Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
CELEBRATING THE 20-year history of the Michigan Land Bank on Aug. 15 are, from left, Gogebic County commissioner Daniel Siirila; county treasurer Lisa Hewitt; Adam Robach of the state Land Bank; county commissioner Robert Orlich; Bessemer Township Supervisor Jeffery Randall; and Linda Horak of the state Land Bank. They were standing in front of the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer.
By PAMELA JANSSON
Bessemer - A celebration of 20 years of the Michigan Land Bank Authority took place on Aug. 15 in Bessemer.
The Gogebic County Land Bank is the local arm of the state office.
It describes itself as follows: "The Gogebic County Land Bank is dedicated to revitalizing tomorrow's neighborhoods through strategic acquisition, rehabilitation and responsible stewardship of vacant, abandoned and tax-foreclosed properties."
A central person in the celebration was county treasurer Lisa Hewitt, who has worked with the Michigan Land Bank to acquire state funds for qualified local projects.
The Michigan Land Bank was represented by Linda Horak, who covers its Region 1, throughout the U.P., and Adam Robach, who covers Region 2 in the northwestern area of the Lower Peninsula.
The ceremony in front of the Gogebic County Courthouse also featured comments from some of the county officials in attendance, who included Bessemer Township Supervisor Jeffery Randall and Gogebic County commissioners Daniel Siirila and Robert Orlich.
The ceremony was followed by Little Blue Bus tours to the following past, present and future county sites that have received Land Bank funds:
Ironwood Township
10356 N. Lake Road (trailer park)
Ironwood
746 E. Leonard St.
210 S. Suffolk St.
226 E. McLeod Ave.
634 E. Ayer St. (the former Josephson Nursing Home)
916 E. Pine St.*
121 N. Mansfield St.*
Gogebic County Fairgrounds,* where rehabilitation is planned for the two race horse barns and possibly also the livestock building
Bessemer
111 W. Sellar St.
217-221 S. Sophie St. (the old Gambles building complex)
304-308 E. Lead St.
Bessemer Township
8178 E. Horseshoe Bend
7711 E. Granite St.*
Wakefield
516 Sunday Lake St.
311 Sunday Lake St. (former City Hall)
In the Aug. 14 meeting of the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners, Joseph Bonovetz praised local Land Bank efforts.
"As a resident of Bessemer, I'm extremely impressed with what they did on Sophie Street," said Bonovetz about Land Bank funds that made possible the removal of the old Gambles building and an adjacent building once used as a pharmacy. "People in Bessemer are very appreciative."
On the restorative side of Land Bank funding, a pending project at Ironwood's Gogebic County Fairgrounds will make possible the rehabilitation of the two race horse barns.
