Governor Inspects Founders Landing
Michigan’s governor makes a stop in Marquette to see how the Founders Landing development is coming along.
Governor Jennifer Granholm got to look around inside the first condo being put up.
Mayor John Kivela and architecht Barry Polzin also explained to her what the project is expected to contribute to the city.
It’s an example of what can happen when different branches of government form partnerships with private industry.
Granholm says one of the positive things that can come from an economic crisis is that it forces unusual-looking partnerships.
She thinks the Founders Landing project is one of them, since local government, state government and private developers all brought something to the table.
The work on what was once the city’s south rail yard is one of the largest brownfield redevelopment projects in Michigan history.
The soil was contaminated, and some of it was too soft to support the foundations of buildings.
The governor says she’s excited about not just the construction jobs the Founders Landing development generates, but about the 150 or so permanent new jobs it’ll create after it’s built.
One of the main reasons Granholm is in the U.P. right now is for Governor’s Day at the State Fair tomorrow.
We’ll be there as well, and we’ll have a look at those events tomorrow night on UGN News.