Calumet Just Getting Started With Building Stabilization Effort

The buildings that make up Calumet’s historic downtown district are magnificent, but no one argues that it will take a monumental effort to restore some of the more dilapidated ones to any useful purpose.

A grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority could be the start of that effort.

The village will match the $33,000 grant to help stabilize an old wine distribution building on the corner of Portland and 6th Street.

Calumet Village President Dave Geisler said, “It’s a small building and therefore it’s perfect for a small business to come in and occupy the space. The investment to completely rehabilitate the building is not so daunting as to discourage people from doing it, and in addition, we’ve had some interest in the building from people who have inquired about opening a business in there and rehabbing the building.”

When completed, the building will have space for a retail business below and residential above.

Though the grant will only help this one building, many more improvements to the downtown may follow.

Geisler said, “We have identified, though, probably a dozen buildings in the community that are in need of this type of rehabilitation work, and so we would anticipate going back later this year (to the State) and requesting additional funds to stabilize and rehabilitate buildings.