MICHIGAN EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
NEWS RELEASE
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LANSING, Mich. -- Today, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II will stop in Newberry and Munising during the second day of his ‘Make it in Michigan’ budget tour in the Upper Peninsula.
In Newberry, Lt. Governor Gilchrist will join Helen Newberry Joy Hospital administration and staff to tour existing facility and learn about how the $7 million appropriation given through the state budget will help improve healthcare delivery at this rural critical access hospital. The FY24 budget includes $140 million to increase wages for direct care workers and other staff assisting those with disabilities and seniors who require home-based and nursing home services and supports.
Later, in Newberry, Lt. Governor Gilchrist will tour Bee Wise Farms, a working honeybee farm with two beehive centers, lavender fields, and a variety of education programs. Dr. Adam Ingrao, co-founder of Bee Wise Farms, is the National Director of the Heroes to Hives program, which is the largest beekeeping education program for veterans in the US, having trained over 10,000 veterans in the art and science of beekeeping. This program offers a series of free online and in-person workshops to military veterans and their dependents and is funded by Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS).
Next, in Munising, Lt. Governor Gilchrist will join Renovare Development for an update on their Munising Marketplace and Fire Hall projects. Renovare Development is proposing redevelopment of a blighted, former fire hall building, and new, infill construction of a multi-story, mixed use development in the Downtown District of the City of Munising. The project will address the need for rental housing and downtown amenities while transforming 2 of Munising’s priority sites. The development team plans to incorporate significant local support and a number of resources to assist in the over $25 million project, including MEDC’s Community Revitalization Program and Revitalization and Placemaking grant program, and MSHDA’s Missing Middle program.
That afternoon, in Munising, Lt. Governor Gilchrist will join the Peninsula Fiber Network to discuss their Middle Mile grant, a $61.2 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program to help improve Michigan’s internet access. Currently, there is only one fiber optic cable connecting the upper and lower peninsulas, along the Mackinac Bridge, this grant will allow the Peninsula Fiber Network to run fiber optic cables under the Great Lakes. Since taking office, the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration has connected over 23,000 homes, businesses, and unserved locations to high-speed internet and has established the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office to coordinate the state’s high-speed internet work.
WHO: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
Hunter Nostrant, President & Chief Executive Officer
Nathan Neeb, Board of Trustees, Chair
Joanna Slaght, Board of Trustees, Vice Chair
Nick Derusha, Board of Trustees, Treasurer
Tammy Henry, Board of Trustees, Secretary
Dr. Michael Beaulieu, Chief Medical Officer
Mike Johnson, Purchasing Clerk, UAW Local Union 2399 President
WHAT: Helen Newberry Joy Hospital Visit
WHEN: Tuesday, July 25 at 8 a.m.
Please arrive by 7:45 a.m. for check-in.
WHERE: To request credentials for the in-person event in Newberry, please RSVP to [email protected] by 7 a.m. today.
WHO: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
Dr. Adam Ingrao, Co-Founder, Bee Wise Farms
Lacey Ingrao, Co-Founder, Bee Wise Farms
Tammy Henry, Executive Director, Luce County EDC
WHAT: Bee Wise Farm Tours
WHEN: Tuesday, July 25 at 9:20 a.m. Please arrive by 9 a.m. for check-in.
WHERE: To request credentials for the in-person event in Newberry, please RSVP to [email protected] by 8 a.m. today.
WHO: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
Shannon Morgan, Managing Partner, Renovare Development
Jill Ferrari, Managing Partner, Renovare Development
Jenifer Acosta,Vice President of Real Estate Development, Renovare Development
Kathy Reynolds, DDA Director, Munising Downtown Development Authority
Britta Carlson, CEO and Founder EPIC Child Care Center proposed tenant
Debb Brunell, CEO, U.P. MichiganWorks!, proposed tenant
Rick Nebel, CEO, People's State Bank, Lender
WHAT: Renovare Development: Munising Marketplace and The Fire Hall Project Event
WHEN: Tuesday, July 25 at 11:30 a.m.
Please arrive by 11:15 a.m. for check-in.
WHERE: To request credentials for the in-person event in Munising, please RSVP to [email protected] by 10:00AM today.
WHO: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
Jennifer Greenburg, VP of Government Relations, Peninsula Fiber Network
Todd Proehl, Director of Technical Operation, Peninsula Fiber Network
Scott Randall, General Manager, Peninsula Fiber Network
Tammy Smith, Grants and Funding Manager, Peninsula Fiber Network
James (Jay) Brogan, President, Hiawatha Communications Inc.
Paul Stark, President, Baraga Telephone
WHAT: Peninsula Fiber Network Tour and Middle Mile Grant Event
WHEN: Tuesday, July 25 at 12:30 p.m.
Please arrive by 12:15 p.m. for check-in.
WHERE: To request credentials for the in-person event in Munising, please RSVP to [email protected] by 11 a.m. today.
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