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The Villages of Calumet and Laurium and Calumet Township all have highlights and their own challenges.
Dwindling populations and median household incomes well below the state average–especially in Calumet Village–have reduced the availability of services to residents over the years.
A team from Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences has spent the last four months looking at the advantages and disadvantages of several options for the area.
Doctoral Student Kelley Christensen said, “We looked at five different possibilities. We looked at keeping the status quo, we looked at intergovernmental agreements, revenue sharing, the possibility of the Village of Calumet dissolving into the township, and we also looked at the possibility of Laurium and Calumet Village becoming a city.”
Changes could take years to implement and a monumental effort would be needed by all community members involved, but Christensen says it all starts with people willing to talk about the possibilities.
Christensen said, “We just really hope that this starts a conversation. Our purpose here was to provide information to them and give them a list of options, and then we’re hoping that it will facilitate discussion and participation in government.”
Their report is online for the public to review.
http://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/research/reports/
http://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/research/reports/CalumetCollaboration.pdf
The team will also post the power point presentation from Monday’s meeting online. Questions can be directed to Dr. Richelle Winkler of Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences.
