FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2006

CONTACT: Senator Mike Prusi (517) 373-7840

SEN. MIKE PRUSI ANNOUNCES U.P. GETS NEARLY $5 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS
12 U.P. Communities Awarded Grants

LANSING – State Senator Mike Prusi (D-Ishpeming) announced today that the Upper Peninsula will be the recipient of nearly $5 million in grants approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund Board.  Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation also supported this initiative.  The grants will fund public infrastructure projects as part of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Infrastructure Capacity Enhancement (ICE) program.  Funding was approved for projects that upgrade existing public infrastructure systems either by replacing deteriorating or obsolete systems or by adding needed capacity to existing, but burdened systems.  More than $15.3 million was awarded to 37 Michigan communities.  Twelve communities in the Upper Peninsula were awarded grants.  The Village of Newberry received $700 thousand, which was the largest amount awarded in the U.P. 

“These awards will improve the quality of life for many of our residents in the Upper Peninsula,” said Sen. Prusi. “Projects will include improvements to community water lines, sewer lines and wastewater treatment plants, as well as any road replacement needed due to these enhancements.  This will also create jobs and help boost our local economy.”

The ICE Program benefits small cities, villages, and townships.  The cities of Crystal Falls, Iron River, Manistique and Stephenson were among the communities in the U.P. that received funding.  They all received awards of more than $500 thousand each. 

When selecting the grant recipients for the Fall 2006 competitive first round of funding, priority was given to projects that had completed preliminary engineering/cost estimates and were ready to begin, provided a substantial local match commitment, had a high ratio of all matching funds to the amount of CDBG funds requested, had a low ratio of CDBG funds requested per resident, and benefited the entire community. 

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Sen. Mike Prusi serves as Democratic Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He represents the 38th Senate District, which includes 13 of the 15 Upper Peninsula counties.