Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Calumet Village Manager Megan Haselden displays the 2023 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation to the Bring Back Calumet Initiative Task Force.

CALUMET — The Bring Back Calumet Initiative task force was recently awarded a 2023 Michigan Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation. The award was presented in Heritage Hall at the Michigan State Capitol, in Lansing, on May 4.

The awardees are the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA), village of Calumet, Calumet Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Main Street Calumet, the Houghton County Land Bank Authority, Keweenaw National Historical Park (KNHP), and Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission.

“The task force was started by KEDA back in 2016, that brought together the stakeholders for the village,” said Calumet Village Manager, Megan Haseldon, who traveled to Lansing to accept the award on behalf of the village.

Because of the task force’s efforts, several of the downtown buildings are already in the process of being revitalized and rehabilitated, she said.

“So, we’ve gotten the attention of folks down in Lansing,” Haselden said. “We were one of four projects this year picked,” adding that the task force was the only Upper Peninsula entity to receive the award.

A number of representatives of the task force went to Lansing to receive the award, said Haselden.

“Both Representative (Greg) Markkanen and our senator, Ed McBroom, were there,” she said, “and they stood up and gave a few words about Calumet and how exciting this revitalization is.”

The consortium of partners has developed plans and interventions for a series of downtown properties in this National Historic Landmark District. Building stabilization, rehabilitation, and community-supported historic building preservation efforts are bringing stakeholders closer together and more economic activity to the community, states a release from Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office.

Initially, there was an idea of “how can we bring back Calumet,” Haselden said, “and the realization was pretty early had that it’s going to have to be very slowly, and one building at a time.”

It is an effort that has been going on for many years, she said, and will continue to go on for many years to come.