Courtesy Photo The above group gathered on Friday for the First Federal of Northern Michigan (FFNM) Legacy Foundation $33,000 check presentation to the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to go toward capping the 10% match for the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Waterfront Park. Pictured from left to right are Friends board members Al Moe, Carol Shafto and board president Chuck Wiesen, with Chris McCoy, FFNM Legacy Foundation chairman, Mike Mahler, president of FFNM Legacy Foundation, Jeff Gray, TBNMS superintendent, Katie Wolf, Friends of TBNMS director, and Marty Thomson, FFNM Legacy Foundation and mBank board member.

ALPENA — Friday marked another significant step forward for the future development of the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Waterfront Park when First Federal of Northern Michigan Legacy Foundation board members presented the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary board with a check for $33,000 at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

“This project is a perfect fit for First Federal of Northern Michigan Legacy Foundation and our future direction for making gifts that truly make a lasting impact on the very communities that helped build our legacy fund over the years,” said Foundation President Mike Mahler. “The entire board is delighted to provide support for this community project, ensuring that the full 10% matching funds needed to leverage a potential $4 million investment in northeast Michigan is secured.”

He continued, “We applaud the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary for rallying an impressive team of enthusiastic community partners to raise the matching funds needed for the City of Alpena to move forward with the formal grant application process.”

As is customary for projects involving potential state and federal funding, a community must demonstrate that it can meet the full cash match of the project (10%) to leverage the full 90% grant. There are still several stages ahead in the approval process, but reaching the matching funds goal is a significant step forward.

After the formal grant is submitted to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, all criteria and requirements have been fulfilled and the grant has been approved, the next phase will involve developing detailed specifications and architectural renderings. At that time, more details will be available about the overall scope of project. Ideally, construction will begin in spring 2020.

First Federal of Northern Michigan Legacy Foundation was initially established by First Federal of Northern Michigan (FFNM), a community bank headquartered in Alpena. Its mission is to strengthen the social and economic well-being of the communities in which FFNM operated. Although First Federal of Northern Michigan has since merged into mBank, the Foundation still exists as a legacy to serve the needs of the communities within the original FFNM footprint.

The Foundation is dedicated to supporting community activities and nonprofit organizations in Alanson, Alpena, Cheboygan, Gaylord, Lewiston, Oscoda, and Mio. For more information about the FFNM Legacy Foundation, board of directors, and grant making process, visit ffnmlegacyfoundation.com or call 989-464-8321.