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Let’s All Government Tuesday, February 16, 2021 PROGRESS 2021 Government An annual report to our community about our community Mask C I T Y O F I R O N W O O D Daily Globe’s annual Moving forwardyourdailyglobe.com Ironwood works on variety of projects Progress Edition continues today to improve quality Up! of life here By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD – Ironwood City Manager Scott Erickson the city is working hard on making Iron- wood not only an inviting place Thank you for keeping our community safe to visit, but an great place to live. “My impression of our area is that people are getting tired of liv- ing in big cities and that is evi- dent by the banner year for sales of homes in the community,” INSIDE Erickson said. Erickson spoke to the Daily Globe recently about the ongoing progress involved with improv- ing the city by noting visible achievements and the less obvi- ous but just as important work behind the scenes that has moved the community into the 21st century. “Hopefully, that is partly the result of the small community environment and also what the city is doing to make this a more desirable place to live,” he said. Downtown City Square The most visible change to Ironwood in 2020 was the com- pletion of the Downtown City Square, a $1.47 million project FLAGS FLY in the brisk winter wind Sunday afternoon over Ironwood’s new downtown City Square. Constructed in 2020, the park that creates an all-year outdoor includes a covered stage, picnic tables, fire pit and historical signage. City officials hope it will be a four-season center of activities in public space for Ironwood and downtown. the region. The hour-glass shaped property, bordered by open grass seating, landscaped Aurora and Lowell streets and green space, a pergola and fire McLeod Avenue was developed pit, tables with solar power ing the city with ideas for the with a grant from the Michigan charging stations and WiFi, a Larry Holcombe/Daily Globe Economic Development Corpora- space, from small groups to the lighted fountain-splash pad and Amberlight Festival and the Sisu tion. vendor area. that can be integrated into their In her dedication speech this Ski Festival, he said. A local book activities or their businesses and The Downtown City Square club even requested that the fire past November, Mayor Annette completes a goal to combine out- that is what we have hoped – We Burchell said the space will bring pit be lit to hold their club meet- are just as important to Ironwood door environment space with build it and they will come, hope- as to those respective communi- people to the downtown from ing in an outdoor, socially dis- fully, right?” downtown businesses, Erickson tanced way in winter. ties, he said. Ironwood and the surrounding said. So hopefully it will allow “The work on U.S. 2 through communities. The city square possibilities for both and bring “People are thinking about hosts a raised bandshell with those types of uses for that area Roads and Infrastructure Ironwood was three years ago people downtown that will also There will be summer milling and it’s great to see the round- which I think will continue to and resurfacing work but to the frequent businesses. about and additional work in expand as we activate that space level of the reconstruction of U.S. People are already approach- Hurley and Bessemer this sum- and people see how they can use 2 in Bessemer and on U.S. 51 in mer,” Erickson said. “Any time it more,” Erickson said. “People Hurley, to include a roundabout you invest those kinds of dollars Bessemer prepares are definitely thinking about how to replace the bridge and ramps into infrastructure it’s a long- with the U.S. 2 intersection, term investment in your area, for US 2, utility Erickson said. But those projects IRONWOOD improvements — page 4 By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER – The city of tion.” Bessemer will undertake two MDOT will start reconstruct- major construction projects ing U.S. 2 from the Powdermill simultaneously over the next two Creek bridge to Old U.S. 2 on the years. The projects will cost $10.4 west side of the city on June 1. million and address needed road- During the two year project, work and storm sewer repairs on known as the U.S. 2 project, the highway, along with replace- MDOT will tear out all the old ment of the city’s sewer and water pavement. They will then under- lines. cut the road and put in layers of “The sewer designed within sand, to help with drainage and our trunk line, the city hired gravel to provide support, and C2AE as their consultant and then cover it with new blacktop. that work got incorporated into “The pavement has reached its our plans,” said Dave Bradley, end of it’s useful life,” Bradley operations engineer with the said. “We’ve done some lesser Michigan Department of Trans- fixes over the years. Those are THE ABOVE slide from a Michigan Department of Transportation presentation on the upcoming U.S. portation. “So our contractor will kind of interim measures to 2 project in Bessemer outlines details about the project that is planned to begin this year and con- be doing everything at once extend the pavement life. This is tinue into 2022. which really helps with coopera- actually the big fix that will ing issues with the old concrete reconstruct the pavement.” under the road, which dates back He said that there is underly- Submitted graphic to the 1950s that has been caus- will have a 14- to 15-year service ing cracking. Bradley said that life. However, he said they will be once the road is reconstructed it able to do service on it beyond 14 from the Powdermill Bridge to years. Mill Street on the west end. Once This year MDOT will work AILY LOBE BESSEMER Michigan — page 5 Ironwood Works Township D G — pag 4-5 — page 2 Iron County Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Partly Cloudy yourdailyglobe.comSheriff’s Office | High: 11 | Low: -9 | Details, page 2 — page 6 Wisconsin votes today Iron County voters join with the rest of the state in casting their ballots in the spring primary for the state superinten- dent of public instruction today. Seven candidates appear on the ballot — Deborah Kerr, who worked 13 years as superintendent of Brown Deer Schools; Jill Underly, superintendent of the Peca- tonica Area School District; Sheila Briggs, an assistant state superintendent; Shandowlyon Hendricks-Williams, who has 25 years’ experience in the education field; Steve Krull, a principal in the Mil- waukee Public Schools; Troy Gunderson, who worked for 35 years in public schools; and Joe Fenrick, a Fond du Lac High School science teacher for 15 years. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in April. Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Megan Hughes/Daily Globe —Richard Jenkins SNOWMOBILERS PREPARE to take off for the annual Dan Tomlanovich Memorial Vintage Snowmobile Ride from Annie’s Pub in Gile, Saturday morning. GCC receives Memorial ride honors Tomlanovich By MEGAN HUGHES “Some people will just start at one of by his community, according to Abram- grant to [email protected] the bars, instead of at the beginning,” said son. “He was the guy that could find any GILE, Wis. — Snowmobilers gathered Kelli Stutz of the White Thunder Riders part you might need,” he said. for the ninth annual Dan Tomlanovich and A-Team ATV Club of Iron County. Proceeds from the event are given to a Memorial Vintage Snowmobile Ride on Stutz is one of the founding organizers of local cause. In past years, there have been restore old trail Saturday. the ride. donations to diabetes research, or vari- The ride started at Annie’s Pub in Gile “Some people call us the Northern ous concerns in the community. This IRONWOOD — Gogebic Community and included both locals and some out- Relic Riders,” said Randy Abramson, year, the money will be given to the local College is working to rebuild bridges on of-town riders who brought out their old another of the founding organizers. fire department. an old trail that runs from the base of machines to ride the trails. There were a The ride annually honors Dan Tom- Mount Zion north to Slade Road. few stops at local taverns along the way lanovich, who had a passion for vintage with chances at winning door prizes. snowmobiles and is fondly remembered The trail is a little more than a mile RIDE page 5 long and was created by college employ- — ees in 1981. The bridges were compro- mised by flooding in 2016 and are “cru- cial to the integrity of the trail,” according to a press release. Ironwood woman celebrates 101 years “By restoring the two bridges which run over Welch Creek, we are promoting By TOM LAVENTURE healthy minded — she German immigrant, and Elizabeth Keto- personal enrichment and wellness within [email protected] loves vegetables.” la, a Finnish immigrant. Her eldest our community,” said GCC President Dr. IRONWOOD — Ruth Leffel recently Leffel was unable brother was born in Finland and she George McNulty in the release. celebrated her 101st birthday with a few to celebrate with her was raised in an English, Finnish and The Gogebic Range Health Foundation family members at her Ironwood resi- several grandchildren, German speaking household. awarded the college a grant of $12,250 to dence.