Ishpeming secures funding for community gathering center
ISHPEMING, Mich. (WJMN) – Community members in Ishpeming could be seeing some changes soon. The City of Ishpeming partnered with Partridge Creek Farm to secure funding for a new Community Gathering Center. Funding was secured through the MI Community Center Grant that’s provided by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
The center will include a brand new skate park and a space for community gatherings such as farmers markets, equipment demonstrations, and more.
“Well, first of all, we’re putting in skate park that people have been wanting, right?” said Craig Cugini, the City Manager of the City of Ishpeming. “Second of all, we think that will be able to offer some demonstrations. So we’re just looking at ways in which we can support a community, even when they don’t have a lot of money. Can we build something that they can use and recreate and be healthy and gathering? But it’s also going to bring people together. So if we hold, you know, craft fairs or little concerts, it’s going to bring people to a space where they can talk and communicate and just get to know each other and know your neighbors. and it’s right on our main highway coming through the business loop. And so people will see it and it’ll be visible. And it’s just going to bring new people. It’s going to bring more people all into our downtown center, which should invigorate the economy in some way, too. So we hope that it will support local business and grow Ishpeming as a whole.”
With the grant funding, Partridge Creek Farm will be able to grow.
“So our mission is to help reduce food insecurity in Ishpeming,” said Sara Johnson, Executive Director of Partridge Creek Farm. “And so with this grant, this is going to allow us to be able to continue offering our programming and grow it slowly year after year. So this funding is going to be able to allow us to extend that programing specifically at our farm site. So what that looks like is, you know, we have our CSA program that we offer every summer that’s going to be at the farm now, as opposed to at our downtown location. We’re also going to have community volunteer days where the community, all ages, are welcome to come and work down at the farm and help grow the food that is literally helping to feed our community.”
The City of Ishpeming is hoping to get the community center finished within the year of 2025.
For more information on this project and it’s progress, find the City of Ishpeming’s Facebook page here, and their website here.
To learn more about Partridge Creek Farm, you can find their Facebook page here, and their website here.
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