Port of Monroe, Opportunity Center to receive funding as part of state budget

The Port of Monroe, and the Opportunity Center at Arthur Lesow Community Center (ALCC) in Monroe will receive nearly $13 million in funding as part of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2023 state budget approved Friday by the Michigan Legislature.

The port will receive $5 million for fiscal year 2023, which will go towards construction of a containerized cargo scanning facility. The Opportunity Center is slated to receive $7.8 million in funding, which will go towards facility improvements and continued programming.

“This funding is crucial to an area very significant to Michigan’s economy that is in great need of workers, improvements and enhancements," State Rep. Joe Bellino said in a statement. “...It’s extraordinary for me to witness such significant enhancements to an area where my family lived when they first came to America in 1895. The Port of Monroe plays a significant role in Michigan’s economy. This much-needed funding will help Monroe continue to hire skilled employees, while improving and enhancing the port for years to come.”

“This funding will help support long-term economic growth and provide high-wage jobs for area workers — with the benefit of helping reduce costs for Michigan businesses and consumers with a more efficient port,” added State Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Onsted. “I was happy to work with Rep. Bellino and Port Director Paul LaMarre to lead the discussion in Lansing to secure this key funding to support critical improvements at the Port of Monroe and help them better compete with ports in other Great Lakes states.”

The Port of Monroe, Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie, serves as a major catalyst for Michigan’s multimodal trading industry. A 2017 report found that $59.2 million tons of goods were transported through Michigan’s waterways, valued at $3.23 billion. The economic activity produced by commercial ports amounted to just over $4 million, backing nearly 26,000 jobs and raising $763 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue.

“The state of Michigan’s investment of $5 million will pay dividends and allow the port to leverage significant federal investment while ensuring that our community is at the epicenter of Michigan’s intermodal transportation network,” LaMarre said. “Rep. Bellino and Sen. Zorn have been unrelenting in their commitment to the port, from the dock to the deck plates. They have been our champions in the state Legislature for which we are eternally grateful.”

The Monroe County Opportunity Program has operated the Opportunity Center at ALCC for the City of Monroe since 2019. MCOP Executive Director, Stephanie Kasprzak, praised the partnerships that have continued to fuel the growth of the center.

“We are so proud to be a partner in The Center Project, continuing in our efforts to bring significant investment to the Orchard East neighborhood,” she said. “In partnership all things are possible and this investment is a true testament to what can be done when our community, our partners, and our neighbors all come together.”

“The ALCC is a great place for our community to gather as one,” Bellino said. “It serves as a prime communal gathering spot, that also provides many experiences and services. The improvements made here will greatly benefit families, and future generations.”

“This enhancement of the Arthur Lesow Community Center is exactly the type of positive, long-term investment that we should be making to benefit Michigan families for years to come, instead of just increasing the size of government,” Zorn added.

Beyond funding two local entities, State Rep. TC Clements, R-Temperance said the state budget represents a significant investment in emergency services, infrastructure, and education while saving billions of dollars for possible tax relief.

“Successful communities depend on safety and security,” he said in a statement. “This budget prioritizes emergency services and law enforcement, efforts that will directly benefit my neighbors and people across Michigan. Additionally, our plan lowers the debt to limit the burdens on future generations. We have taken real steps to improve infrastructure and schools while leaving room for potential tax cuts in the coming months.

"My neighbors want efficient, streamlined, limited government that functions well to serve the people.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement Friday shortly after the budget was approved, saying she looks forward to signing it in the weeks ahead but also urges further collaboration on tax cuts and inflation relief as families face rising prices on gas, groceries, and everyday expenses.

“I am so grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature for working across the aisle with me to pass a balanced, bipartisan budget—the fourth we have done together," Whitmer said. "I will review and sign it as soon as possible, but I want to draw attention to work we still must do to cut taxes and put more money in people’s pockets.

“Right now, Michiganders are facing rising prices at the pump, the grocery store, and on countless everyday expenses. We need to come together to offer them real inflation relief right now. We can get this done because we still have billions of dollars in revenue left on the state balance sheet after our budget.

“If we build on our bipartisan collaboration on the budget, we can cut taxes for seniors and working families and put more money in people’s pockets. I laid out my plans to temporarily suspend the state sales tax on gas to lower prices for every driver, roll back the retirement tax to put an average of $1,000 back in the pockets of our seniors, triple a tax credit to deliver an average tax refund of $3,000 to 730,000 working families, and send $500 inflation relief checks to Michiganders. Let’s work together this summer on a bipartisan agreement that helps Michigan’s working families .”

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Port of Monroe, Opportunity Center to receive new state funding