Kent Kraft/For the Gazette Karl Dietzler from the National Park Service, addresses the Calumet Village Council at its meeting Tuesday.

CALUMET – At Tuesday’s Calumet Village Council meeting, Joey Foster, the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) Fellow who has been working with the village since January 2025, gave his final report. One of the main goals Foster had during his fellowship was to help the village progress towards being Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) Certified.

The RRC program is run through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and is designed to show a community offers “a transparent, predictable, and efficient development experience,” according to MEDC’s website. This is a quick way to show a community is vibrant and competitive when trying to attract businesses to the area.

Once a community starts the RRC process, they are listed as RRC Engaged. There are fifteen such communities in the UP, including Calumet and Laurium. The program contains 28 metrics communities need to satisfy in order to progress through the RRC Essentials to the RRC Certified status.

In the UP, there are four communities listed as RRC Essentials, including L’Anse, and seven listed as RRC Certified, including both Houghton and Hancock. Should Calumet reach the RRC Certified status, Village Manager Megan Haselden said it would be the smallest community in the state with that achievement.

With the work Foster and Haselden have completed in the past year, Calumet sits two metrics away from the RRC Essentials status and a further four metrics away from RRC Certified status out of the 28 metrics. “We’re pleased with our progress under Joey and are just pushing forward to full certification,” said Haselden.

In her own report, Haselden mentioned the Financially Distressed Cities, Villages, and Townships Grant for improvements to the Village Hall building is progressing well. Window frames are getting rebuilt and will be reinstalled soon. The next phase will include tuckpointing which will hopefully take place this summer.

The grant just covers the Village Hall portion, not the Calumet Theater side of the shared building. However, Haselden mentioned an anonymous donor has been in touch who will pay to have the theater side tuckpointed as well.

In August 2025, Haselden reported to the council the Michigan Neighborhood Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), run by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, had approved Calumet’s letter of intent for a $400,000 grant and residents have been anxious to gain access to this money. An administrator is needed for the grant, and, according to Haselden, they will select one by the end of April, making the next milestone of this process.

A late addition to the agenda had the council consider the purchase of a new dump truck. A 2008 model was found with a sale price of $36,500 which includes a 15-day warranty and covers shipping costs from Ohio. Haselden told the council the money would come out of the Village’s general fund which currently has a little over $250,000.

The council approved two resolutions pertaining to the dump truck. First, they approved to have one of its mechanics or a third-party mechanic look over the truck in Ohio prior to purchase to make sure

the vehicle is in good working order. Second, contingent on a good report from the mechanic, the council unanimously approved the purchase of the dump truck.

Nathan McParlan addressed the council regarding his company’s work on 425 and 427 5th Street in Calumet. Back in April 2025, the council unanimously approved the transfer of the properties to MCP Properties, LLC, and approved support for the company to also develop a parking lot on the vacant lot at Lot 6, Block 19 in Calumet. McParlan presented a Development and Use Agreement to the council which they hope to approve next month after the village lawyer has a chance to review it.

Karl Dietzler, Historic Landscape Architect, and Amber Kraft, Interpretation and Education Program Manager, both from Keweenaw National Historical Park, addressed the council about a planned redesign to the park’s visitor center parking lot located on the corner of 5th and Scott Streets in downtown Calumet.

“We’re looking at redesigning and formalizing the flow of traffic, creating a one-way entrance from 5th Street and exit onto Scott Street,” said Dietzler. This will help to improve safety for those using the lot, they will regrade the lot to improve drainage, and add shade trees to beautify the area. The council asked Dietzler to present to the Planning Commission, and any necessary votes from the council could take place based on recommendations from that group.

Nikki L’Esperance, chair of Calumet’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA), presented to the council as well, updating it and the public on the committee’s work throughout 2025. One of the highlights was the completion of a First Impressions Tourism Assessment run by Michigan State University. Results will be shared with the public at a public hearing, currently scheduled for May.

In other action, the council: approved paying bills and salaries totaling $63,142.04, unanimously approved appointing Bruce Coppo to the Housing Commission for a term expiring March 2031 and agreed to look into possible ways to clear a path to the electric charger in Calumet in response to a petition from the public.