11/4/2024

IRONWOOD – There seems to be appropriation or grant money for just about everything these days.  Aspirus Ironwood recently received two million dollars in appropriation funds to keep their OBGYN department open that’s just one of many examples, but why no money to rebuild and revive the Gogebic County Fair Grounds in Ironwood?  The answer is simple NOBODY ASKED.  Representative Greg Markkanen has anyone from the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners contacted you regarding funding to rebuild the fairgrounds?

“No they have not and you know it was kind of a surprised for me because you know I’ve always tried to represent and be a voice for all the people in 110th district in Lansing and I heard about what happened at the fairgrounds and, I always knew that the fair was very important to every community every county in the UP and I kind of expected to have somebody come forward and say could we go after an appropriation or grant or something to help jumpstart the program to get it and rebuild everything and nobody ever stepped up.”

Markkanen says he feels confident money would have been made available for the Gogebic County Fairgrounds.

“We could certainly put in for a request, you know and got an appropriation in the last budget I mean this last budget was record setting at almost $84 billion so I mean if we can put in $1 million for cricket field in Troy Michigan, we certainly would be optimistic to find something for the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. You don’t know unless you ask and work it.”

Is it too late?  Markkanen says maybe not.

“There is talk of a supplemental appropriation here either at the end of November or into December. I mean we’re on schedule here for three weeks of session in December so if they do have a supplemental appropriation budget come up you know to get some seed money at least you know whatever that may be you know I don’t think it’s unreasonable to put in request in and see what we can come up with because we don’t know if that’s gonna happen or not but if you don’t ask if you’ll never know so I’m more than willing to do that if commissioners want to sit down or have a group phone call or whatever we can work out”