MARQUETTE, MI— Governor Gretchen Whitmer attended a demolition ceremony Wednesday at the former Marquette General Hospital site.
She raised a sledgehammer to kick off the first phase of the project, along with officials from the state legislature, NMU, and the City of Marquette.
Whitmer called the property a “blight in prime real estate that deserves new life.” The reimagined site will contain housing, a senior living complex, retail corridors and green space.
“So, this project will make a real difference in people's lives and represents what Michigan is really all about: investing in a place long-term and building it back better than before. And that’s why we’re all together—the MEDC, the state Legislature, developers, the NMU Foundation—to make Marquette a better place to live, work and to invest.”
Whitmer made the appearance on day one of her “Make it in Michigan” tour of the Upper Peninsula. Earlier, she delivered the keynote address at the graduation of the First Annual Building Trades and Construction Council summer camp in Negaunee. And the governor returned to Negaunee with Representative Jenn Hill in the afternoon to see construction projects on Iron Street.
That included the roof replacement on the historic Vista Theater, which was allocated $3 million in the most recent state budget.
