Calumet's Future: an Observation and Vision

I have pondered over many months, about Calumet, its financial situation and its prospects for the future. In general it is not a positive feeling, because while I see many efforts to improve the overall attractiveness of the town, the consumer-friendly attitude of the town, and efforts to give people a reason to come to Calumet, most of these have met with only limited, if any, success. Calumet does not bring in enough money to sustain itself. The businesses, with some exceptions, get...
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I have pondered over many months, about Calumet, its financial situation and its prospects for the future. In general it is not a positive feeling, because while I see many efforts to improve the overall attractiveness of the town, the consumer-friendly attitude of the town, and efforts to give people a reason to come to Calumet, most of these have met with only limited, if any, success. Calumet does not bring in enough money to sustain itself. The businesses, with some exceptions, get by, but few are thriving, and each year about as many disappear as are formed anew. The general standard of living for people who live in town is low, and the wages are typically below average. Unemployment is high. Calumet is a couple slow seasons from being unable to recover. The reasons for difficulty are many and varied, and some are completely out of the control of the town. In the simplest, broad view, Calumet suffers from having too few people to support the local businesses and provide a strong tax base. Part of this is due to location and the sometimes severe winters, which discourage people from living here. There are more houses and apartments than people to fill them most of the time. The State of Michigan is not the most employment-friendly, which adds to the difficulty. Finally, there is little industry up here. There are few businesses that produce a product sold outside this area, so money would be brought in. Yes, there are some, individuals and companies, that produce a product here and sell it elsewhere - most of the tourism-based businesses are like that. My small company, although it is an insignificant amount, gets most of its income from outside the area and I spend it here in town. It has always been my belief that some type of manufacturing or mining, one which provides a couple hundred jobs and exports product, could revolutionize this town and the area. Perhaps the Keweenaw Copper Company will be one of those companies - perhaps something else will be developed. As it stands, however, large industry does not exist. If they can be brought here - while jumping the hurdles that being part of the National Park Service will certainly include - so much the better. Because that hasn't happened, because the Park Service will make that more challenging, and because a lot of that is out of the control of the Village of Calumet, there's no point in spending a lot of time on it. Instead, let's talk about what is within the control of Calumet.....