Young grad fulfills dream of owning own bakery, gets brick thrown through window

Erin Turner stands in front of her new signage for her store on Hecla Street.

Meet Erin Turner, the 23-year-old baker behind Copper Country Sweets. From humble beginnings vending at From the Ground Farmer’s Markets to the procurement of her own Laurium bakery, Erin's success is a testament to the rewards of hard work and determination. Copper Country Sweets is more than just a bakery—it's a dream come true.

ERIN’S STORY

Turner has always had a passion for baking and service. She graduated with her Bachelors in Hospitality Management from Northern Michigan University, a well-rounded course that covered not only cooking, but business management, HR, and leadership. She spent summers baking for Skinny Pete’s.

After graduation, Turner signed up for all three From the Ground Farmer’s Markets (Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet) with one goal in mind: save up enough funds to buy equipment and open her very own Laurium bakery. Turner reliably vended three times a week from June to October, setting up her table and tent by herself, offering seasonal flavors that shifted each week, as well as her signature $5 jumbo cupcakes and 3 for $5 sea-salted chocolate chip cookies.

Erin Turner at the Calumet Farmer’s Market.

“I love when people buy something at the market, bring back the empty bag with a smile on their face telling me how good it was. I get to be creative and make people happy,” said Turner.

This year, it’s finally happening! Turner secured a brick-and-mortar bakery in Laurium and was able to acquire the equipment she needed with the earnings from the Market. Skinny Pete’s also gifted her with much of the equipment she needed, leftover from their own bakery after Skinny Pete’s closure in late 2022.

Turner said that her positive relationship with the former bread company’s owners Tim and Arthur Lyons was essential in laying the groundwork for her business. Another key to Turner’s success was assistance from local small business consultant Daniel Yoder.

“I worked with him most of the summer during the season. We met and developed a business plan. [Michigan SBDC] is a small business development center, and they’re a nonprofit so they just help businesses. They also worked with Living Proof Brewery, who is just down the block.”

It’s a big summer for Laurium as community connections continue to bloom. Copper Country Sweets maintains a partnership with Vertin Gallery, who is also reopening this summer, along with a new bike shop in the same building.

A BUSINESS WITH SISU

But, Erin’s dream was thwarted when vandalism struck a small UP business once again. This past Tuesday, Turner entered the bakery to find a brick that had been thrown through the front-facing glass window, shattering it. Turner said that while nothing was stolen, she is taking the incident as a sign to purchase security equipment.

“I’m stressed and upset, but I’m just thankful nothing inside was damaged,” she said.

The shattered store window. Photo courtesy Erin Turner.

Mike LaMotte, owner of the Fitzgerald Restaurant, has started a donation drive for Copper Country Sweets through their website. The business is covering the taxes and kickstarted the donation pool with their own donation of $500.

“Starting a new business is hard. Starting a business that’s a creative expression of yourself, as a young woman in the Keweenaw, is that much harder,” reads a statement from the Fitz on Facebook. “Erin Turner had more guts than 99 percent of people when she decided to learn a craft and make something for people, something that she believes in and that she thinks that the world will enjoy.”

You can help Copper Country Sweets recoup their losses by donating here: https://www.exploretock.com/fitzgeraldsrestaurant/event/482784/support-for-copper-country-sweets

GRAND OPENING PENDING

The grand opening has been postponed because of the window damage. Turner comments that waiting on the business inspector is also taking longer than she had originally anticipated. But she looks forward to the grand opening, where the community can come in to sample some of her tastiest treats by donation.

She will have her signature chocolate chip cookies and vanilla cupcakes, as well as a range of other baked goods of seasonal flavors, with something new each week. 

Turner says she also loves to make custom cakes and desserts.

“I’ll do custom anything! If someone wants something I don’t make, I’ll make it if they give me enough time,” she said.

Copper Country Sweets is located on 323 Hecla Street in Laurium. Follow Copper Country Sweets on Facebook and Instagram for updates! You can contact baker Erin via her email, coppercountrysweets@gmail.com.

You can catch also Copper Country Sweets at Calumet Market every Saturday from 10 am - 2 pm. Turner plans to attend the Saturday market for exposure, so the bakery will be closed on that day.

Turner is currently fulfilling orders. Find the order form on her website.

More News

Community rallies behind robbed local businesses, perpetrators come clean

The two perpetrators, entering Hirvonen Hall.

Around 3:30 AM on Friday, two men entered the Hirvonen building in Hancock on the Quincy Green through a door left unsecured. The pair stole “a felonious amount” of items from businesses on the 4th floor, according to Hancock police.

The building’s security cameras caught clear footage of the two men. When the businesses involved acquired permission from the Hancock Police to release the images on social media later that afternoon, the pictures spread online like wildfire through platforms like Instagram and Facebook, notably garnering over 300 shares on Facebook in just a few hours.

The perpetrators turned themselves in, returned the stolen goods, and fully reimbursed the business owners for expenses lost later that day. The men were identified as a graduating Tech student and his friend from out-of-state.

Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu reported that a fridge, a cash register containing cash, and a desk chair were stolen. They also reported that the robbers busted their glass jars of Living Proof Kombucha.

One of the perpetrators taking Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu’s cash register.

Studio Alchemy reported that over $1,800 worth of products: handmade herbal products, tinctures, bombs, and facial serums, were stolen.

Superior School of Dance reported a stolen microphone.

“It's just such an insane feeling,” said Natasha Kentala, owner of Studio Alchemy. “We've worked so hard for something, and then having somebody come and violate that so nonchalantly, so easily. It’s really painful.”

The incident comes as a shock to the Keweenaw community, where community members report “leaving the door unlocked or the car running to get groceries”. According to bestplaces.net, the property crime rate in Hancock is 19.3, which is significantly lower than the national average of 35.4.

Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu owner and head instructor Stan Myaskovsky said the incident will make them come back stronger. Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu is offering one month of free training for new members as a thank-you to the community that rallied behind them.

Superior School of Dance will debut its upcoming recital “Video Games” on Saturday, May 18. Buy tickets.

Studio Alchemy resumes classes and has many events in store for May.

More News

Lake Effect farmstand fills food access gap in Copper Harbor

Lake Effect Farm co-owner Adam Millsap with the Lake Effect farmstand in Copper Harbor. Photo courtesy of Lake Effect Farm.

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Melissa Young-Millsap’s name was misspelled.

This past July, Lake Effect Farm opened its non-conventional outdoor farmstand at the Gas Lite General Store in Copper Harbor (AKA ‘the Genny’). The stand is essentially a large refrigerator within a weather-proof shed, built by the crew at Lake Effect Farm. Farm-fresh produce is available for purchase by the honor system, where customers leave funds in the cash box or use the touchscreen to make a debit/credit card purchase and then help themselves to the fresh veg.

The partnership formed between Lake Effect Farm and the Gas Lite General Store ensures access to nutritious, fresh food for the residents of Copper Harbor and the surrounding area, reducing the region’s reliance on imported goods, a major asset in the geographically isolated peninsula. It also often fosters community engagement, wherein residents know where their food comes from and the people behind its production.

Melissa Young-Millsap checks crops growing at Lake Effect Farm. Photo by Lily Venable.

“The Genny does an incredible job with all kinds of dry goods and more,” said Adam Millsap, co-owner of Lake Effect Farm. “But produce, it’s really hard for grocery stores because you have to have a high volume of customership to make those numbers work. But we can harvest daily and hold things in the field for as long we need, so we’re able to cover the gap.”

The farmstand has gained positive reception and feedback from the community that, according to Millsap, has been reflected in sales, too.

“One of the benefits of being in a close-knit community like Copper Harbor is that word travels fast,” says Millsap. “If you’ve got something good going, they show up right away.”

Lake Effect Farm is located in Trail’s End Campground, featuring acres of property, its own pond, and several greenhouses, complete with an efficient automated watering system built by Millsap.

Their website proudly boasts their namesake, a tribute to the agricultural conditions caused by Lake Superior: “The Lake Effect, a thermodynamic heat bubble caused by Lake Superior, makes it possible for us to be here, farming the North Coast in a zone 5b.”

The farmstand will continue to be open for as long as the farm is producing crops and looks forward to next year’s season of bounty.

From left to right, Lake Effect Farm owners Melissa Young-Millsap and Adam Millsap and farmhands Nick Niffin and Kathryn Little. Photo by Lily Venable.

More News

Meet Up and Eat Up program breaks record by serving 118,426 meals in 10 weeks

Shelby Turnquist(center) with volunteers Jonah(left) and Oliver(right). Photo credit to Boersma Family Roots.

Meet Up and Eat Up, officially known as the Summer Food Service Program, is a free school food program that piloted this summer. The program was open to all residents with children, and distributed meals for free in Houghton and Hancock during the summer season to families with children that would normally receive meals provided by the school.

Such initiatives play a crucial role in addressing food insecurity, especially among families with children. By providing nutritious meals to those who might be struggling to afford them, these programs contribute to the overall well-being and development of children.

MICHIGAN FOOD SECURITY COUNCIL FINAL REPORT, 2022

The program is through the Michigan Department of Education and is partially funded by the federal government based on the percentage of applications received for free or reduced school lunch applications at the school. 

The meals come with milk, juice, snacks, and entrees for the week, as well as fresh fruit and produce acquired from local participating farmers: Mother Farmer, Ghost House Farm, Boersma Family Roots, North Harvest Farm, and Eden Greens.

Shelby Turnquist: Food Access Champion

In the midst of food insecurity, it’s great to have individuals like Shelby Turnquist in your corner, who are championing food access and supporting families in need by applying for and coordinating meal distribution programs.

“The program came in at the very last minute from the federal government,” said Turnquist. “I went after it. A rural feeding program gave us the opportunity to do curbside pick-up, but who knows what’s going to happen next year? The last four years, it’s been a last-minute, switch-up-the-program type of deal.”

Turnquist says she spent weeks on the phone trying to secure the program for both Hancock and Houghton schools. The program requires many types of coordination: not only jumping through hoops to qualify, but also advertising, customer correspondence, meal packing, meeting food safety requirements, acquiring volunteers, processing leftover food, and coordinating between farmers, to name a few.

“All I know is, I’m here to feed the kids,” said Turnquist.

Local farmer Nichole Boersma says the tenacity with which Turnquist approached the program is infectious.

“She is an inspiration and someone that I admire beyond words. She handles the program like the incredible boss of a woman that she is,” said Boersma. “So many families depend on her over the summer, and she is insanely humble about it.”

According to Turnquist, programs like this one executed downstate require farmers to bring in specific vegetables, while Turnquist opts to let the farmers bring in what is freshest off their fields.

“She told us to bring what we could and if something didn't move well, she would let us know. The relationship was super fluid and she definitely helped stimulate the local food economy,” said Boersma.

Turnquist and her crew distributed 600-700 meals a day this summer. The only qualification that had to be met was having a child under the age of 18. Children with special needs were also accepted up to the age of 26, provided that they were enrolled in a school. Turnquist noted that this type of qualification meets the needs of families that aren’t “well off” but don’t qualify for other types of assistance. 

The most difficult part of the program, according to Turnquist, was the time spent processing food to be frozen, leftover from people who signed up for meals but didn’t pick them up. Some weeks up to 100 people were a no-show. However, Turnquist comments that if they reached just one child who didn’t go hungry that day because of the meals, then their efforts are well worth it.

“Growing up my parents always taught us to treat all children like they're your own,” explained Turnquist. “I’ve taken that to heart. And people that worked on the program have that same heart and soul for the kids.”

Emelia Johnson, a teacher in the school district who helps pack and distribute the boxes, commented that it’s also a great way to expose local families to the flavorful bounty of fresh vegetables that our local farms have to offer.

Food insecurity is a significant issue in many communities, and efforts like Shelby Turnquist and the Meet Up and Eat Up program can make a positive impact by ensuring that children have access to essential nutrition. This, in turn, can improve their health, cognitive development, and educational outcomes.

This article is a part of a larger series on food access in the Keweenaw. If you are a food insecure Keweenaw resident in need of community resources, call 211.

More News

Calumet Community Free Fridge offers fresh produce to address food insecurity in Keweenaw

Sue Peterson with a crate of donations. Photo courtesy of North Harvest Farm.

Correction: Lee Peterson has been added as a volunteer coordinator alongside Sue Peterson.

In the Keweenaw, a significant challenge has long persisted: limited access to fresh and affordable food. This geographical predicament, often referred to as a "food desert," has hindered the community's ability to enjoy nutritious sustenance easily. However, food access in the region is expanding, and there are now many more ways to acquire fresh produce while supporting local farms and without breaking the bank.

This year marks the opening of the wildly successful Calumet Community Free Fridge started by Ashley TenHarmsel of North Harvest Farm. TenHarmsel partnered with volunteer coordinator Sue Peterson and Ron Rea of Calumet’s The Office Shop to offer a fridge of fresh produce, available to the community five days a week, at no cost to them and with no questions asked.

Ashley TenHarmsel. Photo by Lily Venable.

TenHarmsel says what sparked the idea was the Calumet farmer’s market taking on more food access programs and the continuing discourse on food access. Keeping an eye on social media, she saw community fridges being executed in other states on Instagram. Then, she attended a Women in Agriculture seminar last winter for an in-depth look at how it’s done. Finally, she took a leap of faith in her community.

“I had no idea how it was going to do, if we needed social media, if people would feel comfortable going, or would want to donate. But the farmers’ donations have been incredible. They're extremely happy to do that,” said TenHarmsel.

How it works: Calumet Market vendors bring plenty of produce to the busy Saturday morning market and donate what they don’t sell to the Free Fridge. Donors include Ghost House Farm (Houghton), Lake Effect Farm (Copper Harbor), North Harvest Farm (Calumet), Boersma Family Roots (Calumet), Whispering Wild Market Farm (Toivola), and Minnie Farms (Lake Linden). Calumet vendors Superior Cupcakes (Lake Linden) and Two Old Broads Bakery (Calumet) also donate leftover baked goods.

According to program coordinators, the fridge has been so popular that the donations are usually gone within a couple of days. The Office Shop recently put out a post on Facebook calling for local gardeners to donate excess produce.

“I get here at 7:30 a.m. in the morning on Monday. I get half a dozen people before 8:30 a.m. just taking what they need and being very grateful for the produce and being able to have fresh salads and eat healthy. Because times are tough,” said Rea. “I’ve seen tears several times. It’s been maybe 5 weeks. Each week, there is more and more energy. More and more items flow in.”

The refrigerator itself was donated by Rachael Pressley, and Rea comments that he will soon need a second fridge to house all the produce from local farmers and gardeners. 

Cash donations are also accepted, which go to the farmers to buy their produce.

The program is in addition to the Office Shop’s existing free food pantry, where Rea also coordinates the distribution of winter clothes, children’s Christmas items, and non-perishable food items.

Rea says his personal motivations for helping the community come from memories of his parents.

The Calumet Community Free Fridge. Photo courtesy of the Office Shop.

“My parents gave a lot. I saw it when I was growing up. My father worked hard, but he always had time to help people. He fixed things and people’s cars at no charge. My mom cleaned houses for people at no charge. They did things out of the goodness of their heart just constantly. They always seemed to be open and giving,” said Rea.

“It’s a calling I think,” he continued. “The universe has pushed me in that direction. It’s something that I like to do, and I enjoy doing it. I’m lucky that people give me the resources I need to do it. And we’re going to continue to do it for as long as we can.”

TenHarmsel would like to see how they can expand the model to open more fridges around the Keweenaw.

“It would help to have someone leading that. Volunteers would be needed to get that set up. And then possibly multiple locations within the town. If people don’t have access to wheels, they could walk,” said TenHarmsel. 

“We’re figuring it out as it’s going, and it's going really well,” TenHarmsel continued. “It’s the volunteers and donors and people coming out that really make it happen.”

To donate, or to pick up produce, canned goods, or other food items at no cost to you - visit the Office Shop at 25703 Scott St. in Calumet open Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Rea also comments to leave your name and number with him if you need something specific.

Follow the Office Shop on Facebook for updates.

This article is a part of a larger series on food access in the Keweenaw. If you are a food insecure Keweenaw resident in need of community resources, call 211.

More News

To Stem the Flood

Photo of flooded private land in Pelkie, submitted to the Flood Photo Submission Tool. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.

This year, flood emergencies once again swept the UP, prompting emergency management divisions across the peninsula to request federal assistance through programs like FEMA. There are two types of assistance to be applied for: public assistance (infrastructure, roads, municipalities, etc.) and individual assistance (privately owned properties and houses). Funds are then given back to the local emergency departments in a reimbursement process.

As of June, FEMA’s latest visit concluded, and they will now make a report to the state. According to Emergency Management Division Coordinator Chris VanArsedale, we now wait and see what happens. 

Preventing Flood Emergencies: The Quest for a County Drain

In April, abandoned railway grades in Lake Linden blocked a water drain, causing it to become waterlogged and burst, resulting in a flood emergency. Situations like this prompt questions about who maintains these culverts.

“We still are very interested from the county’s perspective in pursuing County Drains within a lot of these municipalities. In the long term, we think it will be the best way to manage them,” says VanArsedale. 

The Houghton County Emergency Division is working with the county board of commissioners to figure out how to get municipalities and people on board to have an established community drain. An established community drain would then be eligible for grants. It would give communities, in the long term, better overall preparedness.

“Right now, they are segmented. Part of the system might belong to the township, or the village, or the landowner. Even if they are maintaining their drains, are they coordinating together? If someone is putting in a 20-inch culvert, but someone [downriver] isn’t, that could cause problems. We want one continuous drain system to where it can be engineered to be coordinated,” says VanArsedale. “I think that’s a big step in the right direction.”

A county drain would make it so that the county assumes responsibility for the maintenance of a system of drains, rather than the individual municipalities or the landowners.

The catch is that a county drain has to be petitioned into existence by a group of at least 10 people that are within the drain district. Those people can petition their local township or city or village board. Then, the municipality can petition the county board of commissioners. 

For example, Dollar Bay residents would petition the Osceola Township, who can then petition the Houghton County Board.

Farm equipment barely escaped the flooding in April. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.

There are 36 drains within the M-26 corridor alone, with the main area of concern in the stretch between Lake Linden and Dollar Bay. Other potentially hazardous areas include the drainage in between South Range and Painesdale, which threatens the ATV trail. The drains near Chassell all the way up to Ripley all have potential for damage, too.

“How much money it would cost is a concern,” said VanArsedale. “On the flipside, how much damage would it cost in the end? Are we paying more money by responding to it?”

Rural Hazard Resilience Project Hones in on Flood Preparedness

In the face of unpredictable natural disasters and the growing need for community preparedness, the Rural Hazard Resilience Project is empowering rural areas to overcome the challenges posed by flooding and secure a more resilient future for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

According to Evan Lanese, GIS/Planning Technician, the project is a collaboration between WUPPDR, Michigan Tech, and the University of Washington and involves the development of three main tools; the GIS visualization tool, a photo submission tool, and Google Earth engine.

GIS Visualization Tool

The GIS Visualization Tool is a map where you can toggle on and off different layers: transportation layers (roads and trails), critical infrastructure layers (schools and hospitalization), and other important things that an emergency manager would need to know to evaluate flood procedures. The map shows where flooding is most likely to happen.

“Let’s say there’s a nursing home that needs to be evacuated,” said Lanese. “They could use the tool to find the best route, say ‘Oh, this road is flooded or washed out, so we’ll have to go this other route,’ and adjust the time accordingly.”

Lanese does outreach, social media and web design for the project, but most importantly collects map data from other townships to create a more accurate map. Some landowners don’t want their map data to be public, and sometimes the follow-up between townships and Lanese takes months.

According to Lanese, collecting data for the map is a full-time job. The good news is that they’re comparing it with modeling systems collected by FEMA, and they’re matching up pretty well.

Flood Photo Submission Tool

You can help contribute to the effort by using the Flood Photo Submission Tool. The team is trying to get community members to take pictures of the flooding and tag the location to upload to our database. The tool then checks to see if what is pictured matches our flood models using real life data.

Submitting flood photos with tagged locations lets the Rural Hazard Resilience team double-check their data against real-world situations. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.

Google Earth Engine

The third tool is the Google Earth Engine, which allows you to select a certain area and choose a return period for flooding, like 25-year-flood versus a 500-year-flood, and gives you a flood hazard risk assessment. The assessment includes how many buildings might flood, how many people might be affected, how much farmland will be affected. The tools are all publicly accessible and can be used by the community to assess flood hazard risks.

The goal of the project is to offer this model at low cost to rural areas, making flood hazard mitigation accessible for counties that may not have the budget. Lanese hopes to see the models they develop expand to the entire UP.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Houghton Taco Bell closed due to high carbon monoxide levels

The Taco Bell on Razorback Drive in Houghton closed to the public on Friday, June 16, due to high carbon monoxide levels detected.

Though staff remained at work to do deep cleaning, a Taco Bell employee said that they couldn’t run their food equipment due to the risk.

According to the neighboring business, the restaurant’s CO alarm was activated and employees were evacuated until they got the go-ahead to return to the store by the fire department.

The fire department could not be reached Friday for comment.

Other employees estimate the store will reopen by tomorrow.

The Taco Bell manager on duty declined to comment.

According to the EPA, carbon monoxide exposure could lead to effects from fatigue and chest pain to impaired vision and even death. Sources could include unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, furnaces or stove leaks, or incomplete oxidation during combustion in gas ranges, and unvented gas or kerosene heaters.

Around 12:30 p.m., AirCare of Houghton visited the restaurant. A representative from AirCare said they haven’t found the cause of the carbon monoxide levels and declined further comment.

Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to reflect the correct chemical formula for carbon monoxide.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Fire consumes two buildings in Lake Linden

The two buildings on the corner of Calumet and Second Street are expected to be declared a total loss. Photo by Lily Venable.

Downtown Lake Linden smells of a large bonfire, but not the summer-fun kind.

At about 11 p.m. Sunday night, the Lake Linden Fire Department received the call of a burning 2-story building on Calumet and Second Street. Firefighters were out until 5 a.m. fighting the flames along with 7 other local departments.

Lake Linden Assistant Fire Chief Nick Meneguzzo said that he rested at home for about 45 minutes before getting paged out again in the late morning as the building continued to smolder.

Fire Chief Andrew Kotila says the department used dump tanks and water from the lake to douse the flames.

“We pulled water from the boat launch using tanker trucks and had a big swimming pool set up,” Kotila said. Kotila and Meneguzzo estimate they used about 600,000 gallons of water to stop the burning.

“The problem is the whole roof dropped, and there’s no way to get water to the parts smoldering below,” says Meneguzzo. “We’re currently bringing in machinery to get debris off the hot spots.”

Nearly 24 hours later, the building continues to emit a stream of smoke.

Meneguzzo said that it’s definitely the biggest fire he’s seen in a while, and that the 2-story building that once housed apartments, a dentist’s office, and a garage, is now a total loss. He predicts the entire building will have to be torn down.

Nobody was hurt in the fire as the residents were said to be out of town. On Friday, the Fire Marshall is expected to inspect the building’s remains in order to pinpoint the cause.

---

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Public show support for ‘The Fitz’ at KCRC meeting

The crowd at the meeting spilled into the next room. Photo by Lily Venable.

Over 30 people attended a regularly held public board meeting, held Tuesday by the Keweenaw County Road Commission. Most came in support of the Fitzgerald Restaurant, which is facing a potentially costly tear-down of an in-progress construction project due to a road setback issue. The crowd exceeded the capacity of the small meeting room and overflowed into standing-room-only in the back of the Mohawk building.

Several citizens offered their comments in support of Fitz, including Brad Barnett, Executive Director of Visit Keweenaw. Barnett noted that while the Keweenaw County Road Commission and their team do an incredible job of maintaining the area’s roads, the Fitzgerald’s Restaurant and Hotel has truly become a destination attraction enticing visitors to come to the Keweenaw. He encouraged both the road commission and “The Fitz” to come to a consensus solution that works to address the needs of both parties. 

Board members of the Keweenaw County Road Commission also read aloud numerous e-mails that they received from the public, mostly in enthusiastic support of the Fitz, with one e-mail calling for no exceptions to be made.

KCRC’s attorney Andrew Speica emphasized that the Keweenaw County Road Commission is obligated to serve the law and the taxpaying residents of their community, for whom a right-of-way violation would affect.

Specia assured the public that each party is committed to finding a mutually beneficial resolution.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Fitzgerald’s smoker in peril

The site plan from the Fitzgerald’s building permit application.

Despite being a beloved dining destination nestled onto the Eagle River shoreline, Fitzgerald’s, commonly called ‘the Fitz,’ finds itself facing financial hardship in an ongoing conflict with the Keweenaw County Road Commission.

Over a year ago, the Fitz obtained all necessary permits in order to build an enclosure around their existing meat smoker that would cover the smoker, its firewood, and a new walk-in refrigerator. The project broke ground in June 2022 and had almost reached completion when the Fitz was issued a stop work order by the Keweenaw County Road Commission. They said the enclosure was too close to the road, citing plowing concerns. The required setback is 10 feet from the right-of-way.

The Fitz now faces the threat of a forced tear-down, paid for out-of-pocket, for a project that was already costing them at least $30,000, according to their building permit application.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Fitz laid out the timeline of the issues they have been dealing with, raised the alarm on a supposed private session held by the KCRC on April 11, and even briefly alludes in the comment section that small-town politics may have played a part in the issue. 

Mike LaMotte, executive vice president of operations and human logistics of the Fitzgerald’s, notes frustration that the issue of the road setback was looked over by each inspector that had visited the property throughout the year before the restaurant commenced building the addition.

Message posted to Facebook by The Fitz.

Inspector Eric Bjorn, mentioned in the post, said he is a building inspector, not a zoning inspector, who inspects buildings based strictly on Michigan State building laws, which does not address road setbacks.

Fitzgerald’s building permit application, redaction added.

The Road Commissioners Vice Chairman John Karvonen referred questions to Zoning Administrator Sara Heikkela, saying that she issued the permit incorrectly. Karvonen also said the engineer who drew up the plans didn’t do a site survey.

“He did everything incorrect. That [Facebook] post is very misleading. You have to know the facts,” he said.

Heikkela states that the permit proposals she approved were indeed up to code, but that the actual building of the enclosure veered from the plans that were submitted, which the Keweenaw County Road Commission then noticed and addressed.

Fitzgerald’s zoning permit application, redaction added.

LaMotte says the unique location of the restaurant between Front Street and the shoreline allows them no other space to build the enclosure. He said that tearing down their meat smoker, which has been in the same spot operating as a cornerstone of their business for over a decade, would jeopardize the future of the restaurant.

Fitz-lovers from all over the Keweenaw and beyond are urging the Keweenaw County Road Commission to make a compromise.

Two out of the three Keweenaw County Road Commission members declined to answer questions regarding the issue but state that their attorneys will be answering questions at their next public meeting, held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 2 p.m. at the Keweenaw County Road Commission in Mohawk. All are welcome to attend.

Editor’s note: This story originally named the location of the KCRC meeting as the Keweenaw County Courthouse in Eagle River.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

Other News