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For Immediate Release:
June 15, 2009

Contact:
Andrea Messinger
Ph: 517-908-0302

Michigan Municipal League Announces Marquette as a Regional Finalist for the Community Excellence Award

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The Michigan Municipal League (MML) is pleased to announce the city of Marquette has been nominated as a regional finalist for the organization's 2009 Community Excellence Award.

Marquette won the peer-nomination for its downtown waterfront revitalization project. The once industrial-based waterfront community now reflects 21st century demands–it is walkable, fun, and business-friendly.

By increasing the visibility of entrepreneurial and innovative solutions through this Award, the League strives to educate its members—cities, villages and urban townships—and inspire them to remain focused on their passion for the areas they represent.

In 2000, armed with community vision, citizen participation and new design strategies, the city started transforming underused areas around its waterfront into economic opportunities. These advances also served the business community, helping entrepreneurs acquire historic buildings for mixed-use development for example.

Marquette Assistant City Manager Karl Zueger said, "We were changing from an industrial-based community to a service-based community with our hospital and university, so we had to reinvent ourselves."

Zueger said that "reinventing ourselves" means trying to capture the integrity, realm and sense of place of the downtown and creating vibrant, multi-use areas like Marquette's waterfront.

Marquette and regional finalists from the six other MML regions will compete in the final round of competition at the League’s Annual Convention, Sept. 22-25 in Kalamazoo. For photos of the awards presentation, click here.

The Michigan Municipal League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington DC and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. For more information, visit www.mml.org.

 

 

 

Click here for a recap and video of the Region 7 Education Seminar and CEA winner.