The bike path along Lakeshore Boulevard, from Mattson Park going through Founders Landing to South Beach, will not be maintained beginning Jan. 27, due to the upcoming U.P. 200. Maintenance on the path will resume Feb. 18.

The Marquette Downtown Development Authority (MDDA) is currently working with consulting firm SmithGroup to establish a comprehensive Downtown Plan, in order to provide a strong vision and guidance for the future of Downtown Marquette.

Together with SmithGroup, the MDDA will be conducting small group focus sessions on Thursday, January 23 and Friday, January 24 at the Marquette Commons, located at 112 South Third Street in Marquette.

The focus group sessions will be consultant-led interactive discussions for the purpose of gathering input from identified key stakeholders.

Members of the Marquette City Commission may be in attendance at the session scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday and members of the MDDA Board of Directors may be in attendance for the 1:30 p.m. session on Friday.

The public is welcome to attend and observe these sessions, which will be informational; there will be no decisions made and no votes taken.

The following streets will be closed on Friday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. until Saturday, Jan. 25 at 4:30 p.m. for the Noquemanon Ski Marathon.

1. Schneider Mill Court, from River Park Circle to end of Schneider Mill Court.
2. Powder Mill Road, from Wright Street to end of Powder Mill Road.

Wright Street remains closed to through traffic east of Presque Isle Avenue due storm damage to Lakeshore Boulevard. Traffic will also be intermittently stopped on Hawley Street between Presque Isle and Lakeshore to allow skier to cross Hawley Street. Motorists are asked to be cautious and obey the instructions of the traffic regulators.

In anticipation of the upcoming Presidential Primary Election, the Marquette City Clerk’s Office and the Marquette Senior Center are hosting an election and voter information forum next month.

The event is scheduled to take place Feb. 13, in Room B of the Marquette Senior Center, accessed via the Spring Street entrance to Marquette City Hall. From 9 a.m. until noon, staff will be on-hand to assist in voter registration. Interested residents will also be able to receive and vote absentee ballots for the March 10 Presidential Primary and can request to be added to the City of Marquette’s Permanent Absentee Voter List.

The forum is also intended to provide an informal opportunity for residents to ask questions about the election process, or to gain a better understanding of the 2020 Election Cycle, which will include elections in March, August and November.

The Marquette City Code (Sec. 2-522) provides a mechanism for community stakeholders to submit for waivers of City fees and/or in-kind services provided by the City and/or cash payments. Requests for Promotional Funds may include grant funding, fee relief, provision of in-kind City services, cash or a combination of any or all of these items.

Applications for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 (Oct. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021) must be received or postmarked by March 31, 2020. Any applications received or postmarked after this date will NOT be eligible for consideration. It is important to note all applications may not be funded. Funding will depend upon City priorities and available dollars.Applications and information are available on the City website at www.marquettemi.gov or at the Community Services, Parks & Recreation office, located in Lakeview Arena at 401 E. Fair Avenue in Marquette.

For water bills with a due date of January 20^th, 2020, this is a bank holiday and the due date will be moved to January 21, 2020 instead.  Residents on auto-pay will have their payment automatically withdrawn on this date instead.

Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, there will be a Women’s March event starting at the Marquette Commons.

Participants will utilize the roadway and the following streets will be closed to thru traffic for the march with a Police escort:

• Third Street from Washington to Main
• Main Street from Third to Front
• Front Street from Main to Washington
• Washington Street from Front to Fourth
• Fourth Street from Washington to Multi-Use Path

Motorists are asked to find alternative routes and use caution while driving in these areas.

The Marquette Board of Light and Power offices will be closed on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 in observance of the New Year’s holiday.

In the case of an emergency, residents can call 911 or the BLP’s 24-hour emergency line at 228-0300.

Marquette City Manager Mike Angeli will hold his next community office hours on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, from 10 a.m. to noon in the main floor conference room of the Peter White Public Library. The meeting is intended to provide an informal opportunity to discuss issues within the community, and to give citizens the opportunity for direct dialogue with City staff about interests and concerns.