After receiving a US$2.5-million grant last September from the American Rescue Plan to improve the I-500 property in Sault Ste Marie, the Sault Ste Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau (SSMCVB) received another grant last week.
At a Friday luncheon at Kewadin Casino and Resort, The Great Lakes Sports Commission (GLSC) presented a US$150,000 check to Linda Hoath, Executive Director of the SSMCVB.
Before the check was presented, dignitaries visited the track to see what its condition is like when it's not covered in snow.
The I-500 track is only used for events in the week leading up to, and including, the day of the gruelling 500-mile snowmobile race. The other 51 weeks, the property is idle, with the exception of track preparations starting in late December or early January.
That is going to change for the 51 acres at the property.
The renovation project will make the property more enticing for other events and venues year-round.
Hoath applied for the grant a couple years ago.
"And here we are today," she said. "This is for everybody. It's for the whole community."
"It's a great opportunity," she continued. "We have all the organizations here in one place. It's exciting. I have butterflies in my stomach. We still have to raise another $350,000 but I know we can do it."
Eric Marvin, who presented the check to Hoath on behalf of the GLSC, said he came to the I-500 in the middle of the week, and not race day, and was still impressed.
"I am glad I got a little feel of race week," Marvin said. "I know I have to come back for race day itself, but I saw some great opportunities when I was here and I cannot wait to see where all of this goes."
The GLSC's mission is to promote Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula as a premier destination for sports and tourism.
"We want to see this area grow. We are fortunate to grow, with the help from the state," Marvin added.
"This is an exciting day for Sault Ste Marie. It's really an amazing thing with all the collaboration we have here. Yoopers have ingenuity. We work hard. Thank God we have our tourism czar, Linda Hoath, and the CVB because they do a lot. They are part of the economic engine. They put a lot of money into the community," Mayor Don Gerrie said.