Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Bessemer — The city of Bessemer has received a $28,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Targeted for the Bessemer Industrial Park, the grant was awarded through MEDC’s Michigan Build Ready Sites Program, which is part of the corporation’s Site Readiness Improvement Program.
“The city is very excited to have the opportunity to develop more robust packets for developers and entrepreneurs to help attract new businesses and jobs to our industrial park,” said Charly Loper, Bessemer city manager.
The city’s ultimate aim is to create developer packages for park lots five, six and seven, which are currently listed for sale, she said.
MEDC, which made the announcement via a news release, said that the grant for the Bessemer sites will fund “wetland delineation, property survey and geotechnical reports,” and will “identify the proximity of water, sewer, electric, gas and fiber internet to each property.”
MEDC granted a total of $3.3 million in 31 counties. Luce, Chippewa and Gogebic counties are the only Upper Peninsula counties on the grant award list.
The grants are aimed at boosting Michigan’s inventory of available properties ready to compete for business attraction projects, according to MEDC.
“These site-ready projects underscore Michigan’s continued commitment to working with our local partners and communities to foster business growth and developing our inventory of shovel-ready sites across the state,” stated MEDC CEO Jeff Mason. “Our partners brought forth critical projects that will use innovative approaches and have meaningful impact on our business attraction efforts.”
The Build Ready Sites Program, which was announced last April, is designed “to assist with the development or enhancement of industrial sites,” according to MEDC. This is to ease them closer to official site standards that will “make them more competitive during the site selection process.
The deadline for local and regional economic development or community partners to submit applications was June 1. This “demonstrated a plan and pathway to a vetted site,” according to MEDC.
The grant funds were offered for activities including site development studies or site material development, site implementation or land assembly activities, and more, MEDC said.
Loper noted that the state has not yet released more specific details.
