MARQUETTE, MI— The City of Marquette remains open to working with the state on finding a site for a new veterans home.
Negotiations between the entities regarding the former Cliffs-Dow site recently ended. Michigan Veteran Homes Director of Development and Strategic Engagement Ryan Engle said the two sides couldn’t agree on liability issues.
City Manager Karen Kovacs says she knew MVH had a tight timeline with regards to federal and state funding, but the City also had concerns regarding third-party liability and the possibility of class-action lawsuits in the future.
“During this negotiation for a letter of intent, it was the only opportunity that the city really had to advocate for any protection regarding those liability concerns. And we really did make some significant progress, but I do know that the state was getting some pressure to get this kind of completed sooner rather than later.”
Kovacs says it’s her understanding MVH wants the new Jacobetti home to be as near the current site as possible, but it may end up being outside the city.
She says the city remains committed to negotiating with the state should the alternate site not come to fruition.
