Ironworkers Tribute Project Moves Ahead
Mackinaw City Fills Planning Commission Seats
By Paul Gingras

All seats on the Mackinaw City Planning Commission are now filled, following action by the village council Thursday, July 3, to appoint Edward "Bo" Whipkey.

The nomination, made by Village President Ron Wallin, came immediately after the last planning commission meeting, Thursday, June 26, where members complained that a tie vote stalled action on land-use issues facing the village.

In making the nomination, which produced no debate, Mr. Wallin said he does not know Mr. Whipkey's political affiliations. He referred to him as a local artist, a casual acquaintance, and an admirable self-learner who comes from a military family.

Mr. Whipkey has lived in the village for eight years. Prior to moving to the Mackinaw City, he lived four years on Mackinac Island.

At the recommendation of the village Facilities Committee, a final contract for Mackinaw City's Ironworkers Walk of Fame project has been approved by the council. Most of the contract was developed by village attorney Tom Evashevski. All council members voted in favor of approving the contract, except Mr. Wallin.

The contract between the village and MKM Concepts, a company started by former Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau director Marilyn McFarland, calls for a tribute to ironworkers in a streetscape on North Huron Avenue. Mrs. McFarland will market commemorative concrete pavers inscribed with the names, union numbers, and projects of ironworkers.

The company's portion of the plan is to create an ironworker monument area surrounded by the brick pavers, which may be included in the sidewalk project extending along both sides of North Huron Avenue, from Nicolet Street to Ducharme Street. How much of the sidewalk is made of inscribed brick pavers depends on the number

of pavers sold. Mr. Wallin circulated a document that listed his concerns. Chief among them, the contract does not specify who pays for the ironworker monument, he said, nor does it address whether a specific number of bricks must be sold before construction begins. Mr. Wallin also said the contract does not specify how income will be handled from paver sales, nor does it address severing the contract if sufficient bricks to begin the project are not sold. If insufficient bricks are sold, the village may have to return money to purchasers, he said. Further, he said the contract does not specify if MKM is a for-profit or not-forprofit company, which affects sales tax. In response, Mr. Lawson explained that the Ironworkers Walk of Fame is ultimately a village project. Payment for bricks will be received by Mackinaw City, which is prepared to handle the income and accounting. For marketing services, the village will pay MKM 15% of the total amount generated by the paver sale.

"The funds are not going to me. They are going to the Village of Mackinaw City," Mrs. McFarland added, in response to questioning by Mr. Wallin. "I get paid when you have the funds. If you don't have the funds, I don't get paid."

"It's just like another company you would contract for a service, whether that's putting in trees or fixing a sidewalk," she added. "You hired them for that service and you pay them when they do the job. That's who I am. I'm not an employee. I'm the person that you hired."

The idea is to sell a minimum of 300 pavers to generate $30,000 for a decorative retaining wall, a monument, and an area of inscribed pavers surrounding it, Mr. Lawson said. He acknowledged if fewer than 300 pavers are sold, the village will pay part of the cost for the Ironworkers Walk of Fame.

Creating the monument area is similar to what the village has done near the village marina and on Straits Avenue, where fountains and planter boxes were included, Mr. Lawson added. Since the village will complete the monument area if fewer than 300 pavers are sold, there will be no need to return money to anyone who purchases an inscribed brick, he said.

The form the ironworker monument will take, and how many inscribed bricks will be included in the sidewalk, depends on how successfully sales turn out, he said. At minimum, the monument will be a piece of decorative granite with information about ironworkers. If the project generates enough income, it could be something more elaborate, Mr. Lawson said. At the minimum, inscribed bricks will surround the monument. If more are sold, they will be incorporated into the sidewalk along North Huron.

"We can fit a lot of names into that one-block area," he told The St. Ignace News.

With the exception of a small area, there is no sidewalk along the corridor now. In coming years, the village seeks to continue the streetscape project to include the entire corridor, at a cost of more than $1 million.

The village is working on the site plan with local business owners who want to have the sidewalk as near to their front doors as possible, Mr. Lawson said.