- $4.5M from Michigan Economic Development Corporation will support the restoration of Jackson's Hotel Hayes.
- Senators Sue Shink and Sarah Anthony were in Jackson Tuesday for an official presentation of state support.
- Video shows ceremony, developer J. Jeffers & Co. representative discussing plans for the building.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A $4.5 million check from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation — the last piece of the financial puzzle that gets redevelopment rolling on Downtown Jackson's historic Hotel Hayes.
Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney, who was here Tuesday to receive the check, says finding a developer for the vacant building has been a personal priority since he took office.
The money, allocated in June as part of next year's state budget, will go towards the $40 million project undertaken by Milwaukee-based developer J. Jeffers and Co.
Lisa Wogan, Director of Community Impact with J. Jeffers, was on hand for the ceremony. She says it may not look like it from the outside, but "pre-development" work has been going on for some time.
"There's a lot of engineering work and all of that type of thing," says Wogan. "Identifying commercial tenants, office users, retail users, restaurateurs — all of that's been happening in the background."
With a a restaurant operator already signed, Wogan says more news on tenants and official groundbreaking is coming soon for what she promises will be a "very high level historic rehabilitation".
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