Ironwood to Seek Bids for Blight Demolitions
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Call (906) 932-4449 Gogebic Business Ironwood, MI Progress 2019 ends with Redsautosales.com Gogebic County businesses INSIDE TODAY DAILY GLOBE Tuesday, February 26, 2019 Mostly cloudy yourdailyglobe.com | High: 11 | Low: -1 | Details, page 2 Snow, snow, snow! schools to close early or all n Winter weather together over the course of Sun- buries Ontonagon day and Monday, as the area in more than two recovered the winter’s latest feet of snow storm. Ontonagon snow By JAN TUCKER and To the east, Ontonagon is also RICHARD JENKINS slowly digging out of the nearly [email protected] 29 inches of snow which blanket- The snow started in the late ed the region on Sunday. hours of Saturday and by the Village and county crews time it stopped over 13 inches worked during the storm as blanketed the Gogebic Range. winds gusting to 60 mph caused Then came the winds. huge drifts. The Ontonagon The National Weather Service County Sheriff’s Department in Marquette recorded wind called in additional help and the speeds of up to 51 mph in Wake- road crews worked to free some field and 46 mph at the Gogebic- motorists stranded in drifts in Iron County Airport. the middle of the roadways. These high winds caused With the high winds whip- snow drifts and limited visibility ping off Lake Superior, many res- across the area, forcing local idents were bracing for power authorities to urge people to outages and there were patches avoid driving unless necessary. of short-term outages throughout Those who didn’t heed the the village. Upper Peninsula warning found the decision may Power crews were called out and have been taken out of their most power was restored in hands, with the drifting snow about two hours. Larry Holcombe/Daily Globe making various side roads The cleanup was complicated PAM BACKMAN, a mail carrier with the Ironwood Post Office, shovels out a relay box at the corner of impassable. Hill and Lake streets in Ironwood Monday morning. She said it was the second such box she had The weekend’s storm forced shoveled that morning and a fellow postal employee was digging out others in the city. The dark numerous businesses and green boxes are used to leave mail for the neighborhood carriers to pick up and deliver. SNOWED IN — page 2 AT THE HELM Ironwood to seek bids Wakefield for blight demolitions By RICHARD JENKINS under the snow load, manager [email protected] according to Erickson. IRONWOOD – Iron- The property is still pri- wood is continuing its vately owned, but Erickson swears in effort to remove blighted said the city is working structures from its streets with the owners and By P.J. GLISSON as the Ironwood City Com- recently applied for a sepa- [email protected] mission voted to seek rate grant to help cover the WAKEFIELD – After sitting in bids for another round of costs. quiet observation throughout Mon- structure demolitions “(Coincidentally) this day’s meeting of the Wakefield city Monday. grant was due a day or council, Robert A. Brown, Jr. took an Most of the demolished two after the building fell official oath of office as the new city buildings will be residen- down, so we did submit manager directly after adjournment. tial structures, with the that and we’re hoping to The tall, affable, young man then city’s “Hardest Hit” blight hear later this week if shook the hands of each council grant used to pay for the we’re eligible for that member. work, City Manager Scott grant,” he said. “If we are, “Welcome to my chair,” said out- Erickson told the commis- then we want to be poised going city manager Richard Brack- sion to go out for bids.” ney. “My former chair.” “We’re anticipating If the city doesn’t When Brown briefly sat in the around 10 properties, receive the grant to help designated place, mayor John P.J. Glisson/Daily Globe (that) hopefully we can get fund the demolition, Erick- Granato kidded him, “You’re in the OUTGOING WAKEFIELD city manager Richard Brackney, left, shakes removed and demolished son said the city would hot seat now.” hands with incoming city manager Robert A. Brown, Jr., directly after a under this grant,” Erickson continue to work with the During the meeting, council Monday evening city council meeting. Brown, who lived previously in said. owner to explore other members voted to pass a resolution Belding, Mich., began working in the municipal building last Tuesday. The exact properties options to get the property declaring Brown as the manager. targeted for demolition is demolished and cleaned They also voted to pay Brackney’s during that time. League. still being worked out, up. three-year contract until the end of “We felt we didn’t want to have Instead, he said, the city found Erickson said, as the city In other action: his contract on May 24 even though two city managers conflicting with Brown and now must honor the has a list of around 20 –Commissioners he was free to retire after Monday’s each other,” said Granato. terms of Brackney’s contract, which properties it is targeting approved rescinding a meeting. The mayor explained that council provides that he be paid throughout and work continues to rural development pay During the public comment peri- members had no way to be sure how his entire period of employment. determine which houses to package for the city’s sewer od, Pauline Pikka of Wakefield veri- long it would take to find a viable When Pikka asked the cost of prioritize to make best use project in the amount of fied the terms of Brackney’s contract replacement for Brackney, who had paying Brackney’s salary and bene- of the grant funds. $4,202 due to a billing and complained that he would be announced his retirement last year. fits in the next few months, Granato Along with the residen- error. They also passed a paid for three months without any If the city’s first round of candi- estimated about $20,000. tial demolitions, the city is second pay package for the obligation to work. dates had not resulted in a new man- Mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro, seeking a bid to demolish a correct amount of $2,978. “That’s a lot of money to stay ager, Granato said the city would who voted against paying off Brack- commercial structure. home,” said Pikka, who pointed out have had to spend $14,000 to adver- The structure at 238 E. that he also will receive his benefits tise with the Michigan Municipal Ayer recently collapsed WAKEFIELD — page 5 BLIGHT — page 5 Iron Belle Trail mini-grant deadline approaching By RICHARD JENKINS Resources spokesperson, segments ready to go into gem that takes trail users able this year still isn’t route options – trail loca- [email protected] with selected grant recipi- construction in the next through many amazing determined. tions – between Ramsay LANSING – Applica- ents announced in May. year or two, said DNR state places along both routes,” Locally, the area has and Wakefield, and work- tions for the latest round of Eligible parties can seek trails coordinator Paul Yauk said in a news release. benefitted three of these ing both on non-motorized Iron Belle Trail mini-grants grants up to $50,000. Yauk, as well as project “These mini-grants go a mini-grants in the past, and motorized (trails),” are due in the coming A funding match is not engineering and design, long way toward bringing according to Western Erickson said. “So we get weeks. required, the spokesperson and the purchase of Iron together the people and Gateway Trail Authority the non-motorized and Grant proposals for this said, although it is strongly Belle Trail signage. resources critical to com- chair Scott Erickson. motorized groups together fifth round of funding are recommended. “The Iron Belle Trail is pleting each new mile of “Right now we have an due March 15, according to The latest round of Michigan’s ‘showcase trail’ trail.” active mini-grant … that is a Department of Natural mini-grants will prioritize – an outdoor recreation The total funding avail- allowing us to evaluate TRAIL — page 5 TODAY INDEX Mostly cloudy — Details, page 2 Classifieds . .12-14 75 cents Comics . .11 Monday Today’s records Snowfall Community . .3 Vol. 100, No. 82 High 5 High 55 (1958) 24 hours to 7 a.m. Health . .6 Low -11 Low -29 (1963) Monday 4 in. Snow depth 30 in. Obituaries . .7 Year ago today Precipitation Season total 158.4 in. Opinion . .4 High 25 24 hours to 7 a.m. Last year 132.4 in. Low 16 Monday 0.19 in. Sports . .9-10 l 2 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 AREA / NATION / WORLD THE DAILY GLOBE • YOURDAILYGLOBE.COM FIVE-DAY FORECASTFOORECAST FOR IRONWOODIRRONWOOD TODAY WEDNESDAYWEDNESDDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYFRIDDAY SATURDAY Few Snow Mostly Cloudy Snow LikelyLikeely Partly Cloudy Snow Likely Showers 11° 1° 17° 3°3 19° 5° 20° 7° 10° -7° Winds: Winds: Winds: Winds:Winnds: Winds: 1-51-5 mphmph SWSW 33-7-7 mphmph W 8-118-11 mphmph SWSW 7 mphmph SSWSSW 99-14-14 mmphph NNWW Ontonagon LOCALL OUTLOOK 10/2 Todayy we will see mostly cloudy Bergland skies, highg of 111°,1°, humidityy of 56%. 10/4 SouthSouthwesthwest wind 1 to 5 mph. The Wakefield Ironwood recordd high for today is 55° set in Saxon 10/2 11/1 Marenisco 1958. Expect cloudy skies tonight 11/2 with an 85% chance of snow, 11/2 Bessemer overnovernightnight low of 1°.