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LANSING -- The Kiwanis Ski Club will receive a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, one of 22 Rural Development Fund grants awarded to promote the sustainability of land-based industries and support infrastructure that benefits rural communities.
MDARD received 78 proposals with requests totaling more than $6.3 million, Director Tim Borning said. Of those, the agency awarded funding for 22 projects totaling just over $1.8 million, leveraging a match of more than $1.6 million.
The non-profit ski club, which hosts the annual Pine Mountain ski jumping tournament, expects to expand tourism and non-ski jumping events throughout the year. After completing a $3 million renovation of the historic ski jump in 2021, it still needs about $1.6 million to finish infrastructure improvements required by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation -- most of it to add an elevator at the jump tower.
The club annually hosts Continental Cup events and hopes to again invite the FIS World Cup circuit, which last came to Pine Mountain in 2000. Earlier this year, the Kiwanis sought a $1 million Michigan Department of Natural Resources Spark Grant for construction of the elevator but was unsuccessful. Pine Mountain has had world-class ski jumping tournaments since 1939.
"At MDARD, we are proud to continue to make investments into our rural communities that create more economic opportunities, and good-paying jobs, while expanding our food and agriculture industry," Boring said.
Other projects receiving assistance in the Upper Peninsula include:
-- City of Negaunee, $100,000 for water main replacement in downtown Negaunee to allow various businesses to connect and install fire suppression systems where they are needed.
-- Delta County Road Commission, $100,000 to upgrade a 1-mile segment of County Road 434 from a gravel road to a paved all-season road.
-- Educational Partnership in the Community, Marquette, $100,000 to promote safe and affordable child care through the addition of supervised and trained care volunteers to assist with infant and toddler care to implement EPIC's Child Care Compliance and Volunteer Sustainability Program.
-- Iron Ore Recreation Authority, Ishpeming, $56,000 to improve trail maintenance and add administration with volunteer support.
-- Jack Pine Lodge UP, LLC, Schoolcraft County, $85,500 for an expansion project to accommodate additional full RV and camper trailer rental sites.
-- Marquette County Land Bank Authority, $50,000 to address the lack of affordable/attainable housing options for many county residents and municipalities by providing target market analysis and implementation.
-- River Trails LLC, Houghton, $100,000 to enhance the existing trail system near Michigan Technological University by planning for future protection of the Pilgrim River to create economic benefit for future homeowners.
-- Skinny Pete's LLC, Lake Linden, $40,600 to promote a more efficient workday for staff while providing capacity to serve more businesses.
-- Superior Sawmill Inc., Trenary, $100,000 for infrastructure expansion and business development.
-- Wilson Enterprises Inc., Menominee County, $100,000 to increase purchases of raw forestry materials and increase production.
-- 906 Technologies LLC, $70,000 to improve the city of Negaunee's broadband infrastructure.
For more, on Rural Development Fund grants, go to https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/business-development/grantfund/rural-development-fund-grants.