Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Planning Commission Thursday approved a five-year Capital Improvement Plan for the city.
The plan will go before the five-member city commission for final approval.
The CIP is part of the city’s comprehensive plan and is a sort of “wish list” of projects that might be tackled if funding is available. Many of the projects are contingent on the availability of grants.
Many park projects in the city, for example, were funded in the past five-year CIP, which is necessary in the grant application process.
In other business Thursday, the planning commission conducted a public hearing on a site plan and conditional use permit for log storage for Ottawa Forest Products, which is located in the industrial park.
Aaron Ruotsala, manager of the Ottawa business, said the company might use the former golf driving range parcel on Ayer Street for storage of logs. He said that is a “backup” plan for storage by the company.
About six acres is involved and Ruotsala told the Daily Globe Ottawa would have to acquire the former golf range parcel from a private owner.
If logs are stored there, Ottawa will provide 10 hours of donated trail construction in that area of the Miners Memorial Heritage Park.
The city’s parks and recreation committee recommended approval of the plan.
A sign would also need to be placed at the site explaining the importance of logging to the area’s history.
The conditional use permit approved by the planning commission Thursday pertains to log storage on both the both and south sides of Ayer Street.
Planning commissioners also discussed a planned city zoning ordinance update. Ironwood Community Development Director Tom Bergman said a zoning update cost Iron County, Wis., $80,000 when he was employed there.
Planning commissioners agreed they could start the update by working on city-owned parcels that need to be rezoned. Bergman said there aren’t a lot of them, and he’ll provide an overview at the next planning commission meeting in March.