP newscast, at 10 pm, has never drawn much of an audience. It's actually pretty good and it features an early dose of meteorologist Karl Bohnak if you don't feel like waiting up until 11 pm.
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Overheard at Babycakes this week: a job interview with an NMU graduate who went on to get his PhD at the University of Leeds in medieval history.

He's back in town hoping to land a job as a barista.

The message here? We need (and value) baristas more than we need medieval historians.


You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Empire Shutdown, Founders Build-Up, and Shani's Shout-Out

What we have long feared is now just about upon us.

The Empire mine is closing. There are really no ifs, ands or buts about it. Barring a miracle, it's shutting down.

Cliffs' partnership with ArcelorMittal will end on December 31st which means there will be no more customers for Empire's pellets. The mining costs at Empire were just getting too expensive.

Of course, there will always be the doubters, deniers and skeptics--"Cliffs is just making idle threats!"--but the evidence is overwhelming.

Executives have been meeting with Empire workers for the last few weeks and the message has been simple and direct: prepare for the shutdown by the end of the year, and for many of you, prepare to lose your job. You'll get advance warning sometime during the year, but then you'll be out.

Seniority and job classification will determine who stays and who goes. Some of the Empire workers will shift over to the Tilden mine.

Executives have also been meeting weekly to plan for a smooth and painless shutdown. It won't be painless, but they're doing their best.

How many employees will lose their jobs? Management won't say and they're hoping for some early retirements, but 500 is probably a reasonable guess. Five hundred well-paid wage-earners is a lot for Marquette County. The west end will probably be particularly hard hit.

Cliffs is working with the Lake Superior Community Partnership and other agencies to aid in the transition. Not any easy task.

NMU economics guru Tawni Ferrarini says the county will be hard-hit in the short run but will recover because it's diversified its economy over the last decade.

Good for us. Not so good, unfortunately, for the hundreds of workers who may be forced to leave the area because they'll need to put food on the table for their families.
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You might have noticed there was no new construction at the Founders Landing site this last year. A sign of problems?

No, according to the developers. They're just playing it conservatively. They want to make sure they have reservations on at least half of the units in a building before they start construction.

In fact, they have now sold all of the condos in the existing buildings (though at least one of the units is up for re-sale), and they have a couple of reservations for the next building, Gaines. The hope is, they'll start building Gaines this spring. After that, it'll be the final building in the development, Adams.

Prices on the condos--$300,000 to $800,000. A nice little tax infusion for the city of Marquette.

As for the office-retail-restaurant complex next to the Hampton Inn, construction won't start until an issue with the 240 space parking garage there has been resolved. The city and the developers are trying to deal with that.
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Marquette has a serious rooting interest in the upcoming Winter Olympics, and one woman, in particular, is a huge fan.

Shani Davis, the 31 year old speedskater who's already won two gold medals and two silvers, went to Marquette High School and NMU while he was training for the Olympics.

In a recent interview with MotorTrend.com, he gave a shout-out to Aoy, the owner of the Rice Paddy. She's a great friend who makes him great food, he said.

In fact, Shani and Aoy have known each other for more than a decade. She fed him well during his early years before he became an Olympic champion. He still comes up to visit once a year and stays with her and her husband, Greg Trick. He phones her throughout the year.

He considers her a second mother; she calls him "Brown Sugar."

Aoy says Shani is everything a mother would want her son to be--helpful bringing the groceries in, helpful in cleaning the house. And his Olympic fame? She says it hasn't changed him in the least. He's the same, sweet guy he's always been.

What's his favorite dish at the Rice Paddy? Anything she cooks.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com